God of War Ragnarok’s ending and why it’s a letdown, explained

You are looking for a game about an endless maelstrom, fire and blood? God of War RagnarökSure fizzles out. The finale for Santa Monica Studio’s latest, out now for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, is as satisfying as it is thematically sound. It also misses a chance to do the brave thing — resulting in a creative misfire that, in my mind, holds RagnarökBack from Greatness

[Ed. note: This post contains full spoilers for the final act of God of War Ragnarök.]

Just so we’re on the same page about what I’m referring to: Kratos lives, which, whatever, that’s fine. You can continue to play as Kratos after the credits roll. That’s less fine! God of War RagnarökThere was an opportunity to surprise the audience with their endgame. You could have been in Atreus’ shoes. Instead, you reacted by going back to the beginning credits and Kratos embarking on an all-expenses paid killing spree across the nine realms. Ragnarök relies on the “keep killing everything in sight to find trinkets” formula that’s defined big-budget video games for a generation.

Image: SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

It’s not hard to see that I enjoyed the majority of these activities. God of War Ragnarök’s ending. It’s the final chapter. Watching Kratos, Atreus, Freya, and their allies storm Asgard is genuinely epic according to the original definition, fit to be read by some dude named Homer — a feeling that’s underscored further by composer Bear McCreary’s wall-rattling orchestral arrangement. Switching between playable characters at key moments during the climactic battle — a microcosm of the shifting perspectives that define Ragnarök’s act breaks — reinforces the journey the characters have gone on over the course of this game. Atreus grabs an object from the 1994 movie to make Odin and Thor lose. The Mask in half. And the concluding moments, when the heroes escape through a portal created by Angrboda as a now literally giant Surtr smashes Asgard with a sword that’d make Cloud Strife jealous, is legit edge-of-your-seat stuff.

Part of why it’s edge-of-your-seat stuff, though, is that you go into the final battle anticipating Kratos’ death. His death got foreshadowed quite a bit, after all. He died at the end God of War(2018). Kratos recognizes a prophetic illustration, which he believes to be a prediction of his death. Atreus is not able to see it. A few chapters later Ragnarök, Atreus learns the same prophecy; it’s kinda the whole inciting event of this game. So for two hours of intense battle sequences, you’re waiting for this big, dramatic thing to happen. This never happens.

Image: SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

Why not? Because Faye — Kratos’ wife and Atreus’ mom — apparently destroyed the Realitätprophecy depicts Kratos being a revered ruler in all nine realms. As for the original prophecy, which depicted an older man dying in Atreus’ arms, Odin’s death in this game looks strikingly similar. Both are called “father,” if we must split hairs, and both have beards. It’s a maddeningly subtle connection that skates by on a technicality.

Atreus discovers that he is able to go somewhere right before the credits begin. You may recall earlier in the game that you find out the fate of the giants. And how they’ve been confined to a bunch of marbles that look a whole lot like the souls from the 2009 indie comedy Cold Souls? They need help, apparently, and — this is key — Atreus says he’s gotta do it on his own. Kratos is able to listen for his little boy, father and son, perhaps for the very first time. Atreus then scales the cliff, and vanishes.

Image: SIE Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

You’re left playing as Kratos, accompanied by Freya, getting to work cleaning up the postwar mess across the realms. You go around, finding and eliminating “pieces of Asgard.” What this means, basically, is that you spend time hunting down and killing small contingents of Asgardian soldiers; because of Reasons, they apparently can’t be convinced that Asgard definitively lost the war. Also, you can battle 12 very difficult ghost soldiers to end their lives. Oh, and you can track down Odin’s last remaining lieutenant — and, go figure, kill her. For a dude who’s finally found the goddamn peace and quiet he’s been craving, Kratos sure spends a lot of time on the battlefield.

Better alternative: The endinggame represented a major opportunity God of War RagnarökTo pull a Red Dead RedemptionYou will be cast as Atreus during the post-game. He’s a fully playable character in RagnarökComplete with his own skills tree, custom abilities and combat toolkit. He is easier to manage than his father, who was slower and bulkier.

Under this hypothetical, the endgame series of missions would instead see you assisting giants, rather than picking off the remainder of Asgard’s army. You could have them all in the same place! Any lingering artifacts? No problem — in one of the game’s better sight gags, Atreus proved he can open chests just fine. Atreus has, just like his dad’s god status, an unlimited inventory. Plus, I’m sure an arrow is just as good at taking out pesky green ravens as Kratos’ spear is.

In hindsight, it’s obvious that Kratos wasn’t ever going to die or even hang up his weapons, at least not in a permanent way. There are too many errant 100% meters to complete in this game, and you as a player have invested way too much time beefing up Kratos’ stats and armor. You should also allow for future franchises in this highly profitable franchise. (In 2021, developer Santa Monica Studio said Ragnarök is the end of “the Norse saga,” but notably did not say it’s the end of the series.)

God of War RagnarökIt is about trying to reinvent your self on a fundamental level to be an inspiration to your children, and anyone who wants to follow in your steps. The game’s final moments make the case that it is quite difficult.