Game Review: God of War Ragnarök

How do you define a sequel? 

To me, what a sequel should be is a confident continuation of everything established in the prior entry yet it endeavours to reach even further with new concepts and ideas. Some of the best sequels out there like Sam Rami’s Spider-Man 2 or Bioware’s Mass Effect 2 pay respect to this core concept by following all the foundations of their prior stories; but never fearing to take the audience into new territory.  That balance in adhering to everything that came before but to also strive forward and tread on new concepts is a very delicate rope to walk and it can often lead to just as many failures as it does successes. When those new ideas work though, what you get is a product which cements a legacy through time. Like some of the best sequels we’ve seen in our lifetimes, I can confidently say that God of War Ragnarök has succeeded in establishing itself amongst the best of them. 

God of War Ragnarök is a PlayStation exclusive title which was developed by Sony Santa Monica Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment as part of their exclusive PlayStation line-up.  It was released on November 8th 2022 on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 as a cross-platform title. It’s in many ways a direct continuation of the prior entry in the long running franchise; following the God of War Kratos and his son Atreus as they seek to circumvent Ragnarök.  It plays as a third-person action adventure with a heavy focus on a cinematic narrative intertwined with fluid combat and environmental puzzles.  If you read my prior review for the 2018 God of War, you will recognise a lot of similar elements in this game and its subsequent review as it utilises the same engine as it seeks to continue the narrative left off at the end of the prior game. This is far from a bad thing however, as I find Sony Santa Monica have used the engine to explore new aspects between the narrative and gameplay in a way that compromises nothing yet delivers on everything. 

The narrative scope of God of War Ragnarök is its greatest element. This is in no disservice to the world design or the gameplay elements but where this game truly shines is in the core story and the themes it weaves.  Set a few years since their climatic duel with Baldur in the prior game; Kratos, Atreus and Mimir now find themselves surviving within Fimbulwinter; the fabled precursor to Ragnarök. In the wake of learning their prophesised fate from Jötunheim, Atreus is also struggling with a desire to understand the title of Loki and the events he is fabled to take part in. With his son getting older and yearning for independence to define his own fate, Kratos is struggling with the idea of letting his son go as he seeks to protect him from the forces of Asgard before Ragnarök occurs.  As events unfold Kratos and Atreus find themselves on a journey to prevent Ragnarök by searching for the Norse God of War Tyr in hopes he might have a means of stopping Odin and the prophecy before it comes true.  Kratos and Atreus aren’t the only key characters in this story either, as the game features a plethora of characters both familiar and new on this epic tale. Some recognisable faces come in the form of Brok and Sindri, the quirky pair of dwarven brothers who seek to help the father and son by crafting and upgrading gear for then. Freya, once a reliable ally of the pair is now out for vengeance against Kratos for killing her son Baldur. Some of the new characters that get introduced in the narrative I would love to talk about but to mention many of them would rob you of their amazing reveals. I will say that Thor and Odin make an astounding impression from the first hour and they are only a small reflection of the new cast you are set to meet. 

It's fair to say this narrative foundation reflects the pure brilliance of Sony Santa Monica’s writing staff. Everything about this games story is expertly crafted around the concept of prophecy and fate. These concepts are not new and have been explored in many ways in other media, but the way God of War Ragnarök manages to circumvent the most common tropes tied to these sort of narratives; all the while using them as pivotal means of exploring the wider themes at play is majestic. This game’s story is at its heart about a father and son learning to define their own fates despite the struggles it may cause. This idea of learning to define your own path and becoming independent is something any parent and child must face sooner or later. The fact that God of War Ragnarök manages to not only reflect that concept in a beautifully touching fashion but weave it amongst the many fantastical concepts at play within the Norse setting is another masterstroke that this writing team should be exceptionally proud of. There’s so much I wish to praise and highlight about the games narrative that it would take up most of this review. Not only is the main theme and story brilliantly realised by splitting the perspectives between Kratos and Atreus but the game never shies away from putting focus on the supporting characters too. Everyone in this game is given just the right amount of time and definition to make their presence in the story feel like more than a footnote. Everyone is given so much depth and complexity, even the bad guys are really well established.  Something that stood out to me a lot in this game is just how much more emotional it felt. There’s so much care and attention put into pacing out the emotional beats of the core story and the side plots surrounding it that by the end of the game I was a big blubbering mess. I think a lot of this wouldn’t be possible if not for the award worthy performances all of the cast of this game put into bringing these characters to life. Christopher Judge and Sunny Suljic especially have made these roles their own and I truly hope they get every bit of recognition for their performances come award season. I’ve not experienced a narrative this good in a long time and I have to say it’s probably one of my all-time favourite stories in any form of media period.  

