“[Review Scores] Shouldn’t Matter,” but God of War Director Cory Barlog’s Moving Reaction to Them Does

God of War arrived Friday after two years of extensive hype and five years of grinding development. The game has received overwhelming praise from critics and breathed new resonance into the franchise known for its simplistic approach to gore and hypersexualization, despite its keen combat systems.

While the gaming community has been celebrating the title via reviews and streams, God of War director Cory Barlog waited in the dark as the reception rolled in, choosing to break the seal on the praise awaiting him in a reaction video posted to his YouTube channel. What unfolds is one of the more genuine moments of joy, relief and accomplishment seen from an industry leader.

Complete with his comfort axe, Barlog lets the emotion of discovering the reception of his work rush over him with the simple expression of “holy shit” before falling silent and openly crying what are surely some of the happiest tears he’s shed. The game’s Metacritic score even goes up from 93 to 94 as he’s watching, leading him to thank everyone who worked alongside him. “So much or who we are is on that disc,” said Barlog, adding, “[Review scores] shouldn’t matter, but I’m just so fucking proud … I’m just so lucky to work with the people that I work with.”