Review
Completing the story of God of War (2018) was a great achievement for me as it meant that I had discovered as much as I could about the incredible storytelling that included not just the main story but also the incredible amount of side stories that was littered throughout the world. While many developers would decide to overdo it and create a massive world that is more cluttered than anything, it is very rare to make a game that made everything you found and collected tell its own story. Ragnarök is no exception to this rule and can create interesting Narrative knowledge in the unlikeliest of ways while also paying great homage to the original games. It is also important as this marks the final chapter in the Norse saga.
The story of Ragnarök follows Kratos and Atreus near the end of Fimbulwinter. In the years when we last saw Kratos and Atreus, many things have changed. For the duo, it is evident that Kratos has placed in Atreus a great deal of trust and respect as evident with how his early interactions are in the game. Atreus has also grown a great deal as seen with his combat and navigational skills as well as a few other things that may surprise people when they first see it but will become obvious as to how. Unfortunately, especially for Kratos, Atreus’ teenage growth also means he has developed a sense of restlessness and a bit of an ego. With the discovery of his mother’s lineage, Jotnar prophecies, and his identity as Loki, Atreus wants to believe that he is destined for something important. The story of how Atreus settled into his Godhood as a child was an incredible experience and a great hallmark of the last game and truth be told if the game solely focused on Atreus becoming a teenager I would have been okay with that. As it is this subject is touched on quite a bit but only as the catalyst for the actual journey.
After we killed Freya's son Baldur, as well as the Sons of Thor we were anticipating the exciting showdown Kratos would have with the both of them and while they do happen excitingly they are not what we initially expect and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Within the 1st hour of the game, we can have a confrontation with the characters and they don’t necessarily start or end how we might expect which doesn’t decrease the satisfaction we get seeing Kratos live beyond these fights, especially when he is at his lowest in terms of power. Since the years of his last adventure, Kratos has lost all the magic, armor, and weapon upgrades he acquired. While most times a complete character reset is always done so tediously like encountering an enemy who destroys it or dies it is instead said that Fimbulwinter has worn away all the magic and power that Kratos possessed and honestly this is a much better explanation than getting killed or being devastated in a fight as I and perhaps many of us thought was going to happen. While this certainly weakens Kratos it certainly doesn’t stop him or Atreus from showing what powerful Gods they are.
The story of Ragnarök is a tale about letting go whether it be Kratos letting go of his old ways or Atreus letting go of his desires. Sadly letting go is a lot easier said than done especially for Kratos who allows all his actions and reasoning to be based on his past experiences, though that is now always a bad thing. It keeps Kratos grounded and realistic when Atreus wants to march headlong into Ragnarök based on the prophecies of his people. The prospect of war is something Kratos wants so desperately to avoid, not so much for himself but because he does not want Atreus to follow in his footsteps. Atreus on the other hand wants the prophecy to happen as it means that he has a higher calling. Seeing Atreus take War on Asgard so lightly is an annoying thing as he seems to have the general idea that war will be fine no matter what and instead does not listen to the wisdom everyone else gives, despite the characters of the story forgetting many things. Yes, Kratos councils no war because of the war he raged against Olympus but he forgets that he wouldn’t have the wisdom he now has. Thanks to the things he has done, Kratos's understanding of the cost of war is informed instead of assumed.
It also doesn’t change the fact that Odin and Thor have done terrible things and we only learn even more about what they have done which makes moving against them an even more worrying prospect.
The collectibles in the game are even more varied this time around and they give much deeper meaning to the characters and the storytelling and give deeper personalities to the characters. Things like Kvasir’s Poems show Mimir’s love for poems and also highlight Kratos’ poetic routes and this creates an interesting back-and-forth for the character. Being able to see Kratos take part in a pleasant conversation not just for the sake of his goals but just speaking with a friend shows how much he has truly grown. Other objects like the artifacts at “The Lake of Nine” also show potential new settings for the series if the developers decide to create a new God of War game. As well as the new collectibles the developers have been able to massively improve one of the more annoying collectibles in the last game, Odin’s spectral Ravens. Whereas we only hunted them in the last game we are now able to see where they go and learn an incredible amount of lore on what the ravens are and how truly twisted Odin is.
Now on to our villains, we all knew that we were going to finally encounter Odin and Thor in this game and we were in great anticipation. Thankfully the game doesn’t make us wait very long as we are treated to an incredibly tense meeting between the 4 Gods. Thor and Odin are not what you immediately expect but that’s what the game wants you to think. First meeting Thor and learning everything about him we were expecting a loud, rude, and disrespectful fellow. What we got was the opposite but this only goes to show how much control Odin has over Thor. Odin on the other hand is what we expect in terms of looks but from the very first words he utters, he subverts our expectations in interesting and fun ways and shows an uncomforting interest in Atreus which is a big drive for the story.
