This is exactly how a sequel should be, superior to its predecessor. Santa Monica listened the critics around gameplay variety, side missions and Realm exploration, because every one of those things got better.

There are so many different enemies and Bosses now, side missions are mostly extremely good, and more Realms are now explorable (unfurtunately, not all of them are made the same). The story is a step up, extremely good (with only one bad section, basically 8 to 10 hours into the game) and emotional at times, character development is top notch and the OST amplifies the greatness that is this game. And in this game, Kratos ACTUALLY starts talking more about the past games events, something that was really missing from GOW 2018.

Some things didn't change for the better though, the map is as useless as ever, the menus have changed, but somehow are still confusing to use and Muspelheim Gauntlet didn't get better as well.

Now, the only things that got worse was the game's armors, that SOMEHOW look even worse than the ones from GOW 2018, and the boat conversations appear to happen MUCH less frequently (IDK if this is a bug or not, because conversations often took a long time to actually start and some of them didn't event continue if I got out of the boat in the middle of it and then came back).

GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK VS FINAL FANTASY ORIGINS STRANGER OF PARADISE

STORY

GOW 0-1 SOP


CHARACTERS

GOW 0-2 SOP


GAMEPLAY

GOW 0-3



CHARACTERS

GOW 0-4 JACK



MUSIC

GOW 0-5 SOP


GRAPHICS

GOW 0-6 SOP


CULTURAL IMPACT

GOW 0-7 SOP


WINNER….

STRANGER OF PARADISE SWEEP!

God of War Ragnarök is so much more than GoW (2018) ever was. The devs really took the criticism to heart and made a game with much fewer flaws…even tho if not flawless. The gameplay has an amazing flow, the dialogues are engaging and well written, the story is so much better paced than the one of the previous game, the enemy/boss variety got better and I never cared so much for a father-son relationship. Even tho GoW4 failed in my many of the previous named aspects and quite didn’t work this well for me, it was still a necessity in order to develop a game as big as Ragnarök. This is a game so full of heart and dedication and a great conclusion for a very long running series. I’m happy to say that this game exceeded my expectations and that the devs created a game of such artistic and technical richness.

I’m just thankful I could strive through the beautiful nine realms and join the adventures of Kratos and his son Atreus.


"Fate only binds you if you let it. Do what is necessary, not because it is written."

Santa Monica studios had probably some of the biggest expectations on their shoulders for this game in recent video game history, and I am delighted to say they have absolutely matched and exceeded all my expectations.

This game is a step up in every sense from its 2018 predecessor. The combats improved and refined, enemy types and boss battles are varied, the story has bigger beats and more emotional moment, the graphics are pristine and it all runs with hardly a hiccup.

There is so much more detail about this game that I could go into but I don't think its really needed. I think the only thing I want to touch on is the story, but I will remain spoiler free. This games story obviously has to be on a much larger scale than the original, in order to wrap up the duology story. I think that hurts this game just a smidge in the story department compared to 2018 as that had such a small but consistent and tight plot thread of spreading the ashes, that sometimes Ragnarok gets a bit lost in its grand epic realm spanning adventure. However, where Ragnaroks story shines over 2018 in my opinion, is its emotional beats and overall theme and message. I nearly cried twice during this game, one of them is a bit of a cheap cry but still, I can count on one hand the amount of games that made me tear up. And there are moments of complete shock that are not in the first game bar maybe the reveal of its ending. So while Ragnaroks plot might have slightly lower lows than 2018, I think its highs are much higher.

Is it a flawless game? No, but I don't think any games truly are, it still has far too many chests and random tidbit collectables laying around, its story does feel like it has some minor padding at times, and some of the combat challenges (which are optional) are repetitive and redundant to 100%. But in the grand scheme of things, these are very minor nitpicks of an otherwise masterpiece game and perfect bookend to the Norse story of Kratos and Atreus.

This really is a proper continuation of 2018’s God Of War and - given that GOW ‘18 might be my favourite game ever - this is a good thing.

It’s also a production that very much feels rushed as it reaches its conclusion. It does feel like it was meant to be the middle chapter of a trilogy but that halfway through it was decided it would be the conclusion, and that conclusion was then tacked-in - with less care, polish, and attention to details than what was put at the previous 80% of the game.

A technical quirk that bothered me was that showing/hiding the HUD by swiping would randomly stop working, so the HUD would stay visible or hidden without being able to swap. Given that I love the immersion of hiding all the HUD most of the time while being able to show it on demand, having this feature break regularly was a tad frustrating. It’s still a minor thing, however, and surely will be fixed sooner than later.

