- Game: God of War Ragnarok
- Developer: Sony Santa Monica
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Available on: PS4, PS5
- Reviewed on: PS5
God of War Ragnarok has been a long time coming. Following up on a game that many consider a masterpiece and one of the best games ever made is an unenviable task, so expectations were understandably high. Still, it’s a task that the team at Sony Santa Monica accomplishes nearly flawlessly with bold creative decisions and smart refinements, resulting in a game that’s as memorable and impactful as its predecessor.
Picking up three years after the previous game, God of War Ragnarok sees Kratos and Atreus living out the cold days of Fimbulwinter as the specter of Ragnarok quickly approaches. Atreus is eager to find answers regarding his Giant heritage and his role in preventing Ragnarok, while Kratos just wants to train his son and keep Atreus safe from the war that his search for answers may bring. Inevitably, fate forces the duo out of the safety of their home and on a journey across the realms searching for a way to keep Ragnarok from happening.
Where 2018’s God of War was an intimate, small-scale story about a father and son bonding and connecting with each other as they fulfilled their matriarch’s last wish, God of War Ragnarok is planted firmly on the other end of the spectrum. From start to finish, Ragnarok is a cinematic spectacle that never fails to dazzle. It’s a true epic, with a story that takes you across each of the nine realms, and sports a larger cast of characters, as well as vastly increased stakes right from the start. I was constantly excited to see where the story would take me next and how it would continue to become even grander as it progressed. Even with this shift in scale and scope, God of War Ragnarok doesn’t sacrifice the depth that made the previous game so beloved. It retains the strong writing and character work of its predecessor as it deftly explores its core themes of self-identity and fate. Are we able to become the person that we want to be, or are we forever destined to be what the world has made us? Is there a way to shape our own futures, or is it already set in stone? These are questions that Ragnarok asks multiple times throughout the 30-hour adventure, and they work to craft a story that’s one of the best I’ve ever experienced in any medium.
Kratos and Atreus remain at the heart of Ragnarok’s story, with their journeys and character development being the most compelling. In the time between games, the duo has become closer to one another and formed something resembling a real father-son relationship. Atreus has become a capable young man thanks to his father’s training, and Kratos has become more of an actual father to Atreus as he embraces him and is clearly proud of the son that he’s raised. Seeing the way their characters have developed is exciting because all I ever wanted for both of them was for them to be able to have some semblance of a healthy, normal life with each other after the trials and tribulations that they’ve been through.
But not all is perfect in their relationship. Atreus is desperately searching for identity and purpose in the prophecies left behind by the Giants, whereas Kratos refutes these visions of the future, wanting nothing more from life than peace and consistency in order to keep himself and Atreus safe. Seeing the twists and turns that their relationship takes throughout the story was equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking, as I empathized with each of them and could see where they were both coming from.
This is thanks to the masterful performances that Christopher Judge and Sunny Suljic deliver as Kratos and Atreus respectively. Judge’s gripping and complex performance continues to imbue Kratos with a level of humanity and vulnerability that was once thought to be unattainable for the former god-killer. He conveys Kratos’ thoughts and emotions through facial expressions and body language in such a way that says so much more than spoken words ever could. When he does speak, Judge infuses each of Kratos’ words with the wisdom of a man that’s learned many hard lessons throughout his life, and the love of a father who’s just trying to do right by his son. Conversely, Atreus is more of an open book than his father, and Suljic does an amazing job as Atreus works his way through his own personal journey. Whether that be frustration over his father’s lack of faith, grief over the loss of loved ones, or simply confusion as he tries to figure out his place in the world, I couldn’t help but be emotionally invested in what he was going through.
When it comes to the supporting cast of characters, God of War Ragnarok also allows them to each shine bright. There are returning favorites such as the vengeful Freya and the wise Mimir who remain as compelling as ever, as well as new characters that quickly made their mark on me and became new favorites, such as Tyr, the Norse God of War, and Thor, who was shockingly more captivating than I ever would’ve expected him to be. Perhaps most surprising among the supporting cast are the Dwarf brothers Brok and Sindri. They return as more than just comic relief, bringing a level of heart and emotion to the story that I was pleasantly surprised by, with Sindri, in particular, being one of Ragnarok’s best characters.
While God of War Ragnarok tells an amazing story overall, it’s not without fault. It’s ambitious with a lot of ground to cover and takes some creative risks in doing so. While the narrative is absolutely phenomenal the whole way through, there are multiple segments where the story drags. I appreciated the story that was being told during these sections as it goes to some really interesting places and features some great character development. I fully believe that the narrative payoffs ultimately make up for the shift in pacing, but I feel like these parts would’ve been stronger if they were more engaging and enjoyable to play through.
