The following contains spoilers for God of War Ragnarok.
Known to masterfully withdraw itself from as sticky a situation as the climactic cliffhanger in God of War 3, the God of War franchise has once again found itself in a scenario where monumental and potentially genre-defining changes must be made for the sake of its future. Before God of War’s soft reboot/sequel to God of War 3, the Norse mythology’s potential seemed endless, and no thought had necessarily been given already to whether or not it would remain in snow-peaked, mountainous lands thereafter; it was simply a baffling shift in scenery and narrative, not to mention how drastically its gameplay was overhauled.
Now, after only two entries—a relatively fleeting adventure in-game, yet an enormous, decade-long trek in development, plus God of War Ragnarok’s roguelike Valhalla DLC—the series is at a crossroads with several paths it can choose from, each with its own pros and cons. Of course, the big question plaguing God of War since the first Norse installment introduced the concept of multiple mythologies and realms players might traverse is where it would be headed after Kratos and Atreus dealt with Thor and Odin. But, due to the ambiguity of God of War Ragnarok’s ending, the answer may not be so cut and dry.
5 God Of War Games With The Best Combat, Ranked
While narrative has taken center stage in recent years, the God of War franchise has always been about combat at its core.
God of War Clinging to Kratos and the Norse Saga Can’t Be for Nothing
God of War Ragnarok’s ending has Kratos stick around the Norse realm of Midgard and more or less settle down as a demigod who’s just found a revelatory mural suggesting he may become a benevolent god figure. This makes sense in terms of gameplay, behaving like a narratively acceptable excuse for Kratos to be occupied with whatever side quests players have left to pursue alongside Freya.
Plus, this endgame, post-credits portion could technically be its own ‘goodbye’ to God of War’s Norse mythology, allowing players to revel in its realms’ distinct aesthetics and biomes one last time before the franchise is hurled elsewhere.
However, with Sindri’s subplot seemingly left open-ended and Kratos’ story apparently continuing in these lands, it would appear as if Sony Santa Monica may not be finished with God of War’s Norse saga after all. If that’s the case, there are likely many players who’d be thrilled that Kratos is still the franchise’s lead protagonist, as he’s obviously God of War’s mascot and the games could be jarring without his presence.
God of War Mythology-Hopping with Atreus is the Biggest Risk It Could Take
On the other hand, God of War wouldn’t have sent Atreus on a lonesome journey only to have the overarching story return to focusing solely on Kratos. It’s almost a 100% guarantee now that Atreus will lead his own game, even if Kratos is around and only playing an ancillary role as a side character, for Santa Monica truly went out of its way to flesh out Atreus/Loki’s character and possibly prepare him to lead the franchise one day.
This is evident in the fact that Atreus is playable in God of War Ragnarok with his own unique move set, abilities, and skill trees, rather than being a command prompt players would input as Kratos to have an NPC Atreus fire arrows in God of War (2018).
The mythology that Atreus could discover in God of War Ragnarok’s sequel, such as Egyptian mythology, Japanese mythology, or perhaps even the ruins of God of War’s Greek mythology, will undoubtedly be an overwhelming talking point and eclipse all other conversation about the game itself. That said, gameplay will need to excel with Atreus if he’s meant to carry the IP while Kratos is benched.
God of War Ragnarok
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- November 9, 2022
- ESRB
- M For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Santa Monica Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- God of War
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- September 19, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- November 9, 2022
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 26 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
