God of War Ragnarök Review – Next To Godliness

The 2018 God of War is almost a continuation of the original multi-game journey. Yes, it was a continuation of Kratos’ original multi-game journey, but it placed him and a new family in a foreign world to reflect on his past and try to secure his future. Kratos’ journey to connect to his son while battling a new legion of distrustful gods was a revelation in both video game storytelling and action, setting a high bar for the inevitable sequel. Ragnarök may lack the unique impact of the prior game, but everything that worked so well the first time comes forward, along with a story that earns the proper definition of the term epic.
 
Ragnarök basically picks up exactly where the previous left off in terms of narrative. Atreus is a little older and has shed the ‘boy’ nickname entirely. Opening hours of God of War are spectacular, a tradition that was established in the series’ early days. You can feel the action immediately and meet new friends. However, there is also quiet time for a great performance show. Newcomer Odin and returning scorned mother Freya’s characterizations are particularly fantastic, but even the weakest performance in Ragnarök makes the typical video game performance pale in comparison.

It’s a great moment-to-moment dialogue that enhances the excellent 2018 game. Ragnarök is, surprisingly, the funniest God of War to date. Kratos is the straightest, most upright man of all nine realms. He lives with vulgar dwarfs, decapitated heads, overconfident teens, and other stoic dwarves. I laughed often as Kratos said things like, “I do not need a snack,” when Sindri offered him food, or when he shared a dismissive grunt when characters made fun of him for only ever offering dismissive grunts.
 
The story is important, but the combat element remains equally crucial in this new God of War era. The most negative thing to be said about fighting the various enemies of the nine realms is it isn’t radically different or changed from the previous game. While you start this game with more weapons, your core combos will remain almost the same. There are more special attacks than you could use, though I have to admit that I had my favourites and didn’t feel the need to explore new options.
 
However, the number of enemies that you can fight has increased dramatically. The mini bosses can be numerous and if they are repeated, there is usually a new feature or an entirely optional pursuit. This optional content makes up an important portion of an already large game. It is more than just additional boss fights. There are side quests that can be pursued along the main route, but there is also ample open space to explore at your own pace with sled dogs. These areas offer valuable moments for character development as well as tangible rewards. Some cases I only discovered that side stories were optional in some cases.

Ragnarök, despite its fantastic setting, does feature a grounded tone thanks to its splendid performances and fully realized characters, but it is not afraid to be a fun video game. The puzzles are cleverly mixed up in pace, with combat encounters that vary from one another. I found it fascinating how the story context was always present for me to engage in the game’s parts. Atreus was always patient with new characters when he forgot the primary task of searching for treasure chests. Mimir made sure that, regardless of how urgent the story was, Mimir always said that we could take our time and go exploring if needed. This dialogue and little moments show Sony Santa Monica truly understands its users and that I am grateful for their understanding.
 
The exceptional level design should also be considered as the player is at all times. Each zone wraps around itself and allows for shortcuts to be found, or avoids having to go back. There are multiple combat levels and various environmental attacks available. For example, you can grab a huge rock to throw at a lizard. The player camera’s ability to tease or hint at new routes and chests is amazing. The players’ direction is always considered.
 
God of War Ragnarök feels a lot like God of War (2018), which is a compliment considering how fantastic that game is. Sony Santa Monica was right to not break what wasn’t broken and it has expertly continued the story threads that were left hanging from the previous game. Any complaints about the overall experience (familiar combat, collecting and leveling up equipment isn’t particularly interesting) are quickly forgotten in the face of the compelling narrative, believable character relationships, and incredible visuals and animation. Since its inception on the PlayStation 2, God of War has been setting a high quality standard and rarely falls short. God of War Ragnarök is no different.