Mechanically, the game is very much a continuation of 2018’s - so much so that I think if you put GOW ’18 and Ragnarok next to each other and show it to someone without context they wouldn’t be able to tell which one is which. Of course, Ragnarok does add new mechanics on top of the previous ones, and they’re all truly welcome.

One truly annoying thing that carries over from the previous game is how close the gameplay camera is to Kratos! I wish there was an option to set the camera a bit further away from the character; both because it’d be nicer to see the whole character all the time and also because it’d be easier to see attacks coming from behind.

There were also a few sections that felt way too long and overstayed their welcome, therefore harming the overall pacing a bit.

But none of these things manage to sour the overall experience, however.

This is a powerful and wonderful story, driven by the characters and their personal struggles and the tensions between them, and yet full of spectacle and stunning set-pieces. A much larger cast filled with engaging and charming characters, all well-developed as the story progresses. It’s ultimately a rewarding journey.

There’s a lot of love put into the details as well. Kratos and his companions having lots of meaningful and important conversations while traversing the world always makes the moment-to-moment fun and engaging. The codex, which includes sections written by Kratos is a very nice way to get into his mind and the way he writes about other people around him is just fun and funny. The post-game is also surprisingly full of great moments.

In the end I’m happy with what I got; from the moment this sequel was announced I realised it would be very difficult for this game to surpass the magic and accomplishments achieved in 2018, so I had my expectations accordingly set, and Ragnarok met them for the most part.

It’s a complete package: a great foundation from the previous game, expanded and improved. Added mechanics - better and more fun gameplay; an already wonderful setting - expanded and evolved; a fantastic story - exciting and intriguing although clearly rushed at the end; more enemy variety, way more boss-fights, and most importantly a great cast of memorable characters all wonderfully developed.

One of the greats.

Ragnarok is not as impressive as the 2018 game, just because for the most part it builds on its predecessor without revolutionising the series like that first game did, but it is just as good on a narrative level overall (although a little more fragmented) and it perfects the gameplay and exploration.

A tough battle between this and Elden Ring for my favorite of the year. Ragnarok is probably more "perfect" in terms of really not having any significant flaws, while Elden Ring is a more ambitious and innovative game even if there are some small issues I have with it as a souls fan. Either way, finally a second game I love in 2022.

To call God of War Ragnarok a flawless masterpiece is overselling things a touch. Hell, I'd even say it falls short of it's predecessor. It does little to shake up the formula established by God of War 2018, at times feeling like Santa Monica is too afraid of failure to mess with their award-winning success. The story is also far more grand and expansive than the previous game's, but at the same time loses that simple character-driven excellence and perfectly paced storyline that made 2018's the best in gaming.

However, if you can look past these flaws (and make it through a horrifically slow first third), you'll find that Ragnarok is a truly excellent game, one well worth your time. The excellent combat from the first game returns, this time with a much richer enemy variety for you to sink your blades into. Plus, although there are plenty of issues with the story, the epic finale to the Norse tale that began four years ago is ultimately very satisfying, bolstered by an incredibly stellar voice cast and giving many moments that will give fans plenty to laugh and cry over. In the end, I think this is a game that will only improve when revisited, as the things that shine brightest will continue to be loved, while the game's problems may fade into the background.

En fragmentos independientes, como escenas sueltas de algo que todavía está a medio hacer, funciona muy, muy bien, tanto en sus momentos de acción como en sus momentos de calma; pero como conjunto adolece de una narrativa que no va a ningún lado, abusa de la redundancia, se estira muchísimo más de lo necesario y se olvida de sus propios detalles para redondearlo con un final alejado de aquello que va dejando intuir para conformarse con un blockbuster de manual.
En su dirección artística sigue siendo sobresaliente y el combate es más variado y satisfactorio (cosa que ya parecía imposible) que el de su predecesor, igual que la exploración, pero le pesa mucho su envergadura y la incesante necesidad del más, y más, y más por simple cantidad.

