This review contains spoilers
God of War Ragnarok is a big journey, despite being almost the same length as the first game. It's a sequel that tries to do A LOT. In fact, I'd say that it does too much in some instances for any single game to handle comfortably.
Back when it was first shown to the public in September 2021, creative director Cory Barlog stated that the Norse saga of this series was originally going to be a trilogy, until they figured out how to make it two games instead. It's an understandable decision, given that I'm sure the folks at SSM are itching to move on to a new IP at this point and wouldn't want to make fans wait around too long to see this story's conclusion. However, there are hints of this decision throughout the campaign, particularly in its final chapters, where I couldn't help but wonder if it would have been better for the larger story if they had kept it to the trilogy they were originally planning.
Regardless, one area where Ragnarok does not falter is its gameplay, which is by and large quite an improvement over its predecessor. It's faster and flashier, with bigger attacks, new skills for the existing weapons, and an abundance of enemy variety. The addition of Atreus being playable at certain story intervals is also a welcome change of pace, bringing his own unique moveset and abilities that focus much more on speed than the sheer brute strength of Kratos.
That being said, there are trade-offs to the faster and flashier approach to combat this time around. Namely, certain encounters where you're facing a room of enemies in a relatively small arena can get 'busy' and it can be tricky to read their attacks and react accordingly, requiring a deft camera thumb and reaction speed to gain the upper hand. Thankfully, the addition of verticality in said arenas is a big help in getting out of harm's way whenever you need a moment to recuperate in the heat of battle.
Story-wise, the new characters that join and oppose Kratos and Atreus on their quest are largely decent, with some getting much more shine and screentime than others. The main villains of Odin and Thor are particular highlights, of course, with Richard Schiff and Ryan Hurst turning in excellent performances as both, respectively.
Odin takes some getting used to initially, due to his anachronistic dialogue and a portrayal that can be best described as 'New York mob boss'. It's jarring at first, but thanks to Schiff, it did end up working for me. Thor is perhaps the star of the new cast, being a far cry from the MCU's hunky Hemsworth version and instead being a violent, hedonistic beast beholden to his father's every whim. The rest of the characters here are, like I said, a decent bunch. Angrboda and 'Tyr' have particular relevance to Atreus's story in this, with solid motivations and arcs of their own.
Honestly, given the context of it originally being a story told over a trilogy, it works better than it should, with pretty decent pacing, leaving enough room to breathe after the heavier story moments, and giving time to build character relationships where appropriate. However, as stated, in the game's latter chapters, particularly where Ragnarok itself is concerned, it does start to rush. Certain previously established plot points and characters are either unaddressed or brushed aside. I admit, third acts are difficult, especially when you're trying to please everyone, but this is where I feel that the original trilogy plan could have been more satisfying if they pulled that off instead.
Regardless, God of War Ragnarok still remains a worthy sequel to the first game, despite this. The gameplay is stronger, the side quests are all worthwhile and contribute to the lore or individual character arcs in ways that inform certain story decisions later, and there are some truly excellent character moments interspersed throughout. The main story and its new cast can feel more quantity than quality at times, especially compared to the first game, but taken as a whole, it does the job well.
8/10
Back when it was first shown to the public in September 2021, creative director Cory Barlog stated that the Norse saga of this series was originally going to be a trilogy, until they figured out how to make it two games instead. It's an understandable decision, given that I'm sure the folks at SSM are itching to move on to a new IP at this point and wouldn't want to make fans wait around too long to see this story's conclusion. However, there are hints of this decision throughout the campaign, particularly in its final chapters, where I couldn't help but wonder if it would have been better for the larger story if they had kept it to the trilogy they were originally planning.
Regardless, one area where Ragnarok does not falter is its gameplay, which is by and large quite an improvement over its predecessor. It's faster and flashier, with bigger attacks, new skills for the existing weapons, and an abundance of enemy variety. The addition of Atreus being playable at certain story intervals is also a welcome change of pace, bringing his own unique moveset and abilities that focus much more on speed than the sheer brute strength of Kratos.
That being said, there are trade-offs to the faster and flashier approach to combat this time around. Namely, certain encounters where you're facing a room of enemies in a relatively small arena can get 'busy' and it can be tricky to read their attacks and react accordingly, requiring a deft camera thumb and reaction speed to gain the upper hand. Thankfully, the addition of verticality in said arenas is a big help in getting out of harm's way whenever you need a moment to recuperate in the heat of battle.
Story-wise, the new characters that join and oppose Kratos and Atreus on their quest are largely decent, with some getting much more shine and screentime than others. The main villains of Odin and Thor are particular highlights, of course, with Richard Schiff and Ryan Hurst turning in excellent performances as both, respectively.
Odin takes some getting used to initially, due to his anachronistic dialogue and a portrayal that can be best described as 'New York mob boss'. It's jarring at first, but thanks to Schiff, it did end up working for me. Thor is perhaps the star of the new cast, being a far cry from the MCU's hunky Hemsworth version and instead being a violent, hedonistic beast beholden to his father's every whim. The rest of the characters here are, like I said, a decent bunch. Angrboda and 'Tyr' have particular relevance to Atreus's story in this, with solid motivations and arcs of their own.
Honestly, given the context of it originally being a story told over a trilogy, it works better than it should, with pretty decent pacing, leaving enough room to breathe after the heavier story moments, and giving time to build character relationships where appropriate. However, as stated, in the game's latter chapters, particularly where Ragnarok itself is concerned, it does start to rush. Certain previously established plot points and characters are either unaddressed or brushed aside. I admit, third acts are difficult, especially when you're trying to please everyone, but this is where I feel that the original trilogy plan could have been more satisfying if they pulled that off instead.
Regardless, God of War Ragnarok still remains a worthy sequel to the first game, despite this. The gameplay is stronger, the side quests are all worthwhile and contribute to the lore or individual character arcs in ways that inform certain story decisions later, and there are some truly excellent character moments interspersed throughout. The main story and its new cast can feel more quantity than quality at times, especially compared to the first game, but taken as a whole, it does the job well.
8/10