Most missions drag on for a little bit too long, and this extension adds little to nothing in terms of value. The Ironwood mission, for example, while enjoyable, had some portions to it that I found very dull (such as finding and destroying all 4 nests). Other missions that stood out for feeling too long were all three of the mask finding missions and the first visit to Svartalfheim. I wouldn't mind if these missions were long if they were more interesting. The latter half of the game's gameplay loop kind of just revolves around "walk a bit, fight a handful of einherjar, repeat" with the odd puzzle thrown in every so often.

I also believe that parts of the gameplay in both this and the first game miss the mark for adding the maximum amount of value to this game. At its core, both this game and the first are about Kratos's past in Sparta catching up to him, and Atreus serves as that which he wants to protect from said past. Now, in certain aspects, the gameplay does help in translating this core idea. Kratos's combat is brutal but calculated (much like his personality in this saga), and Atreus's fighting doesn't leave as much gore behind (once again, fitting for his personality). Atreus's spartan rage also fits the story, as it shows him learning to control his anger for when the moment requires it and avoiding the uncontrolled brutality that Kratos showed in sparta. The skill trees also, while not necessary for the story, add value by giving players a sense of progression and agency in how they want to approach combat encounters. Nonetheless, some of the skill trees' upgrades felt like they changed very little.

My biggest issue with the gameplay in this saga, however, is the crafting and upgrade system for weapons and armor. Having 5 different skill trees is already overwhelming enough, and having to upgrade my weapons and armor every so often on top of this felt like a chore. While I understand it's a matter of taste, and me not enjoying it does not necessarily mean its a bad feature, I do believe it adds no value to the core ideas this game is trying to convey. I would've rathered they focused on providing skill trees with more substantial upgrades.

Overall, some missions felt too long while having uninteresting ways to go about completing them, and features such as the upgrade and crafting systems feel like they add unnecessary complexity to the game. However, I still found myself enjoying the story a lot despite the slower points. The last act was incredible, and I really enjoyed Santa Monica's take on Odin and Thor (both of them were super well-developed). The combat, also like the first game's, was very enjoyable. Being able to control Atreus was a nice change of pace and really served in making him seem much more independent and competent in the eyes of the player.