God of War Ragnarök is a game that marks me coming full circle in a way. A few years ago, when this game was revealed I thought it looked really interesting despite being a massive Xbox fanboy at the time who still believed in console wars (unbelievably cringe, I know). Pair that with the critically well received and GOTY winning first game and my interest in these games and PlayStation as a whole was at its peak, so I bought a PS4 and the first game alongside it. Unfortunately, I got distracted by all the other games I wanted to play on the console and despite buying both games pretty early, didn’t actually get to them until this year. I lamented about how long it took me to actually get to these games in my review for God of War 2018 and I still do now, I simply do not know how I put off two incredible games like this for so long. Ragnarök specifically is everything I could have ever asked for from a sequel to 2018 and manages to tell one of the most powerful narratives I’ve experienced in gaming as well as just being a damn fun game.

While initially I thought the gameplay in Ragnarök was gonna be a straight rinse and repeat of 2018’s, I was surprised at how much they added to it. Starting with the good the game really took the criticism that many had with the first game and instead of reusing bosses and the same kinds of enemies ad nauseum, instead added tons of really cool boss fights and several different types of enemies each with their own weaknesses for you to figure out. The combat is just as satisfying as it was in the first game and certain new weapons and skills you obtain over the course of the game go a long way to make it remain so. There also just feels like there’s a lot less annoying puzzles to deal with, allowing the game to focus mostly on action which I felt was a really good call. But then there’s my complaints with the gameplay, chief among them being the sections where you play as Atreus. While Atreus is certainly an interesting and divulging character in this game it just felt like to me there was nothing that the game could do to make him as satisfying and fun to play as as Kratos himself is. Instead of using a badass axe or twinblades, Atreus simply uses his bow to beat up enemies which feels kinda weak and unsubstantial, he also just has a much smaller pool of moves that he can use due to his skill tree being much smaller than Kratos’ so it just feels like he designed to be inferior. His sections feel much shorter to make up for this and they do often have some very interesting story stuff going on so that’s a plus as well, but typically whenever I played these sections I just wished I was back playing as Kratos instead. My only other problem with the gameplay is the slow pacing of it, at least when it comes to traversal. The settings you explore in this game are really interesting, but a mission often consists of exploring a certain path and fighting a boss at the end of it, only to traverse back through that path to get back to the gateway that leads back to the main hub. It’s a tiny bit exhausting to have to go back through the area you just explored on foot with no way of fast travel or faster traversal to get you back through and all you’re really get from it is more dialogue among the characters, but still it’s not a huge issue and doesn’t take away from the game all that much.

God of War Ragnarök’s narrative is in a lot of ways the absolute polar opposite of its predecessor’s and yet the fact that both can tell such effective and emotional stories is an achievement that the writers at Santa Monica should be proud of. Instead of a simplistic and small stakes story of a man and his son taking his dead wife’s ashes up a mountain Ragnarök opts to tell the story of a father and son coming to grips with the end of the world and its approach to telling this story is just as cinematic and heavy as it sounds. Kratos, despite learning to be honest and open with his son in the prior game is still not a perfect father, he is still deeply untrusting and overprotective and those are things that become a driving force between him and Atreus throughout the game. Atreus on the other hand is deeply curious about the world and about who he is, seeking the truth no matter what the consequences might be and rushing hastily into situations instead of using his judgement like his father has taught him. Both are flawed characters, and this estranged relationship, despite being in the face of the end of all things no less, feels like the real conflict of the game that must be solved. Of course there are other characters that enhance the game as well, Freya’s search for revenge and meaning after Baldur’s death in the first game is interesting, Brok and Sindri’s drama with each other and their clashing lifestyles is really good and has some surprisingly heartfelt and dramatic moments to it, Thor as a character is a really interesting parallel to Kratos and the drama within his family is deep, and Odin’s endless quest for knowledge and the things he has done and will do the obtain it makes him a really intriguing character and villain.

Despite the deeply interesting plot and characters though, I think where God of War Ragnarök really hits home is in its themes. Although it’s been years since her death, we’re shown that Kratos still mourns Faye and with his own death prophesied about and presumably on the horizon he has dreams of her seemingly becoming for him to join her. This portrayal of grief that is seen throughout the game, specifically in moments of great indecision for Kratos’ character is incredibly realistic and well realized. There’s also overlapping themes of revenge, regret, and the idea of being better. Several characters throughout the story have reasons to seek revenge on other characters, whether its scene in Freya and Thor’s anger towards Kratos at the beginning of the story, or virtually everyone’s lust for revenge on Odin throughout the story, everyone in this game has been wronged and seek to deal with it in the worst way possible. When given the chance at revenge each in their respective ways however, the message then becomes one of how past mistakes do not define a person, how forgiveness can open far more doors than petty revenge can, and how striving to be better than the one who hurt you is one of the hardest but most satisfying things you can do, and the moments where certain characters realize this are some of the most powerful I’ve seen in all of gaming.

