Detailed Analysis - Main Narrative
Kratos and Atreus' Growth
When we meet Kratos and Atreus it is obvious that these 2 do not spend much time together. While Atreus yearns for a relationship with his father, Kratos is hesitant to get close to his son. After losing his wife and daughter it would be natural for Kratos to be scared to get close to his son as he fears losing him. This relationship grows to improve throughout their journey although not without its ups and downs. Starting their journey almost immediately after Kratos set’s fire to his wife’s pyre, he wants Atreus to hunt so that he can watch and see if Atreus can survive their upcoming Journey. This hunt is an important one as this is the 1st time Kratos and Atreus have gone hunting and it shows.
As soon as they find the deer, Atreus looses an arrow in haste and misses which brings out Kratos’ spartan upbringing. “Do not be sorry. Be Better.” Quite possibly the 1st lesson that Kratos has taught his son but also an important one. Often when people make a mistake they are always sorry but so often they are told it’s okay. Instead, Kratos tells him to be better and as shown later, the young Archer takes this advice to heart. After finding the deer, Atreus hits it but doesn’t kill it. Kratos urges the young boy to finish his kill with his mother’s knife but he cannot do it and so Kratos helps him do it. After finishing the kill, Atreus sits in silence as Kratos looks on and hesitates in touching his son's shoulder. Kratos is so fearful of getting close to his son in case he loses him but this is something Kratos will need to learn to overcome if the pair hope to be successful on their journey. Not long after the kill, they are attacked by a troll that Kratos quickly dispatches but Atreus keeps attacking in rage. Sadly Atreus has inherited his father’s rage which makes him a liability and shows that he’s not ready.
Atreus and Kratos make their way home where Kratos tries to help his son control his rage with sour results. Even though the lesson doesn’t go well, Kratos has gained much wisdom in his years. Before they speak any further, the house is quickly invaded by a stranger. Kratos hides his son under the floorboards and confronts the stranger. Not as fast as expected but an epic fight quickly breaks out and we can learn many things from this stranger: He has an amazing ability to heal from virtually any wounds, has incredible magical abilities, and is possibly strong enough to match Kratos. This fight makes it clear that their home is no longer safe and so Kratos has no choice but to take his son on the journey to the mountain.
Their journey is fraught with twists and turns and they learn many valuable lessons from each other meeting many interesting people along the way: The Blacksmith Brothers, Brok, and Sindri, A witch of the woods and the grandest acquaintance, Jörmungandr, The world serpent.
We also discover Tyr’s temple which acts as the hub for Kratos and Atreus to explore the other realms. Their journey, though met with much peril, is filled with moments that show Kratos and Atreus’ mutual concern but also love for one another. A moment where Atreus lights a floating candle for his mother and Kratos does not discourage him but takes a moment with his son to appreciate it. Along their way, they meet Mimir who tells them that they have come to the wrong place and must head for Jotunheim: The realm of the giants. Mimir proves himself invaluable to their journey and also goes to act as an excellent foil for the pair as Kratos isn’t exactly one for conversations and Atreus isn’t comfortable with constant silence. Mimir also brings up many opportunities for Kratos to show he isn’t such a bore.
Along the way, they encounter Thor’s sons, Magni and Modi. An arrogant and dangerous pair. During their first fight Magni is killed by Kratos and Modi flees, leaving Kratos to tend to Atreus who grows sick during his encounter. After some time they are once confronted by Modi who manages to corner the pair. Atreus tries to intervene but seems to burn himself out, at which point Kratos attacks Modi and forces him to flee yet again. Atreus is injured because he tried to use his God abilities that he doesn’t know he has. To heal him, Kratos takes him to the witch who needs something in Helheim where Kratos must venture to but won’t last unless he finds a new weapon. Kratos returns home and on the way, he sees visions of his dead sister, Athena. He returns home where he uncovers his darkest secret that he can’t escape, “The Blades of Chaos”. His weapons from his younger years that he used when he accidentally killed his 1st wife and daughter. Kratos's acceptance of him being a monster is truly surprising. Kratos knew he was never a saint and for those of us who played the original games, we knew that as well. Despite this Kratos always felt justified and probably never stopped to think about it but for him to embrace this and being a monster that is needed for his son while donning his hated Blades again shows how he cannot hide from his past anymore but how he can take the thing that he hates most and turn into something that can save his son. After his journey, Kratos returns to the witch and his son where she heals him but to heal fully, Kratos must tell Atreus of his son’s nature.
