God of War Ragnarök (2022)

God of War series it seems that are those kind of game series which are improving and are getting better and better with each launched title. I don't know about the old ones, I didn't play them because I don't own a console, but comparing it with the God of War (2018), I think that "Ragnarok" it's a total improvement, a fine addition to the installment.

God of War Ragnarok, which has been released at the end of 2022 is longer than its prequel and it depicts the same bloody and tumultous life of Kratos and Atreus, this time against the all nordic Gods, especially Odin and Thor (who actually appeared at the end of the first game, from 2018). This title is clearly an improvement, because it has a better gameplay mechanics, the storyline is more intringuing (of course, with its plot twists) and more dramatic. Also, the character development has been perfected.

I can't say too much about it, because is all the same with the title of 2018, but a lot better. If you really liked the first one, then you will love this one! Anyway, seeing a grown up Atreus, a much fatherly Kratos and a much wiser Mimir, it's a fantastic thing. It's everything that a sequel should be, an improvement, not a downgrade.

As someone who barely touched the original PS2 games, and was reintroduced to the series via the 2018 reboot, I was immediately enthralled. I've always been slightly interested in mythology, so upon learning that the Grecian Kratos was traveling to Midgard - I knew I had to play the game. Hack and slash games are fun, but Adventure RPGs are my bread and butter. That being said; this is a review of Ragnarök, not the 2018 release, so let's just say that my excitement for this sequel was astronomical

TLDR; It didn't hit as hard as the first game did, but I was still left a crying mess by the end. The story was engaging and thoughtful, with beautifully executed story beats. It builds off of the first game so well, while still leaving room for us to explore the realms more. I definitely agree that some of the story felt rushed in certain places, but overall I feel like it lived up to my expectations. The characterizations, the development, the MUSIC. It all came together and felt alive. If you enjoyed the 2018 reboot, you'll likely enjoy this one.
Spoilers ahead, tread carefully.

Seeing that time has passed from the very beginning of the game, and consistently having NPCs comment **on** the progression of time, helped solidify the reality that things had changed over the course of several winters. To no ones surprise, after rescuing Týr and finding out that Odin basically beat him into a(n) (extreme) pacifist, was just one of the first of many disappointments that Kratos and Atreus would overcome together. I could only hope he would eventually come around and assist in fulfilling Gróa's true prophecy to kill Odin.

*boy was I wrong*

I think one of the sudden, but delightful, surprises this game offered was a chance to play things out from Atreus' perspective. We gained an entirely new way the story was being told to us, complete with different Friend and Foe Codex entries! A small detail I definitely enjoyed were the subtle differences in the way that Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir all spoke in their writing. To see the way that Atreus spoke about the same people, but in a different tone set us up early to expect big things from this kid. That being said, we're constantly reminded he is a kid! He's maybe 16 now, and what do 16 years have? No impulse control! Time to go try and convince Freya that they're on the same side.
Ah, Freya, love of my life - I am absolutely biased, but she is the GOAT and I will not be convinced otherwise. Truly, we have been gifted an incredibly powerful and 3 dimensional female lead in an adventure game that is not just a bunch of terribly written stereotypes mashed together to make a "I'm just complex! UWU" companion. That being said, obviously I was thrilled when Freya joined the fight in Vanaheim. The banter between her, Kratos and Mimir truly encapsulates the golden triad of ["a family can be..."](https://www.reddit.com/r/antinatalism/comments/hbxw4e/sure_a_family_can_have_two_dads/) (a God Killer, the Valkyrie Queen, and a talking head)." With this banter, we're able to learn more about her relationships with the Aesir, other Vanir, and gain valuable insight into her knowledge (and other times ignorance) about the realms and their denizens. We see this come to a head in her quest for vengeance when Atreus returns from Asgard after his failed mission to Hel: *Odin must die, no matter the cost.*

We also see interesting development from the Dwarves and their relationship with each other. Our journey to meet the Lady of the Forge was probably one of my favorite quests, if only because of Brok's incredible one-liners. Not only is his dialogue an absolute pleasure to listen to, the foreshadowing we receive is so dense, you can cut it with a knife. The [gun](https://screencraft.org/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-chekhovs-gun/) has been shown, and it's cocked - ready to be used. Delightful.

The absolute bomb drop that was the reveal of Odin disguised as Týr the whole time ramped up the urgency to 110% - but when the story is brought to a full stop, we’re reminded that Atreus is still a child, and this is the first death of a loved one (outside of his mothers') he's had to witness, and grieve for. I was with the others, the time for action is now. But Atreus was not ready - he needed time to process. He needed a distraction. And so, they left. I felted stunned, it felt wrong. But, this wasn't about what Freya, or Freyr, or hell even what Sindri wanted. This was about what Atreus needed from Kratos. And so, Kratos did what any good father does to comfort their child; he helped his son mourn.

