Detailed Analysis - Narration, Collectibles & Context
Journal
When originally, diary pages would be made from Atreus’ point of view we are now able to find journal entries that Kratos himself makes and allow us a better insight into how he views the people around him. When writing about Atreus and Mimir he writes nothing but praise and how much he has grown to trust and rely on them, especially Atreus and how his skills have massively improved, and how he is a worthy survivor in his own right. While we are getting the majority of our entries from Kratos now we are still able to view Atreus’ entries when we play as him and eventually when he leaves his mementos to Kratos in their home. When we found lore markers in the last game, Atreus would translate the runes and then make the entry himself so that Kratos could refer to it later, but years after their last adventure have shown Kratos’ ability to adapt to this land as he can now translate and read the runes and make notes for himself. After spending decades in the Norse world he has allowed his son to finally teach him the runes needed to read the information in the world, a skill that Kratos did not want or rather need and this shows how well Kratos is committed to truly making a home and how when he seeks to learn something, he will.
Freyr in Alfheim
Long before Kratos and Atreus’ first visit to Alfheim, the god Freyr and brother to Freya arrived in Alfheim accidentally and became a respected and beloved figure among both the dark and light elves who have been at war for so long that they don’t remember a time before fighting. When Freyr arrived he helped to build a truce between the elves and tried to ensure a lasting peace but when Freya was marrying Odin he left, and sadly the peace fell apart. However, Freyr’s lasting impression on the elves had not been forgotten, and even gone the elves had erected an impressive monument in his name. Freyr also left behind several relics from his time on Alfheim which bring up many fun conversations between Kratos, Mimir, and (or) Atreus. Objects like Freyr’s smoke pipe bring up a funny conversation with Atreus asking if he can use it and Kratos and Mimir quickly answer “No.” After so much time together the 3 have bonded so much that matters like Atreus smoking a pipe concern both Kratos and Mimir. Another is when they find a harp and Mimir asks if Kratos can play and will he in the future, which Kratos does not want to do. It’s not narratively relevant but it does show that no matter how serious the game and Kratos are they can have some very funny interactions which is a good way to emphasize the relationship these 3 have.
Mimir's Tales
As many people hoped for, Mimir returns with his brilliant narrative voice although it’s much different this time around. As he has told all the tales of the Giants that he knows, Mimir instead seeks to inquire into the stories of others like Kratos and Freya and add his flair to them, It’s an interesting position as not Mimir is gathering more and more stories that he may tell to other future adventurers and yet Kratos can tell personal stories that he wouldn’t have told anyone else. When Kratos seeks out the Norns, Mimir inquires much about the fates of his land and his experiences with prophecies. Kratos opens up about how he sought the fates to change his and instead as many of us might know, take their power of time travel and turn it against Zeus which Freya of course believes is incredibly unpredictable and irresponsible. While the Gods and beings of the Norse lands are powerful, Mimir admits that most of the tales he has heard from Greece depict Gods and beings who are more powerful than the Norse have ever seen like Poseidon, Ares, and even Zeus. When asking about how people manipulated events to suit their needs, Kratos cites the oracle of Delphi. She foresaw Olympus and Greece would fall to the God of War and so helped Kratos break his bond to Ares to kill him, but in killing Ares, Kratos became the God of War and still destroyed Olympus. It is also surprising that Kratos trusted Mimir enough to tell him about Deimos, Kratos’ Brother who died long ago and one of the few family members he loved but doesn’t like to talk about. Kratos and Mimir share a new brotherly bond built on respect, trust, and past experiences joining them and they are both the better for it.
While these are serious tales, Mimir also returns with his typical stories of humor and excitement and the following stories show off more about who Mimir is, where he comes from, and possibly what time frame he is from. One such tale involves Mimir meeting a coven of witches who wanted to destabilize a government and so they sought a Thane and convinced him to kill his lord and become King and told him that he would be invulnerable to all threats physical or magical. Something Kratos and Atreus are frustratingly familiar with, after Baldur. If this sounds familiar, it should as this is a definite reference to the classic Shakespearian tale of Macbeth. Mimir having met the witches who spun the events of Macbeth's tale is an interesting fact about Mimir as his origins have been largely unexplored. We all know he’s from Scotland and was friends with wood sprites but learning more about him is something we haven’t been able to gleam before.
At the start, I wasn’t certain about how Santa Monica would actually manage to top the stories for the game and they certainly didn’t disappoint. While they are less about the events that have happened in the Norse world pre-Kratos is it interesting for him to venture into other areas like Kratos’ past and also his past and it makes being able to listen to the stories more satisfying as it’s not just him this time around but everyone else which gives Kratos and others more depth by being more open to their past actions, goals and intentions.