Atreus takes this surprisingly well and even embraces his Godhood with gusto if anything perhaps a bit too much gusto. Along the journey, the kind-hearted and good-natured boy we met at the start slowly starts to devolve into a selfish and ruthless God much like how his father was back in Greece. Atreus starts being unnecessarily cruel and arrogant during combat and to their allies such as Sindri and even Mimir. They find Modi, who has beaten by Thor, due to his cowardice and inability to take on Kratos and Atreus. Atreus taunts him and against Kratos’ orders, kills Modi, unnecessarily. Kratos is naturally angry as he knows the consequences of killing a God.
After opening a portal to Jotunheim they are attacked by the stranger now revealed to be the Aesir God Baldur who tries taking Atreus but after an epic chase they all end up in Helheim. Along their trip, Atreus starts seeing himself and cannot believe that he has acted this way which gives him a reality check and eventually helps him find his equilibrium much to Mimir’s joy and Kratos’ relief. They also learn that Freya is the mother of Baldur much to their shock. Soon they find an alternate way to get to Jotunheim and encounter Freya who is looking for her son and where they also confront Baldur for the last time. Where Kratos would seek to kill a God for virtually no reason this time he seeks to protect Freya from Baldur who seeks her death. After a tense confrontation that ends with Baldur’s death, Freya seeks to threaten Kratos; bond with his son by holding his past over him but Kratos instead comes clean about much of his past, something which we as the players never thought Kratos would ever have the strength or resolve to do. Freya swears vengeance and leaves Kratos and Atreus to finish their journey to Jotunheim and fulfill the promise to Faye.
They arrive and find prophecies depicting their journey but also discover that Faye was a Jotunn and that as well as being part God, Atreus is a giant. As they head to the peek, Kratos glimpses a prophecy depicting his death which he decides to ignore for now. After such a long journey where Kratos and Atreus have learned to trust one another and be more open to each other, they finally fulfill their promise to Faye and spread her ashes and so they say their final goodbye. Kratos and Atreus depart Jotunheim and head back to Midgard. Kratos and Atreus have come a long way on their journey together, from Kratos not being able to open up to his son and not trusting him to having faith in his son’s abilities and faith that he will become a good God. Atreus always revered his father but never understood the burdens he carries on his own but is now able to understand some of his father’s actions and even accept them as well as his acceptance of his Godhood. While most people would become overwhelmed and devolve once they’ve become a God and become evil as shown back in Greece, Atreus shows tremendous progress and understanding and has the makings to be a good God in his own right.
Baldur and Freya
Meeting these 2 Gods for the 1st time was one of the most interesting but also misleading things in the game which certainly add a flair of mystery and intrigue. Meeting Baldur for the first time he is introduced merely as “The Stranger”, we are then treated to an incredible boss fight that is made all the more fun by the developer's creativity and Bear McCreary’s excellent compositional score and through the fight, you learn much about this interesting and tragic character. Through the fight, we are led to believe that Baldur knows of Kratos’ Godhood and past and that we had something he wanted. Interesting lines of dialogue through the fight show that Baldur was hoping for so much more like “I can’t feel any of this” and “I thought you’d be better than this”. The brilliant voice acting of Jeremy Davies sells us on a brutal and arrogant character but also a character who seems to hate his ability not to feel anything. While this is the case it is evident that he doesn’t initially want the fight with Kratos when rants at Kratos “I’m not my brother and if you’d given me what I wanted, it wouldn’t have ended this way!”. This helps to add a little bit of foreshadowing to the identity of Baldur and what to expect.
When meeting Freya we are introduced to someone who knows of Kratos’ Godhood but only allows us to believe that she is a witch. When coming back with Mimir’s head and after she resurrects him, it is revealed that Freya is the Vanir Goddess. This instantly creates tension between the Vanir Goddess and Kratos due to his immense hatred and distrust of Gods. Despite his distrust of Freya he still trusted her when his son was gravely sick and after healing him there is an immediate trust and respect formed between the 2 Gods. Loyalty and gratitude are something Kratos is not known for and yet seeing him place a large amount of trust in Freya and develop a true friendship.
While Kratos’ relationship between these 2 characters is interesting it is made all the more interesting when we discover Freya and Baldur’s relationship as Mother and Son. After a fierce encounter with Baldur, Kratos, and Atreus wind up being stuck in Helheim where you see visions meant to torture whoever is there. With Baldur, he sees memories of when his mother curses him with a spell that makes him invulnerable to all threats physical or magical, and how Baldur truly hates his mother for doing that. This is an important part of their relationship as Baldur hates his mother for cursing him and now she is beyond his reach. Freya thinks she is justified because she is his mother and has the right to do whatever it takes to keep him safe. She continues to keep him safe, cursing Mimir not to speak of what he knows of Baldur’s weakness and instead says the same phrase over and over when asked “Baldur is blessed with Invulnerability to all threats, physical or magical.” This becomes a hallmark phrase that becomes popular with the series.