Something that I was most excited about when it came to God of War Ragnarok was being able to visit and explore each of the nine realms. We visited a majority of them in the last game, but some were locked away, while others held post-game content that had no bearing on the story. This time around, Ragnarok takes you to each realm as part of the main journey and they’re all a wondrous sight to behold thanks to some truly incredible art direction. You have new realms like Svartalfheim, which is home to bright blue skies, riverside towns, and deep, intricate mines, and Vanaheim, which is teeming with all manner of plant life amongst its lush, verdant forests.
Even returning realms have a fresh spin on them. Midgard is stuck in an endless winter, with the Lake of the Nine now frozen over, which completely changes the way you get around, as well as the areas you can access. Returning to Alfheim reveals an unseen desert region that’s home to the Dark Elves, standing in stark contrast to the heavenly image of the realm we previously had when helping the Light Elves. All of the realms are really something special and had me picking around every corner possible to soak in all the sights and uncover the secrets they hid.
Just as in God of War (2018), exploration is a key part of Ragnarok’s gameplay loop. Doing away with the Metroidvania-like central hub area where you uncover new secrets each time you return, Ragnarok instead presents large, expansive environments in each realm to traverse and explore. It’s a change that works perfectly since it adds to the feeling that you’re going on an epic adventure as you progress through the story. You’re free to focus on the golden path if you want to, but exploration is rewarded with worthwhile loot, exciting challenges, and amazing side quests.
Speaking of the side quests, it’s no exaggeration to say that they’re some of the best that I’ve experienced in a game. In fact, many of God of War Ragnarok’s best moments come from these quests as they tend to flesh out individual characters in spectacular ways. For example, an early set of side quests in Svartalfheim sees you trying to help Mimir make amends for the pain that he caused to the realm’s inhabitants. Another side quest in Alfheim has you working to find a creature that Atreus can sense to be in pain. One on Midgard requires you to rid the Lake of the Nine of raiders. While I won’t spoil the results of these quests, they’re some of the most memorable character moments in the entire game and contribute to the amazing character development that’s shown throughout the story.
As for the more tangible rewards for exploring and completing quests throughout the realms, you’ll find a familiar assortment of items. Pieces of armor, attachments for your weapons, Runic abilities, and crafting resources make up the bulk of what can be earned, with each item being worth the effort needed to get it. Runes and scriptures provide some engrossing lore and worldbuilding, and there are some creative poems to find that had me smiling from ear to ear as I discovered what they meant.
There are also a number of environmental puzzles to solve while exploring and each one is well-designed. I enjoyed how they forced me to scan the area and really think about the tools at my disposal in order to progress, which was something that wasn’t all that necessary in God of War (2018). For example, some puzzles required me to light an out-of-reach torch with the Blades of Chaos. In order to solve these, I had to make smart use of the new Sigil arrows in order to strategically place and connect magical markers in the environment so that I could set one on fire, setting off a chain reaction that led all the way to the torch. Overall, although there are more challenging puzzles in Ragnarok, the vast majority aren’t too difficult. Your allies are quick to give you hints about the solution, but I didn’t have much of an issue with this since I always ignored them and solved the puzzles at my own pace.
It wouldn’t be a God of War game if you weren’t doing a lot of fighting, and God of War Ragnarok is at the top of its class when it comes to combat. The systems and mechanics that the last game introduced were already a joy to play with and are largely the same here. The juggling act of keeping track of enemies as you give out ally commands, use your own Runic abilities, and methodically take out targets remains unchanged, but it’s been diligently sharpened as much as the Leviathan Axe itself, making for an experience that’s easy to lose yourself in.
One new change that’s been made involves infusing your weapons with elemental energy. By holding the Triangle button, Kratos will infuse his weapons with elemental energy for one of two special attacks that do extra damage. For the Leviathan Axe, this covers the blade in ice, whereas doing this with the Blades of Chaos spins them up like a motor as they become enflamed. This takes a moment to do, leaving you vulnerable to attacks, but the extra damage these moves can deal is worth it. Landing hits with your weapons also fills up a meter that once fully charged can be activated, briefly infusing your weapon with energy from its respective element for a short period of time. It’s a minor change, but it helps each of your weapons further stand apart from one another by giving them an extra layer of utility that wasn’t there before.
