2018's God of War was a surprise and a breath of fresh air for a series, and more importantly a character, who's story I thought really didn't need to be continued. Santa Monica proved me wrong, and they created a fascinating adventure exploring the bond between an old warrior and his adolescent son. Ragnarok picks up a few years afterwards and I would say does an alright job following it up.
Ultimately, the game feels like more of 2018. Larger realms to explore, a larger scale plot with more significant characters in norse mythology, and more development. This ends up being both a good and bad thing. You get to explore some of the other realms that were untouched in the first game or get more depth to others, but it also feels like the pacing of the game is significantly slower. Certain segments feel like they drag on forever, and while some fun new characters get introduced, a not-insignificant portion feel half-baked, under-utilized, bizarrely written, or just plain overstay their welcome (both allies and enemies alike). It was a stark contrast to the exceptional cast of the first game which was small and focused. Overall the story still concludes in a fairly satisfying way, and I have some interest to see if they continue from here.
The gameplay is also quite similar to 2018. Without getting into spoilers you do end up having some new tools and abilities to your disposal, but it doesn't feel that much of an evolution. I played on the second hardest difficulty and it provided a fun experience slicing through enemies and a reasonable challenge. However, it was disappointing that my gripes about the camera being far too close to you during combat from the first game is still true here. On paper it's great to have the indicator arrows and ally call-outs (when they aren't too frequent or repetitive, Mimir), but NOT when they exist as a solution to a problem the developers intentionally created in the first place. It's frustrating, and those same call-outs which annoyingly apply during puzzles and even the occasional exploration feel patronizing. It's genuinely bizarre that a game that provided such a challenging experience also doesn't seem to think very highly of the player's skill or intuition. Many of the so-called puzzles too feel more like 'I Spy' where you are looking for the interactable more than trying to figure out the solution, making those time-sensitive call-outs all the more annoying. Still, it is a fun set of worlds to explore and your companions narrating it with stories as you run around does break up the silence between combat rather nicely. They really do pay respect to the mythos and a lot of the sidequests are fantastic.
As I said previously, Ragnarok serves as a solid wrap-up for the 2018 game and Kratos steals the show of every scene he speaks in. Fans of the previous game would be foolish not to play this, but I hope they take some of the popular criticisms to heart if they plan to continue this series.
Ultimately, the game feels like more of 2018. Larger realms to explore, a larger scale plot with more significant characters in norse mythology, and more development. This ends up being both a good and bad thing. You get to explore some of the other realms that were untouched in the first game or get more depth to others, but it also feels like the pacing of the game is significantly slower. Certain segments feel like they drag on forever, and while some fun new characters get introduced, a not-insignificant portion feel half-baked, under-utilized, bizarrely written, or just plain overstay their welcome (both allies and enemies alike). It was a stark contrast to the exceptional cast of the first game which was small and focused. Overall the story still concludes in a fairly satisfying way, and I have some interest to see if they continue from here.
The gameplay is also quite similar to 2018. Without getting into spoilers you do end up having some new tools and abilities to your disposal, but it doesn't feel that much of an evolution. I played on the second hardest difficulty and it provided a fun experience slicing through enemies and a reasonable challenge. However, it was disappointing that my gripes about the camera being far too close to you during combat from the first game is still true here. On paper it's great to have the indicator arrows and ally call-outs (when they aren't too frequent or repetitive, Mimir), but NOT when they exist as a solution to a problem the developers intentionally created in the first place. It's frustrating, and those same call-outs which annoyingly apply during puzzles and even the occasional exploration feel patronizing. It's genuinely bizarre that a game that provided such a challenging experience also doesn't seem to think very highly of the player's skill or intuition. Many of the so-called puzzles too feel more like 'I Spy' where you are looking for the interactable more than trying to figure out the solution, making those time-sensitive call-outs all the more annoying. Still, it is a fun set of worlds to explore and your companions narrating it with stories as you run around does break up the silence between combat rather nicely. They really do pay respect to the mythos and a lot of the sidequests are fantastic.
As I said previously, Ragnarok serves as a solid wrap-up for the 2018 game and Kratos steals the show of every scene he speaks in. Fans of the previous game would be foolish not to play this, but I hope they take some of the popular criticisms to heart if they plan to continue this series.