Substantially better than the previous installment. Combat is my one problem still although largely less frustrating. More unique tools and playstyles and the rpgness has been improved to the point I just leveld up base gear to near max and it's competent like everything else the game can offer you. Other gear are just suited to other playstyles or builds. Even if the rpg isn't anywhere near as deep as any other rpg. The action part is better. Moves are more balanced and have had a substantial reworking over 2018. For the much better to the point a replay/completion may be on the enjoyable side. Speaking of which it's rich in side content. Puzzles are heavily improved and there's tons of things to find everywhere. To the point there's extra realms to unlock that I haven't visited too. Game delivers on good design and good pacing and finally a actually great story. While not perfect and has a slow middle. It's actually rather unique and exciting which made it fun to mash through and wasn't predictable. Glad that it took as long as it did as it was worth the wait and paid off. Looking forward to what they do next

I'm gonna preface this by saying I've played every God of war game, from ps2 to ps5. I'll always prefer the raw combat of classic God of war, but that being said, Ragnarok is an improvement on 2018.

If you liked that, it's basically just more of what you'd come to expect. There's some changes to the upgrades and skill tree, more side quests and more exploration, too.

The performances by the cast are great, and this is still my favorite version of Kratos, as well. Exploring and hearing dialogue was probably the highlight for me again, as it was with 2018. I guess to sum up my thoughts, there's a lot to love in the current iteration,

what the team gave us with Ragnarok is still a well-crafted adventure, but to me personally misses a lot of elements of what made the series special. I'd say wait for a price drop if you want to experience it, personally.

I still enjoyed my time with it, and there's a lot to love, but it felt like I was moving from point A to B for story. I'm passionate about God of war, a lifelong fan and am happy the current series continues to exist and thrive, but I'll always want to see it improve, be better.

Side note, you can really notice a lot of whats holding the game back being cross-gen, a lot of tight wall squeezes and "can you give me a boost" areas to mask loading. I imagine there would be quite less of that if the game was being made as a current gen only title.

Game was a lot of fun. Already enjoyed 2018 quite a bit and this game has quite a few improvements over that game. Is it perfect? No, after all no game is, but it was a good time and had plenty of things to enjoy about. Despite giving it a 10 (for now might change it to a 9 later down the line) I'm not sure I would call it "genre defining" like I've been seeing a lot of people saying. The game just knows what it wants to do and it does it well, I don't see any reason to give it a bunch of high words. A good game is a good game regardless of whether it is some collossus of its genre or if it breaks some new ground. A game can play it safe and stick to what works and still be an amazingly good time. Anyways I got side tracked ragnarok was a good time if you enjoyed GoW 2018 chances are you're gonna like this game.

This is a masterpiece that takes what was established in it's 2018 predecessor and refines and adds more to everything. It took about 30 hours for me to compete with a good amount of side quests done.

The story for this is more epic in scope with a much larger cast. It's to the point where I wasn't sure they'd properly develop them all but aside from a couple very minor characters they nailed it. The performances by the voice actors are phenomenal and there were a few instances their performances, combined with the great writing, got me genuinely emotional. Most importantly they manage to stick the landing for the ending. Too often has a underwhelming or outright bad ending overshadowed the otherwise good parts of a multi game story so it deserves praise.

Combat has been refined. It does not feel radically different but there's new abilities for the returning weapon that do make it all "feel" better after having played 2018 only a few weeks prior to this. For example the new triangle moves add additional attack options which is welcome.

Ragnarok also addresses one of my biggest issues with 2018, the lack of boss variety. Won't go in depth on this as not to spoil anything but there's a good amount of bosses in the main story and off the top of my head I can only think of one instance where you fight another version of a boss you fought earlier in it unlike all those trolls in 2018. You will notice them repeat main story bosses in some side quests though but that's forgivable.

There's some other things of high praise I want to say but I'll save them as they shouldn't be spoiled. Some of those things are actually the main reasons I like this more then 2018. Do yourself a favor and go in as blind as possible from this point.

Gods of Warrrrr! May your hammer be mightyyyy!

Truly a huge emphasis on the narrative which really blew me away with this game and the constant character development from the Ol' school Kratos to the man he is now was great to experience and see. Everything about this game was a major upgrade from the original although I am constantly seeing this same kind of pattern with Horizon, Last of Us, and any other big story-driven sony games. Nonetheless, it was a great playthrough and game, but I would to see some diverge from the typical kind of rabbit hole of side events in these big open-world games. It was crazy how I could not even look at a puzzle for more than five minutes and your companions do not need to be running their mouths 24/7 and have me yelling at the T.V like Adam Sandler saying "ALLRIIIIGHHHHTTTT!!!!" One hell of a lively cast for all the characters, truly the best part of the whole game was the cutscenes and events that would ensue! Pop this in your PlayStation boy because its hammer time!