God of War Ragnarok Review
Once upon a time, there was a game called God of War. In God of War, a shouty, violent, bald man named Kratos got mad at the god of war, and killed absolutely everything in his path for like 12 hours. Then he died. Then he was too angry to stay dead, so he climbed out of hell. Then he got real big and killed the god of war. Then he was the god of war.
Then, basically that for two more games until he killed all of the gods.
Once upon a different time, there was a game called God of War (2018). In God of War, the shouty, violent, bald man had matured, found and lost the love of his life, and tried to teach his son, Atreus, how to survive in a world of new yet familiar perils on a journey to honor his dead wife’s final wishes.
AND IT RULED.
In November, God of War Ragnarok came out. And lo, it ruled, too. I just finished the main narrative of the game this weekend after pouring 40+ hours into it.
Now that I am one of the “olds” it’s pretty rare that I play a video game that requires a TV during the week. The past couple weeks, any spare half hour I had was a chance for me to catch up with Kratos and Atreus.
Both this game and its immediate predecessor succeed on a few key strengths. First, the father-son relationship at the heart of the story is compelling. If you’re even loosely familiar with Kratos’s story, he was an unstoppable monster of hate. Now he’s a father desperately trying to let that go, while trapped in a world in which his ability to kill just about anything that moves is the only thing keeping his son alive. Second, the combat Kratos excels at is SO satisfying. The developers created some of my favorite weapons in gaming and lets players move seamlessly between them, building momentum until you finish off Norse mythology’s creatures in grisly fashion. Third, the supporting cast balances the father-son drama nicely. Mimir, world’s smartest man, is probably my favorite. He chimes in with stories, jokes, and advice in a lovable Scottish accent, explaining the world and mediating between Kratos’s distant, practical parenting and Atreus’s headstrong, heart-on-his-sleeve coming-of-age.
Ragnarok gives its characters time together and apart to explore what it means to change in a world that demands answers to hard questions in the name of survival. It makes you dread, makes you hope, and makes you punch the air in victory after a tough boss fight. The game meanders to fit in all it wants to accomplish, but the path is always laid out before you. You can stray for upgrades and deeper insights into your companions, or you can double-time march towards the final battle if you’re keeping your eyes on the prize.
Damn, this is a terrific game. And if you have ever enjoyed an action game, Ragnarok 2018’s installment are mandatory gaming experiences. I give it 9 realms out of 9, and it runs great on PS5.