This item contains Minor spoilers During the first few hours of God of War RagnarokAnd the major spoilers for God of War (2018 .)).
God of War Ragnarök begins with long-suffering protagonist Kratos sitting in a cave, remembering his past and probably thinking about what the future might bring. It’s a quiet, serene moment that enters into a heartfelt conversation with his son Atreus, as the two ride a wolf sled and return home through the gently falling snow. I wondered if this God of War entry might break a previous streak and start a slow burn instead of a stylized action scene.
Then a murderous Norse god flips over and stabs Kratos through the chest with a sword, while he and Atreus attempt to steer the sleigh through a sea of obstacles.
Excessive violence felt strangely at ease. And as much as God of War (2018) changed the series’ tone from “epic Greek drama” to “meditative Norse tragedy,” some things will always remain the same. There is still a messy preliminary battle. The chain still knows exactly when to go off, and when to let you catch your breath. And Kratos is still your go-to guy when you need to kill a god.
Over the past few nights, I’ve played during the early hours of God of War Ragnarök, not realizing how much I’ve missed this series. The level of finesse displayed here is rare, even in big-budget exclusives. But more than that, I was touched – and relieved – to discover that God of War Ragnarök holds a lot of great stuff, just like its predecessors.
based on legend
What surprised me about God of War Ragnarök is that it is actually based on the events of the previous game. This sounds like it should be counterintuitive in a sequel, but it isn’t – even if you only think about the previous games in the series. Kratos had similar arcs in a number of previous games, especially God of War II and III, which had nearly identical story structures.
By contrast, Ragnarök picks up where God of War (2018) left off, particularly when it comes to character development. It’s been a few years since Kratos killed the beautiful Baldur, and in doing so made a formidable enemy to the Mother of God, Freya. Now Kratos is trying to train his teenage son Atreus to survive and fight. The two must survive Vimbolwinter – the snowy precursor to Ragnarok – the twilight of the Norse gods, and possibly the end of the world.
For whatever reason, I was expecting the strained relationship between Kratos and Atreus to be completely reset, since the previous game dumped a lot of drama. But instead, father and son forged a kind of understanding based on mutual respect, if not exactly love. Atreus learns to control his divine powers, and encourages the teenage Kratos to do so. Their relationship is a lot less hostile, and it’s rewarding to see how the two characters have fizzled out with each other over time. Atreus is more focused and serious, while Kratos is more open about his feelings.
Another benefit of building on the previous game is that it doesn’t need much of an excuse to throw Kratos straight into the thick of things. After quite a bit of exploration, combat, and puzzles to establish the general flow of the game, God of War Ragnarök does well in the post-game credits teaser from God of War (2018). You might remember that lightning woke Kratos and Atreus, and they ran outside to find a huge, burly man with an enchanted hammer on his belt ready to greet them.
One of the first major battles in God of War Ragnarök is with Thor himself, and the game doesn’t pull any punches. The god of thunder towers above Kratos, and no matter how hard Kratos punches, swings his ax or strikes with his shield, Thor doesn’t seem too upset. The game does an excellent job of developing the characters with how they act in combat, and it’s immediately clear just how much of a threat Thor is. Each time you think the battle is over, it bounces back, and in the end, it’s a well-deserved – albeit temporary – victory.
the nine worlds
However, God of War Ragnarök has more to offer during the first few hours than a single boss fight. First, it’s worth noting that the combat is almost identical to that of God of War (2018), and it’s as good as before. The camera follows Kratos more closely than the Greek cycle games, giving the battles a deep and immediate feel. You can still crush your enemies with light, heavy, and spaced attacks; You can still summon Atreus to conquer enemies with arrows. And you can still freely switch between the Great Leviathan Axe and the famous Blades of Chaos.
More than fighting, what surprised me is the amount of equipment you can find early on. After reconnecting with feisty dwarf blacksmiths Brok and Sindri, you can craft and/or upgrade weapons, armor, and reinforcements that affect your light and heavy attacks. Since you can also earn XP from enemy encounters and upgrade Kratos and Atreus’ abilities, you won’t have to wait long before the two characters start feeling powerful again. (According to wise talk head Mimir, Wimbolweiner exhausted some of the abilities the two obtained in the first match.)
The dwarves also give Kratos and Atreus a way to travel through the Nine Worlds of Norse again, and it isn’t long before they end up in Svartalfheim: the home of the dwarves. It may also be the place where the insidious god Odin, the Norse god of war, was imprisoned, Tyre.
In Svartalfheim the game opens up quite a bit, as you can drive a boat around a large central lake, and stop at a variety of optional waypoints for side quests. (Sounds familiar?) Without going into too much detail, one of these quests gave me enough resources to craft a legendary set of armor for Kratos – much better than the normal stuff I’ve found so far. Not only did the combination look amazing, it boosted Kratos’ attacks, endowing him with healing abilities and refined his stats greatly. The previous game saved a lot of these powerful artifacts towards the end, and it pays to start building your arsenal in earnest early on.
Of course, this process may have some drawbacks as well. God of War Ragnarök may be as fun as its predecessor, but it is inherently less impressive, given that we already know the workings of the “larger and quieter Kratos” model on a quest with his son in Norselands. The moment Kratos recovered the Blades of Chaos in God of War (2018) sent chills down my spine. This time, he picks it up off the shelf before he leaves his house.
However, God of War Ragnarök is exactly what I wanted it to be so far. With brutal combat, fantastic levels, and an honest story, this is exactly what we have come to expect from this popular series. And if the game has a lot of good stuff up front, I can only imagine what comes next.
God of War will release on PS4 and PS5 on November 9, and will cost either $60 or $70, depending on your platform.
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