GOWR: Valhalla is the best DLC I have ever played and it probably will stay that way for most of my life. I cannot believe how amazing this DLC is. It is UNREAL how incredible and fun this DLC is. I am just in genuine awe how amazing the existence of this is.
To put things into perspective, God of War Ragnarök is one of my favorite games of all time. I had finally finished this game a couple months before the DLC came out and felt very content and satisfied with my experience. So when it was announced at the Game Awards that it was getting a FREE DLC in just a week or so from the game awards, I was ecstatic. Like, I had never thought that GOWR would get a DLC, and I was totally okay with it not having any expansions, the game was already perfect. So, to see Santa Monica Studio announce a FREE expansion to an already amazing game in an age where corporate greed is seeping into the video game industry, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Just this expansion EXISTING for FREE is a gift from the heavens, but what's even crazier (but not unexpected) is that it's actually really fun.
The roguelike mechanics work really well here, I feel like most players tend to lean towards one or two builds and stick with them in the base game, so there's not much motivation to change things up in terms of Kratos' armor and augments. In Valhalla, you're constantly pushed into creating different builds and there are so many resources at your disposal to acquire these upgrades. It shares a lot of mechanics with Hades, but Hades is pretty much the perfect roguelike, so it's a good game to take inspiration from.
The combat is the same as it was in the base game, so it's still very enjoyable. However, there are some new additions to the areas and enemies. There's new maps which are like these mashup versions of the different realms, which I liked, but there's also an entirely new Greek inspired area which was so cool. This game goes back to Kratos' roots and because there is an entire Greek arena to explore and fight in, there are also Greek enemies, which was really cool. Fighting Greek soldiers, harpies, cyclops, sirens, minotaurs, wraiths, and centaurs was really fun. I also love that we got to see parts of Kratos' Greek past realized in the modern age of God of War.
The story and writing is as good as ever. It's a very introspective and personal journey for Kratos, so for the most part it's just him and Mimir, but I appreciated the reflective, kind of laid-back vibe that the story had. However, that does not mean this story is without drama. There are some powerful moments in this story that add a lot of weight to the plot. I was impressed by how much effort was put into the storytelling as well. This game isn't just a few new maps either. There are full-fledged cutscenes and everything, this feels like a genuine continuation of the base game's ending.
My favorite part by far though, is the final boss. I don't want to spoil anything major, but all I will say is that the boss was the one part of the base game that I felt slightlyyyy dissatisfied by, but honestly it wasn't a problem in the main game and I could overlook it. However, Valhalla not only fixes my minor issue, but makes it the highlight of the DLC and gives us one of the coolest boss fights in the series. I was so impressed by the final boss fight on all fronts. From a story, gameplay, and cinematic perspective it was perfect.
Overall, Valhalla is a very rare and special kind of DLC that we probably won't see again for a very long time, so cherish it. I would be okay paying $30 for this so the fact that it's free still blows my mind.
Thank you Santa Monica Studio. You are incredible and I love you so so much.
To put things into perspective, God of War Ragnarök is one of my favorite games of all time. I had finally finished this game a couple months before the DLC came out and felt very content and satisfied with my experience. So when it was announced at the Game Awards that it was getting a FREE DLC in just a week or so from the game awards, I was ecstatic. Like, I had never thought that GOWR would get a DLC, and I was totally okay with it not having any expansions, the game was already perfect. So, to see Santa Monica Studio announce a FREE expansion to an already amazing game in an age where corporate greed is seeping into the video game industry, I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Just this expansion EXISTING for FREE is a gift from the heavens, but what's even crazier (but not unexpected) is that it's actually really fun.
The roguelike mechanics work really well here, I feel like most players tend to lean towards one or two builds and stick with them in the base game, so there's not much motivation to change things up in terms of Kratos' armor and augments. In Valhalla, you're constantly pushed into creating different builds and there are so many resources at your disposal to acquire these upgrades. It shares a lot of mechanics with Hades, but Hades is pretty much the perfect roguelike, so it's a good game to take inspiration from.
The combat is the same as it was in the base game, so it's still very enjoyable. However, there are some new additions to the areas and enemies. There's new maps which are like these mashup versions of the different realms, which I liked, but there's also an entirely new Greek inspired area which was so cool. This game goes back to Kratos' roots and because there is an entire Greek arena to explore and fight in, there are also Greek enemies, which was really cool. Fighting Greek soldiers, harpies, cyclops, sirens, minotaurs, wraiths, and centaurs was really fun. I also love that we got to see parts of Kratos' Greek past realized in the modern age of God of War.
The story and writing is as good as ever. It's a very introspective and personal journey for Kratos, so for the most part it's just him and Mimir, but I appreciated the reflective, kind of laid-back vibe that the story had. However, that does not mean this story is without drama. There are some powerful moments in this story that add a lot of weight to the plot. I was impressed by how much effort was put into the storytelling as well. This game isn't just a few new maps either. There are full-fledged cutscenes and everything, this feels like a genuine continuation of the base game's ending.
My favorite part by far though, is the final boss. I don't want to spoil anything major, but all I will say is that the boss was the one part of the base game that I felt slightlyyyy dissatisfied by, but honestly it wasn't a problem in the main game and I could overlook it. However, Valhalla not only fixes my minor issue, but makes it the highlight of the DLC and gives us one of the coolest boss fights in the series. I was so impressed by the final boss fight on all fronts. From a story, gameplay, and cinematic perspective it was perfect.
Overall, Valhalla is a very rare and special kind of DLC that we probably won't see again for a very long time, so cherish it. I would be okay paying $30 for this so the fact that it's free still blows my mind.
Thank you Santa Monica Studio. You are incredible and I love you so so much.