This review contains spoilers
I was originally planning on reviewing this game with little to no spoilers like I usually do, but it's pretty difficult considering most of this game builds off of what it's predecessor did with it's story and gameplay. So here's what I'm gonna do, the first few paragraphs (not counting this paragraph) will be my spoiler free review and then everything after that will be my spoiler review. I'll still avoid mentioning major story stuff though.
I will say that God of Ragnarök is very similar to its predecessor, but in a way where it makes every aspect better. Like a true sequel should.
Kratos' gameplay feels familiar, though different enough. Unarmed combat is basically gone which isn't a huge loss to me, I got used to the change pretty quickly. You get the Blades of Chaos way earlier and now they can be used for traversal and puzzles which is cool.
The soundtrack is absolutely incredible, Bear McCreary outdid himself. I keep humming the Huldra Brothers theme. 😭
Every location in this game looks just stunning. They really made each Realm look distinct.
There's a lot more enemies when compared to GoW 2018 and there's more variety too. Not to mention there's way more boss fights, a big improvement ngl.
I thought about getting the platinum trophy for this game, but I decided against it when I realized how many collectibles and optional enemy encounters there are. Look, I love playing this game, but I'm not gonna do loads of side content if it just makes me like the game less.
The story goes by at much faster pace than you'd expect. Sure, the plot of this game feels less like a single journey and it's chapter based this time, but it makes God of War Ragnarök stand out more. The bond of Kratos and Atreus is what matters more than anything else and this game never forgets that.
⚠️ SPOILERS FOR THE GAMEPLAY AND STORY OF GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK, PROCEED AT YOUR OWN CAUTION ⚠️
So I'll start this spoiler review with some of the smaller spoilers, with the bigger stuff in the back half of the review.
Atreus being playable surprised me at first and now it makes perfect sense. He feels different enough from Kratos that it benefits the games pacing.
I don't get why people dislike Ironwood and the search for the Norns. Neither of those sections are all that bad as people say, they're crucial for the games themes.
Freya is a pretty good addition as a companion. I ship her and Kratos.
The Draupnir Spear is a great addition to Kratos' arsenal. It's very fun to throw like five spears at a single enemy and then just detonate all of them at the same time. Though, I will say that it gets introduced really late into the main game and by that time I already unlocked most of the skills for the Blades of Chaos and the Leviathan Axe so there wasn't much a reason to even use the Draupnir Spear during combat.
Odin is an excellent antagonist and I like how he's acts more like a mob boss than what you'd expect. Manipulative antagonists are always more interesting to me than a big dude who just wants to destroy/conquer the world or whatever.
I love God of War Ragnarök's overall themes of fate and form vs nature. It's just so rich when you dig into it. It expertly builds upon what GoW 2018 set up.
I will say that God of Ragnarök is very similar to its predecessor, but in a way where it makes every aspect better. Like a true sequel should.
Kratos' gameplay feels familiar, though different enough. Unarmed combat is basically gone which isn't a huge loss to me, I got used to the change pretty quickly. You get the Blades of Chaos way earlier and now they can be used for traversal and puzzles which is cool.
The soundtrack is absolutely incredible, Bear McCreary outdid himself. I keep humming the Huldra Brothers theme. 😭
Every location in this game looks just stunning. They really made each Realm look distinct.
There's a lot more enemies when compared to GoW 2018 and there's more variety too. Not to mention there's way more boss fights, a big improvement ngl.
I thought about getting the platinum trophy for this game, but I decided against it when I realized how many collectibles and optional enemy encounters there are. Look, I love playing this game, but I'm not gonna do loads of side content if it just makes me like the game less.
The story goes by at much faster pace than you'd expect. Sure, the plot of this game feels less like a single journey and it's chapter based this time, but it makes God of War Ragnarök stand out more. The bond of Kratos and Atreus is what matters more than anything else and this game never forgets that.
⚠️ SPOILERS FOR THE GAMEPLAY AND STORY OF GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK, PROCEED AT YOUR OWN CAUTION ⚠️
So I'll start this spoiler review with some of the smaller spoilers, with the bigger stuff in the back half of the review.
Atreus being playable surprised me at first and now it makes perfect sense. He feels different enough from Kratos that it benefits the games pacing.
I don't get why people dislike Ironwood and the search for the Norns. Neither of those sections are all that bad as people say, they're crucial for the games themes.
Freya is a pretty good addition as a companion. I ship her and Kratos.
The Draupnir Spear is a great addition to Kratos' arsenal. It's very fun to throw like five spears at a single enemy and then just detonate all of them at the same time. Though, I will say that it gets introduced really late into the main game and by that time I already unlocked most of the skills for the Blades of Chaos and the Leviathan Axe so there wasn't much a reason to even use the Draupnir Spear during combat.
Odin is an excellent antagonist and I like how he's acts more like a mob boss than what you'd expect. Manipulative antagonists are always more interesting to me than a big dude who just wants to destroy/conquer the world or whatever.
I love God of War Ragnarök's overall themes of fate and form vs nature. It's just so rich when you dig into it. It expertly builds upon what GoW 2018 set up.