Finished the game tonight and man.... there are no words to express how powerful the connection between Kratos and Atreus is and has become over the arc of the game. The 'closure' and 'exposure' at the end of the game with the foreshadowing of Ragnarok is something I'm definitely looking forward to, but want to save it for when I get to it.

Finally made it to Jotenheim after playing through what was a really awesome sequence with Tyr's temple. The Hall of Tyr and adjusting the temple was a great mix of puzzles and enemy battles, culminating with a great big jump, one hell of a lot of enemies, and a date with the World Serpent. Looking forward to it!

Rode the ship out of Hel tonight and this sequence was absolutely frantic, almost to the level of a bullet hell for me. Hel-reavers by the dozen were just fuel for the Chaos Blades and balancing clearing mobs with keeping the fires alight was truly fun. Head's part of the story as the remnants of the boat floated away was enjoyable while the brothers reconnecting to form the key was a nice heartwarming moment.

I think I'm getting close to the end of the game and I'm feeling happy about it; it's hitting a climax, threading a needle between honoring the games of old with the story of the new.

The boy is annoying me with his god complex, but we finally got him under some sort of control after he woke up an Ancient :) . Opened the bridge but a very rude god and one hell of a set piece played out, sending my plans straight to hell in a hand-basket. Fought my way through Hel but ended the stream getting stuck on an iceberg. The SS Kratos will steam ahead another day.

Started the trek to Tyr's vault with a very enjoyable telling of Tyr's story and downfall. Tyr's Vault was a beautiful location - complete with monster closets and some nifty platforming I failed a few times at, especially that stupid trap with Skol and Hati. I loved the dual Guardian fight - it was equally challenging having to switch between weapon sets.

Healed up Atreus and continuing the journey. Had a really heartfelt moment in this game that struck me hard as a Dad.

HOLY SHIT. The Kratos from old is back and I have ALL of the feels.

Played for a bit during tonight's stream, fought the formidable Viking Traveler enemy, made my way of the hammer of Thamur, got confused as fuck with the seasons puzzle, enjoyed the 'elevator' section to the top of the hammer, broke the ice, dined with a bunch of enemies in a dining hall including the Stonebeard King troll, and defeated Thor's sons Magni and Modi, ending the stream walking into the "Behind The Lock" section.

Excellent session of gaming with boss battles, puzzle, and a ton of enemies to chop up. I'm starting to get a feel for the 'flow' of the game - remembering some of the special moves that I previously underutilized. Having a super-powered Atreus definitely helps.

This is a combination note between 2/14 and 2/28:

Oh boy oh boy, the main storyline has picked up in excitement.

Defeated Hræzlyr the Dragon, learned about Shatter Crystals, learned who the Stranger was, decapitated a tree god, resurrected Mimir, learned the Witch's real name, blew a big fucking horn, spoke whale to the World Serpent, and wound of next to the head of a giant giant.

I think as long as I stick to the main story and upgrade things rather then worrying about new abilities, I'll be OK as far as the time gaps between sessions.

Played a bit more tonight onstream, completed the second part of the "Inside The Mountain" and beating the area boss, frost troll and likely the name of the next's World Strongest Man winner, Jarn Fotr.

Although this was a 'lull' by some gaming standards, slowing the game down a bit and doing some puzzle solving, it did give me resources to simply make my existing gear stronger. I'm thinking that the user interface is a bit complicated since I'm constantly making errors when comparing things to upgrade vs. things to buy. Aside from a subjective issue, the upgrades I have purchased feel like the few attacks I can mentally recall in a fight feel stronger and more satisfying.

Spent a lot of time on the “Fanfic’s Hoard” side mission instead of on the “Inside the Mountain” quest line - I’m still regularly forgetting about upgrades I’ve purchased but thankfully since this is an onstream game, my viewers help me remember. :)

Played for a few more hours tonight on stream, completed the 'Light of Alfheim' area and defeated all of the Dark Elves.

Played my way through some of the campaign, completing the 'Path to the Mountain' segment, meeting Sindri in the Foothills area, seeing the 'Black Breath', and starting the 'Light of Alfheim' segment.

The story is engaging, but what continues to screw me up is forgetting upgrades that I've purchased. I'm coming to terms that this is a game that does require a bit of consistency - I keep defaulting to the 4-hit quick attack and occasional block/parry/roll defense while forgetting about magic and upgrades I've spent currency on.

That's a big fucking snake. Met the World Serpent and began fiddling around the 'Lake of Nine' area. This feels a lot like a 'hub' section of the game, an area that you can quick travel back to and introduces you to side missions. It's a little bit to explore, but I'm enjoying it.

There is a major flaw albeit it's a personal one, but my memory of what upgrades I've purchased between sessions is giving me this false sense of weakness (I keep forgetting to use the upgrades/enchantments I've unlocked/purchased). It's a slight issue, but I worry it'll be magnified as the game gets progressively harder.

Made some more progress tonight; hit a wall with some of the Heavy Dragurs and had to really lean into the dodging system - I suppose it's the game twisting the learning curve a bit.

My god, this game is gorgeous. Started the game tonight; everything about the game is stunning. The axe feels spectacular and the fights feel visceral. Fight with "The Stranger" was a phenomenal setpiece. Can't wait to continue the story.