It’s fortunate that as well as it’s perfect narrative, the game holds its own in the technical areas too. When it comes to gameplay this game is clearly building upon the strengths of its predecessor. As Kratos you have immediate access to the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos which you will no doubt be familiar with if you’ve played any of the prior titles. What God of War Ragnarök does though is it refines the speed and fluidity of their usage in combat. The Leviathan Axe still feels incredibly powerful and weighty in the right moments, but the game designers have tweaked it mechanically to feel way more responsive with the motion of the fights you are in. The same can be said for the Blades of Chaos which are also given a nicer touch of refinement in speed and versatility. Their overall use is much the same as they were in the 2018 game but rather than stripping any of it away Santa Monica choose to add to their output in small intrinsic ways. Their use in combat is not the only thing they seem to have refined; I like how in terms of open world exploration the weapons and tools you have at hand are given more purpose for overcoming a multitude of obstacles. There’s a good variety in the way combat and exploration tie into oner another and the way the weapons were refined to feel more responsive is definitely noteworthy. Weapons are only as good as the enemies you are using them against though and this game provides a wealth of foes to tackle each with their own capabilities and weaknesses. A lot of the new enemy types provide the player with new tactics to consider with how different they approach combat. With more aggressive approaches and health clipping capabilities, it’s a refreshing requirement to think of new ways to work through a battle. More familiar enemy types are also given a much appreciated refinement too, bringing them more in line with more responsive combat system to help them keep relevant to it. 

Exploration is another key aspect of the game’s technical provisions and it is beyond impressive. This game offers you way more variety in terms of exploring the nine realms. Each realm is easier to access now with the Mystic Gateways as well. Navigation and puzzles come hand in hand in these environments now. I really enjoyed how much these environments are mapped out to be explored further as you obtain more tools throughout your travels. The maps are all teeming with secrets to find and they actively encourage you to explore and be rewarded for your curiosity; I love any game which not only rewards exploration but actively encourages it. 

What makes exploring all the nine realms so fun for me is attributed to its visual fidelity. While I don’t think graphic engine is on the same level as Horizon or Death Stranding, I still have a lot of appreciation for the design concept of these locations and how Santa Monica Studios brought these Norse worlds to life.  With Fimbulwinter setting in, it gives the graphic designers the opportunity to approach the realms we’ve visited prior with a new perspective. Midgard for example is blanketed in ice and snow and the Lake of the Nine has frozen over. Some of the new realms you’ll be visiting like Svartalfheim do a great job in providing a very distinct and completely original locale to get lost in too. There’s so much beauty tied behind all of the realms in this game and one of my favourite pass times is just admiring all of the depth behind them. I only wish there was a photo mode available for the game at launch, as I would have been using it non-stop to capture all of these environments in all their splendid glory. 

From an audio and score perspective I have nothing but praise to give. Sound is a very underrated element in game design I find and the way this game utilises sound in both the gameplay and cinematic moments is really smart. Everything you do whether it’s running, jumping or fighting all has an incredible sense of audio around it. One of my favourite aspects of the sound work comes from collectable items. Collectable items that are littered within the areas are given a distinct humming noise which is just subtle enough that you don’t truly notice it until you’re close enough. It’s a really smart detail that is part of the games vast audio library. In terms of soundtrack Bear McCreary has outdone himself yet again. I already loved his prior work in the 2018 series but God of War Ragnarök is on a whole other level. Each of the tracks have this inherent tone that fits perfectly within the scene or environment they play over. McCreary knows how to escalate the soundscape with some major orchestrated beats all the while influencing them with traditional Norse instruments. I feel the credit for a lot of the emotional response I had with this game is can be attributed to this soundtrack and I cannot praise it enough. 

God of War Ragnarök had a lot of expectations to meet. The 2018 entry already redefined the series in a way that drew major mainstream attention towards Kratos and his son. With everything that came before, the question had to be asked if God of War Ragnarök could truly capitalise on the major scale it promised? Looking at everything I’ve just praised it’s easy to say Sony Santa Monica didn’t just meet those expectations, they blew them all the way to Valhalla. God of War Ragnarök is one of the best PlayStation exclusives I’ve played in recent memory. It encapsulates everything I love about video gaming by mixing fast-paced gameplay with a cinematic narrative that never wavers in delivering on true quality. It’s in so many ways the perfect video game sequel and I’ll still be thinking about this game long into the foreseeable future.