Many returning characters make a comeback as well in splendid fashion. Brok and Sindri who we only used to upgrade our gear and get quests in the last game now play a more central role in this game as they provide Kratos and Atreus with a new base of operations and a new method of exploring the realms as Tyr’s temple has been put out of order. These returning characters continue to bring much to the table as they did in the last adventure as they can impart their special wisdom to their journey. Kratos and Brok continue to have their mutual respect for one another as Kratos appreciates how Brok is so straightforward and Brok appreciates Kratos’ skill and appreciation for his wares. Atreus and Sindri are different but no less warm as Sindri has become a peer that Atreus deeply trusts and goes to for much advice and this makes for some great moments between the pair. With the return of old characters, we are introduced to a few new ones who, while they are interesting and seem to bring new layers to the story, are often underutilized in favor of promoting the main story. Characters like Durlin and Freyr provide additional insights into past characters that are honestly fascinating but they are used too sparingly to have any lasting effect on the narrative.
Unlike the last adventure, we are treated to the full breadth of the Nine Realms although some realms take a much deeper focus story-wise than others. Realms like Midgard and Vanaheim provide the vast wealth of the game’s storytelling trove whereas realms such as Niflheim and Helheim take a much smaller role in the story. Midgard has changed in the years since the last adventure as Fimbulwinter has greatly changed the once oceanic landscape to a frozen wasteland where only the truly strong could ever survive and Vanaheim holds a great deal of importance for Kratos and his family. Realms such as Helheim and Niflheim are more one-shot realms that the player goes to. Having spent a moderate deal of time exploring these realms in the last games it makes sense that these realms would take a back seat to allow for much better exploration of the other realms but it is a shame that they don’t provide their wealth of storytelling as they did before. If we were exploring the same areas as before it would make sense but because we explore vastly different parts of the realms it is a shame that they do not share the same storytelling/lore values as the other realms like Midgard and Vanaheim.
Despite this exploring, the realms is a massive joy as besides the main journey we take with Kratos and Atreus we also learn a great deal about the characters themselves. While Mimir does not have many more stories on a grand scale as in the last game they did he still returns with his great stories of wisdom that bring about an air of familiar feeling with them. This time around we learn more bout the characters themselves and it truly shows how much Kratos has opened himself to those around him. Atreus, who was always called "boy" in the last game, is now called by either his name or son, this shows Kratos has become less afraid of losing him, and in many instances, we see many moments of pride that we never would have seen in the last game. Another relationship that Kratos has vastly improved upon is Mimir who instead of being called head in the last game is now called his name by Kratos who has come to rely on the wisdom and counsel of the smartest man alive.
It is clear that while Ragnarök’s storytelling tries to one-up God of War (2018) and often succeeds, it is let down by how some pacing issues. Certain plot points that are shown in the game are rushed and a few sections do seem to have the bad habit of dragging on, though they are redeemed by some exciting gameplay encounters and new developments for our characters. Atreus’ time with Angrboda opens up some new opportunities for him that show how he can someday lead the God of War series in new and exciting ways. Through the game, you get sections where you play as Atreus and these sections help to flesh out the way he thinks and how he can deal with encounters and problems in different ways than Kratos.
The Verdict
Santa Monica set out to deliver us a story that changes the very dynamic of the father and son story and in large part, they do succeed. God of War: Ragnarök is a fantastic entry to the God of War series and serves as an interesting and fitting end to the epic Norse Saga. The story also does a good job of helping Kratos to let go of the past and become more than he has ever dreamed of and Santa Monica has done a great job to bring Kratos’ story to a suitable end and presents Atreus as the potential new God of War hero. It was difficult to see how Santa Monica would have tied up this saga and it was good to see that they hadn’t lost their touch and have raised the bar for storytelling yet again as they have delivered their most ambitious story and adventure yet as it subverts many expectations and leaves us hungry for even more. If there is a new God of War game, Santa Monica is going to have their work cut out for them to make a new setting worthwhile and even more incredible than the Norse one.
Main Narrative - Ragnarok’s narrative continues to show the strong storytelling skills at Santa Monica and Kratos and Atreus’ journey continues to build on the knowledge and skills they aquired in the last game. While there are some pacing issues and rushed storytelling for certain characters Ragnarok’s narrative is no less stellar - 9.5/10
Characters - Bringing back it’s original cast and continuing to build upon their excellent arcs and personalities is what makes the story for Ragnarök all the more better. While Ragnarök continues to introduce more characters who are all likable, they don’t all lend enough to Kratos and Atreus’ journey to make them relevant - 9/10
Side Narratives - The side quests this time around don’t impact Kratos and Atreus this time around as they impact on other characters like Mimir and Freya who have their own mistakes to make up for and goals they want to achieve. They also manage to fill in a few blank nots to a character we’ve been wanting to meet for a while now: Laufey - 10/10
Environmental and Collectible Storytelling - Condensing the collectibles to make them more relevant towards the characters was an excellent design choice as each one is now able to introduce different dialogue. The beautiful environments that we see all each tell their own stories and they continue to hold lore markers and more visible markers.- 10/10
I give this game 9/10 Draupnir Spears