I will say, the pacing for the remainder of the game after this point did feel rushed- from locating Surtr and creating Ragnarök -

Sidenote:

Which, by the way, felt completely useless after we went through the pain of gaining Ragnarök (killing Surtr and putting Sinmara through unimaginable pain of loosing her beloved), just to toss that plan away the moment he's summoned? Because Kratos was determined Atreus wouldn't have to fight in a war (which, this was more like a siege, not even a war) where innocent bystanders (i.e. the Midgardians) wouldn't be sacrificed or used as cannon fodder? Idk - the more I sit with this, the more it frustrates me. I understand the purpose of showing that sometimes plans don't end up working out because of last minute reservations, but at this point they would have been better off without Ragnarök because of all the pointless loss faced from the outcome it created (coughFREYRcough)!!! ... Anyway.

to storming Asgard, and breaching the wall, to the final fight against Odin himself and then escaping. That was a lot in a short amount of time, which like, I get? The build up is always gonna be bigger and longer than the actual climax of the story. But I sinked a minimum of 55 hours into this game, for perhaps a total of 4 hours to be spent in an adrenaline filled state where everything was happening all at once all of the time. I felt like I missed a lot of little details, which sucks - because the whole experience was very epic-feeling! All of that to say, it all ended so abruptly.

I'm not unhappy with the outcome by any means, but I do wish we were able to spend more time in Asgard; infiltrating, and discovering just how awful the Midgardians were being treated by the Aesir. Can we also talk about Sif's complete 180 degree attitude change towards Atreus and Kratos? Where was the support from her before?! She's part of the reason Thor turned against Atreus in the very end, when we were so close to him understanding!

If the side quests and overall arching story of the game weren't as fulfilling as it was, I more than likely would have had a different opinion of the game overall, because of the last few hours of gameplay alone. But, fortunately, the game relies on it's other aspects, when parts fall short. Which is not a bad thing, by the way.

Moving on from the incredibly deep and thoughtful story, the music is composed intentionally, and I fell in love with the married Greek and Norse undertones that were occasionally present in Kratos' cutscenes. Combat is polished (nothing really changed from the last game - which is FINE. I LIKE it when games stick to the thing they're good at. If it's not broke, don't fix it! Combat doesn't always need to be innovative!) For reference, the difficulty I played on "Give Me Balance" which is my default to most games I play for the first time. I'm not going to go out of my way for a harder experience, that's not why I play single-player story games usually. Playing on "Normal" gave me plenty of a challenge, right up to the fight with Gná, and a couple of the Berserkers (I'm looking at you Svipdagr, Hrómundr, and Vöttr!!!)

That's all from me, I happily give God of War: Ragnarök 4.5/5.

"The cycle ends here. We must be better."

Bien es sabido que, en los últimos años, se han ido pavimentando las nuevas formas narrativas del videojuego. Naughty Dog nos hizo vivir el episodio de invierno en The Last of Us (2013), Toby Fox sorprendió a todos con el juego metanarrativo y cómplice para con el usuario en Undertale (2015), Yoko Taro lleva más de una década subvirtiendo la narrativa tradicional con elementos específicos del medio (el Yokoverso formado por las sagas Drakengard y NieR) y las obras de From Software han forjado un tipo de narrativa basada en trasfondos de ítems en el inventario y sutiles elementos del escenario. Hay, hasta cierto punto, un patrón: en el panorama independiente, con sus Firewatch (2016), What Remains of Edith Finch (2017), Celeste (2018), Sayonara Wild Hearts (2019) e Inscryption (2021), entre los muchos que podrían mencionarse, se tiende a romper con las bases del medio videolúdico. Por otra parte, los juegos más mainstream (los dos Red Dead Redemption, 2010-2018; The Witcher III, 2015; los dos Horizon, 2017-2022) presentan, en la mayoría de ocasiones, narrativas cercanas a la sensibilidad del cine. Las cinemáticas son la hoja de ruta y el jugador suelta el mando mientras sucede la historia. Quizás hay un mínimo sistema de decisiones que fomenta la interactividad, pero es más bien la excepción.

RESEÑA COMPLETA EN RIRCA

ANÁLISIS DE PERSONAJE DE FREYA EN RIRCA

Update: 1/16/26

Just did a back-to-back 100% hard mode replay of God of War 2018 and Ragnarok. Initially, I had felt a bit lukewarm on the original while absolutely loving the sequel… but on replay, I feel a bit the opposite. Perhaps playing back to back made me a bit burnt out during the sequel, but there was just a lot more repetitive filler content and a pretty slow uninteresting start. Still, it has some very high highs and overall I think it’s a super solid game.

This is basically my favorite kind of 3D game (besides survival horror) - semi-open world Metroidvania-likes with lots of exploration, interesting side content, simple but effective RPG elements, and a great story!

