Nobody was fooled by Sony’s mysterious “Game Day” trailer that popped up earlier this week; we all knew it had something to do with God of War: Ascension. Sony finally premiered the impressive live-action trailer for Kratos’ upcoming adventure, and you can check it out below.

Produced by visual effects studio Imaginary Forces, who also did work on in-game cinematics for both God of War III and Ascension, the trailer shows the emotional side of Kratos, something not often seen during the events of the God of War series. Director Karin Fong wanted to show Kratos at his most vulnerable moment, as a man who has lost everything close to him. It is a rare moment of genuine sadness felt just before Kratos begins his rage-fueled quest for revenge.

According to the official press release from Imaginary Forces:

To allow fans to look past the violent nature of the protagonist, Fong chose to convey the emotional tumult driving his vengeance throughout the series. Notes Fong, “Having worked with the characters in a digital environment, I was anxious to bring Kratos to life as live action. I really wanted the character to be more human and relatable to the audience by showing the depth of his sorrow and pain.”

Imaginary Forces set their focus on using as many practical objects and effects and possible, using very little CG. For example, to execute the disintegration effects featured in the second half of the trailer, Imaginary Forces brought on seasoned VFX artist Allan McKay. He and his team went through a comprehensive research phase, and then completed the extensive 3D simulations, delivering assets that were married together with practical smoke, ash and debris elements by the IF team.

After seeing the final product, it has certainly had an effect on God of War fans. Seeing Kratos come to life has been the dream of many gamers for years, and Imaginary Forces truly captured the essence of the character, even in such a short video.

God of War: Ascension will be released exclusively for PlayStation 3 on March 12, 2013.