Bare-handed combat also returns as a viable option in Ragnarok, but it’s been given much less of a focus than before. So much, in fact, that it doesn’t have its own set of skill trees. But to be honest, when the weapon combat feels as great as it does, I feel like it only makes sense to dial in on what works best and will clearly be used the most. A good offense is nothing without a good defense though, so the team at Sony Santa Monica has focused on building out the utility of Kratos’ shields to great effect. There are multiple shields available to use with each one specializing in something different. For example, the Dauntless shield is best at performing parries, but the Stonewall shield excels at blocking attacks. Use your equipped shield properly and you’ll be able to perform a powerful shield strike with the stored energy it absorbed. I managed to work some magic with the Dauntless shield for a considerable amount of my playthrough, but since I’m not the best at parrying, the Stonewall shield ended up being my best friend.
Having all these different options at your disposal would be pointless if there wasn’t a wide assortment of enemies to use them on. Thankfully, God of War Ragnarok has addressed one of its predecessor’s main criticisms by featuring a large variety of different enemy types. From crazed human raiders to creatures native to the individual realms, and soldiers directly from Odin’s army, there’s no shortage of different foes to go up against. They each alter the dynamic of fights in their own way too, which kept them engaging and required me to constantly stay on my toes. Switching between weapons during fights was something I was always doing in order to stay on top in battle, but I also found myself doing it because of how fun it was to play with the enemies. Like a predator going after its prey, I was having a blast switching back and forth between weapons as I mixed things up and experimented with different attacks and combos before finally dealing the killing blow in bloody fashion and moving on to my next victim. It’s truly an exhilarating feeling that I get every single time I’m in a fight.
This feeling is exemplified during God of War Ragnarok’s many boss encounters. Some are straightforward one-on-one fights and others pit you against multiple opponents, but they’re all challenging in their own way and forced me to give it my all in order to come out the victor. Once again, the enemy variety has to be highlighted here. Most of the bosses in the last game were variations of the same troll or ancient, so having different kinds of bosses to go up against kept things fresh whenever one came around as I wasn’t sure what sort of strategy I would need to adopt in order to take them down.
Adding onto everything are Ragnarok’s improved arena designs that allow you to take advantage of the environment in fun and creative ways. In Alfheim, for example, there are certain surfaces that your axe will ricochet off of when thrown at them. Using these surfaces during fights can turn a missed axe throw into an opportunity to get in some hits on a stunned enemy. Other areas feature different ways to move around the battlefield such as grappling up to a ledge, swinging between platforms, or jumping to a lower level for an aerial attack. These may sound like minor changes, but they drastically changed how I approached fights. If I was getting overwhelmed in one spot, I’d retreat to higher ground for a quick reprieve as I prepared for enemies to follow. Enemies that were using ranged attacks from a distance were no longer an issue once I swung between platforms and took the fight directly to them. These design decisions gave fights that otherwise would have been relatively simple a greater sense of energy and excitement.
Any one of these changes would have been enough to make God of War Ragnarok’s combat an improvement over what we had before. But they all come together to make combat truly stand above so many other games. It’s tight, responsive, and above all else, feels great, resulting in fights that are nothing less than electrifying.
Ragnarok’s RPG elements also remain mostly unchanged from the 2018 title. Each piece of gear has its own perks and stats to take into consideration for the build that you want to make, with crafting materials being needed to purchase and upgrade your gear in order to prevent becoming under-leveled. Experience points gained from fights are used to unlock new moves for your weapons and upgrade your Runic abilities. The one new aspect that’s been added is an amulet with slots for you to place different enchantments that you find along the journey. Equipping enchantments provides extra stat boosts, which added yet another intriguing layer for me to mull over as I created a build for Kratos that fit my playstyle.
It goes without saying, but God of War Ragnarok is a technical marvel. I played in resolution mode on PS5 and couldn’t help but be in awe at how amazing everything looked. From the expressive character models and animations to the densely packed and highly detailed environments, it’s all truly top-notch work. Special praise also needs to go to composer Bear McCreary’s score. It perfectly encapsulates everything that Ragnarok is aiming for with songs that heighten the most epic moments, and others that help tug on the heartstrings during its more emotional scenes.
Overall
In a word, God of War Ragnarok is superb. It tells a grand, emotionally charged story that’s accompanied by an adrenaline-pumping gameplay experience, with best-in-class combat and stunning environments that are filled with engaging things to see and do. There are some minor bumps with regard to the storytelling, but they don’t detract much from the journey as a whole. God of War Ragnarok is easily one of the best games I’ve ever played, and it’s sure to be one of the best you’ll ever play as well.
Play To Win 