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This game pushed all the right buttons and was a massive improvement on the 2018 game. The exploration is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Every single side mission is well crafted and never feels repetitive. The combat is extremely satisfying. The story is as good as everyone says. It’s probably the most beautiful game I’ve played on the PS4 as well.

I think what blows me away the most is the optional quests. I’ve never played a game this massive that never feels repetitive. Taking every side path is extremely rewarding, to where I would recommend everyone go for 100% completion on this game,

It took me about 82 hours to 100% on hard (give me no mercy mode). The hardest part are the berserkers and the final 2 optional bosses. Everything else is doable so I would recommend that difficulty if you’re up for a challenge!

Beautiful and amazing game, and easily one of my favorites this year.

Growing up with the original games I never imagined the path these sequels would take Kratos on, I am thrilled at the depth and care that has been given to the story and its characters. The game was an evolution from its 2018 predecessor, keeping what worked, which was mostly everything, and increasing the quality overall. The gameplay was smooth, responsive, dynamic, and challenging which is always welcomed. Exploration was incredible with its humongous maps, realm diversity, lore, and just overall exciting when discovering something new with your companions. The graphics were stunning from beginning to end with music that made all the action and emotions resonate. What a game and satisfying portrayal of Kratos as the god of war, this pantheon of gods feels completely explored and I am very satisfied with these sequels, not sure where they go from here but I will be on the edge of my seat to see what comes next.

Though a lot of its details faded from my memory over time, I had a really nice time with God of War's 2018 outing on the PS4, particularly due to its story and characters. The sequel is somehow significantly better in this regard, even making its predecessor feel better in retrospect now that it's part of a greater whole. It has a perfect balance of drama and humor, it's full of mystery, excitement, and suspense, and it takes you to some really cool magical places and events. It has some issues, but is a fantastic conclusion to this era of God of War.

The biggest issue for me early on was poor pacing in some of the main story quests. They tend to send you far away from the start point of a quest, then need you to go all the way back for some story reason. Usually this means sending you back on a slightly different path, where the party talks about what just happened while being constantly interrupted by more enemies and obstacles. I found that the game desperately needed a break from that gameplay loop at some of these times. Putting fast travel points at a few key spots would have really improved the balance between gameplay and story.

It's an unenviable task, though, trying to maintain balances like that while appealing to as wide an audience as possible. While I may complain that the gameplay feels overused, many others would complain that there's too much talking. While some players may find the combat very difficult, others will be annoyed at how much it telegraphs everything.

Where they do nail the wide-ranging appeal is in the huge list of gameplay customization settings and accessibility features. I appreciated being able to heavily tweak controls and other gameplay elements to my liking for a more comfortable experience. The one option they need to add is something to tone down your party members "helping" constantly with combat, puzzles, and exploration. Can get a bit annoying, but at times it's useful too, so just a nudge down would be great.

I said the combat can be overused at times, but make no mistake, it feels great. Your arsenal continually expands over the course of the game, and there are so many satisfying ways to take down enemies. Companion abilities are easy to control and let you set up some pretty nice combos as well. Tougher enemies keep you on your toes, forcing use of a range of different defensive options. It can be pretty intense when lots of them are around. Main bosses spread throughout the game are really exciting, both in gameplay and spectacle, making up some of the most memorable parts of the game.

While early on, you do visit a couple of less exciting areas, it doesn't take long to arrive at some pretty awesome ones. I particularly love the colorful zones that are full of vibrant plant and animal life. Many areas have a strong sense of place and history that you pick up while you're there, and feel very memorable as a result. They're brought to life not just by flora and fauna, but unique characters that give each zone a bit of extra personality. It's a great set of areas, and the game is always taking you to a different one with a different set of companions.

Puzzles and other little environmental obstacles are a bit of a mixed bag here. I do like that these use the exact same abilities you use in combat in a logical way—certainly more interesting mechanically than those I encountered in the otherwise-amazing The Last of Us Part I. I just still found a lot of them really boring both to solve and to execute. The main problem may just be repetition. They have some okay ideas that develop into more complex puzzles, but by the time I got to them, I was rolling my eyes at having yet another case of matching the same weapon to the same corresponding thing it "unlocks". By the end of the game, this is less of an issue because you're mixing up what you're doing a lot.

Last thing I'll note is the voice acting, which by and large is very entertaining and full of personality, while also nailing the emotional side of the story when it needs to. I ran into lines every now and then that were read a bit awkwardly, and I'm left guessing that some of them were recorded remotely or quickly at some point due to COVID, outside the original context of the scene and without proper direction. Not the first game I've seen that in over the last couple years, but not a big problem by any means.

So, yeah, all that taken into account, it's not a perfect experience for sure, at least not for me. But it's nonetheless a really great one, one of the best of this year, and an essential companion to the first game. That is not something you can say about every direct sequel, but it's safe to say that this one overcomes any genre fatigue and loss of novelty like they're nothing.