Having finally played both of the modern God of War games like I planned to years ago when I expanded my interests I can say without a doubt that they have two of the most powerful narratives and satisfying combat in any game I’ve played. Though there are just a few slight gameplay flaws that hold Ragnarök back from perfection it was still an unforgettable experience from start to finish and one I’m glad I took the $300 plunge on those few years ago. I’m uncertain where this series will go next but I will be there on day one to continue the adventures of Kratos and Boy when it arrives.

I liked this game alot more than the original cus of just drapnir like holy shit man like I'm never finna play the original again like how tf you gon give me a infinte wind spear and expect me to use any other weapon bruh like c'mon like I already beat the game n everything fucking masterpiece I love everything still hate the shitty rpg system but I really just love the fucking characters in this one like odin might be in my top ten villians in not just games but like everything movies n books n shit like he's so fucking manipulative I love it I also really love freyas brother like how tf you gon end up as a elfish god by drinking bro thats crazy but anyway yeah when they dropped the vallhalla dlc I'm like aight I'll play it again its free and I accidentally spoiled myself and saw that Helios or whatever his name was and I was yeah we hopping on his death was like forever in my memory just cus of how tough it was fr still is and I love the way the game changes into like a rougelike I think thats what it's called way better than the normal game fr and when I realozed that the upgrades are based on the weapon your using you fucking bet I was only using draupnir and like I said the upgrades and shit are way better like there so simple better damage or more stagger tyoe shit like thank god bro and helios is there too just constantly talk shit man it's so good def better than the normal game 9/10 but the dlc 9.5

This is a testament to a phenomenon that came about with the arrival of God of War 2018. A game that was good but completely exhausted itself upon completion. I had fun playing it yet have never gotten the urge to return to it. As it turns out, this miniscule miracle extends to the successor of this 2018 GOTY winner. Putting Ragnarok in the PS5 (even several years after I'd beated the previous game) and bootin' that sucker up--as you might expect--immediately spelled the return of this mental reservation. "No more. Please, just, no more..." my brain told me as soon as I stepped back into the furry boots of Kratos with the power of the Playstation 5. I suffered through a few hours; enough to reach the dwarven village, and could no longer handle it.

Do not misunderstand me, if you're capable. This is a good thing. This is a noteworthy characteristic for a game to carry with it. Any prior time I've found a game enjoyable, I always eventually wish to return and play it more. God of War 2018 is...well, it's the very first time my fickle mind wholly experienced a work and then never sought to return. Played...and passed along to the closet of the conscious. Over and done. This is as it should be.

God of War: Ragnarok represents everything wrong with big budget, single player game releases. That being said, giving it anything less than the rating I’ve given feels disingenuous to me. This is by design. Ragnarok is a very competent title by every measurable metric- It’s graphics and overall visual presentation are top notch, the gameplay is fun and engaging, and there’s a story here that I imagine many will want to see through to its conclusion. But with a budget of around $200,000,000, how could it not have all of those things? Ragnarok is a game that feels more like a product than an artistic endeavor- a game that feels like it was created and endlessly focus-tested in a lab somewhere to be as digestible to the largest demographic of consumers as possible with it’s unrelenting safeness and sterility. Ragnarok could never fail because it is completely adverse to any sort of risk. And to that end, it has been abundantly successful, winning multiple awards and the praise of fans and critics worldwide. But it was in this pursuit of appealing to everyone that something important was lost. Ragnarok comes off as an all too lateral move from a series that had just boldly reinvented itself only a few years prior.

I loved the previous game. I dropped this one halfway through Svartalfheim. Reasons:

1) The camera is so far up Kratos's arse I can barely see Mimir at times, let alone Kratos's legs.

2) Spongey mob enemies are a chore to defeat instead of fun, and it breaks my immersion somewhat, making Kratos feel weak.

3) Kratos moves with the lumbering grace of an elephant, and coupled with the close camera makes combat unsatisfying and frankly claustrophobic.

4) Story and characters are repetitive and dull. The game's brand of humour feels tonally out of place. Overly long cutscenes feel self-indulgent in their lack of narrative efficiency.

5) There's zero sense of discovery because Atreus keeps announcing what's around every corner, and to regurgitate a common criticism: having (the tiresome) puzzles solved immediately is so fucking embarrassing to see in a 'mature' game like this. I felt like a passenger on a guided tour which seems sinful in a medium of art that should afford the player agency and control.

People say the Horizon Zero Dawn series was worse with the backseat NPCs. No. This is the worst I've ever seen this issue. Why not program the kid to trail in your wake instead of running miles ahead to spoil everything in sight?

After ten hours it sapped me of the will to continue playing. If the story and characters were compelling, I might have considered forcing myself through it, but unfortunately I didn't care about the characters anymore, so I dropped it.

Atreus is a bland boy with the personality of a damp towel and Kratos's dry personality and relentless disapprovals has worn out its welcome for me. It was amusing in 2018, but very old in 2022, making the characters feel static.