In Kratos’ final confrontation with Baldur, we are also joined by Freya. Baldur’s reaction is something that resonates with many people. When people are angry at others they always rehearse exactly what they would want to say to that person and how they feel that situation would play out. Baldur is no different than anyone else and instead seeks to just kill Freya. Kratos, owing Freya gratitude, makes a point of ensuring Freya’s safety. During the initial fight, the curse that Baldur is inflicted with is broken thanks to Atreus and Baldur finally has what he wants. Instead of relishing in his new gift he is still brimming with hatred for his mother and seeks to kill her, which Kratos and Atreus will not allow as they fight to defeat Baldur and protect her. After the battle ends Kratos and Atreus defeat Baldur but do not kill him. Baldur and Freya have a short exchange about the pain they have endured and how Freya wants to start over but Baldur is unable to let go of his anger and so still seeks to kill her which she allows. Kratos knows that once she is dead, Baldur won’t stop coming for them, and seeking to stop the cycle of children killing their parents among Gods, Kratos intervenes and kills Baldur. Freya is overcome with rage and vows revenge on Kratos before parting ways.
The tragedy of these 2 characters makes for an interesting narrative. Instead of the typical parade of power-hungry and murderous Gods, we are instead introduced to 2 very different Gods. Freya, a remorseful Goddess who seeks to mend her mistakes and care for people. Baldur is vastly different but not as bad a God as we’ve met before. He shows that he is in a lot of ways a reasonable and clever God who, while he will resort to killing if need be, doesn’t like to murder as a first resort. Freya, however good intentioned she was, created the ruthless God who wowed many and doesn’t seem to be able to recognize her mistakes and is unable to truly learn from them which makes the pair truly tragic as they are who they are when we meet them because they couldn’t let go, Freya of her fear and Baldur of his revenge.
The Huldra Brothers
The Dwarf craftsmen that we meet in the game leave quite an impression on Kratos and Atreus and become 2 people that they have come to trust and rely on but they do have their fair share of problems. Sindri is an excellent dwarven blacksmith, with a polite demeanor and an obvious germaphobe and relates more to Atreus. Brok, on the other hand, is as rude as he is skilled but speaks plainly unlike his brother which Kratos has a certain respect for. A relationship is formed with them when they reveal that they crafted the Leviathan Axe that Kratos uses but not for him. They were friends with Kratos’ deceased wife and held many secrets that are not always obvious. I’m not gonna lie when we first met I truly believed Kratos was going to kill them due to me knowing that Kratos has killed people for fewer reasons but it was truly interesting to see Kratos have to try and learn how to interact with others. Also seeing the dwarves test Kratos’ patience was truly funny to witness.
When we meet them they are 2 dwarves that used to work together but have since split up due to a difference of opinions and their past work. They also crafted Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, which is known for being the Bane of Giantkind, and this would be one of the reasons why they would split. Through the game, the brothers provide us with important armor and weapon upgrades and quests on their journey that help to evolve Kratos and Atreus’ relationship and knowledge. Their relationship becomes an important plot note that helps evolve Atreus’ understanding and personality. When Atreus discovers his Godhood he becomes selfish, cruel, and arrogant and starts to feel everything he has done is fine as he is justified. The brothers take many opportunities to insult the other's skill and gossip to Kratos and Atreus and eventually Atreus becomes frustrated and tells Sindri to do something about it or get over it and while this is something many people would say, Atreus does this in a very cruel and rude manner, which Kratos and Mimir notices.
However cruel this is, it provides the catalyst that is needed for Sindri and Brok to make up and work together again. Occasionally we will visit the shop and see them both working and we will receive quests from both of them. The relationship between the Huldra brothers is one that also mirrors Kratos and Atreus in a few ways. Brok and Sindri have not worked together because of their work for the Aesir and occasionally Atreus proves to be a detriment to Kratos during his path towards accepting his Godhood but it shows that no matter the disagreements, they are family and will always go back to another and improve themselves for the better. Near the end of the journey, we learn that they knew about Faye and Atreus’ Jotnar lineage and kept it a secret out of respect for Faye. The 4 by the end of their journey create a sense of dependability and respect that they all have for one another and this is a massive building block for Kratos and Atreus learning to be better Gods.