God of War: Ragnarok Review- Forging its Own Destiny
God of War as a series was known for its brutal hack and slash gameplay, towering boss battles in Ancient Greece and, of course, the iconic ruthless protagonist Kratos. So, when the series had its soft reboot with 2018’s God of War, many fans were surprised to see a mellow and brooding Kratos wandering around the forest with his young son in a snowy landscape. However, upon reaching the end of Sony Santa Monica’s masterpiece, all hesitations were put to rest. Corey Balrog and his team were able to craft a gripping personal drama about regret, forgiveness and the relationship between a distant father and his son. That makes the achievement of God of War: Ragnarök even more special. Everything crafted from 2018 has been built upon in a way that feels natural and never overwhelming. Every new mechanic, every plot beat and every intricate detail of Ragnarök manages to generate a perfect conclusion to an unforgettable duology of God of War’s Norse Saga.
Story
Starring with Ragnarok’s biggest strength, the narrative throughout the game remains compelling throughout. You travel from realm to realm chasing after some way to stop Ragnarok (and Odin), which comes with some surprising twists and additions to shake up the formula. Although there are some narrative slow points littered throughout, the characters and promise of something more around the corner create a world that you’ll not want to leave. The game isn’t afraid to have quiet and reflective moments- much like God of War 2018. But that’s not to say that the high moments aren’t there. This is the end of the world after all. A story of trust, family, and denying prophecy doesn’t get much more gripping than this.
By the end of Ragnarok’s epic finale, not every question is answered- not every character's background is fully explained, but what is there is just enough to leave you feeling completely satisfied. Instead of making the rookie mistake of overexplaining and boring the player, you are told and shown just enough to give you a glimpse into the nine Realms and their histories. Moderation is one of Ragnarok’s greatest strengths- but don’t think that means the conclusion is anything less than it’s hyped up to be. In the end, after the quiet of Ragnarok, every character, every interaction, and even the smallest of side quests culminate into one of the greatest final acts in recent gaming history. This is a story you most certainly don’t want to miss out on.
Gameplay
Ragnarok stays true to the foundations set up by 2018’s God of War- close combat action style. While there have been complaints that the camera is too close to Kratos, I think that this decision was a masterful one. It creates an intimacy to the violence portrayed- which is a key theme in the game’s narrative. It also leads to you feeling more vulnerable and claustrophobic, which makes a slight victory even more rewarding. The old weapons feel generally the same but the runic powers and armors grant greater freedom for players to build their version of Kratos around some new mechanics.
For example, you’re able to forge armor that slows time on a perfect dodge. This not only feels great but also allows you to bash the enemy with your shield and get in some free hits while they’re vulnerable. New enemies also appear- which offer more diversity to combat encounters (which 2018 was criticized for). It’s no Elden Ring when it comes to build differentiation, but the range of combinations here is still impressive and doesn’t feel stale throughout a 40+ hour completionist playthrough.
That world is explored brilliantly in the side stories that you can choose to partake in. You are given the option to interact with certain spirits and artifacts that fill out the blanks just enough to make it feel lived in and ancient. It's worth mentioning too that you can completely ignore everything not about the main story in this game. However, given how woven most of these are into the main narrative, you won’t want to miss any. The increased scope and deeper mechanics make Ragnarok’s gameplay an improvement in every way from the original.
Presentation
Its also worth mentioning that God of War: Ragnarok is absolutely stunning. It may have fallen short to Elden Ring at the Game Awards for best Art Direction but thats not shutting down just how fantastic each detail looks- down to the slightest engravings on Kratos’ axe. With the newly patched in Photo Mode, this is even more evident. Even the most basic of barrels have etchings and marks that show off the Playstation 5’s visual fidelity to an outstanding degree. The Dualsense also makes every throw, punch and kick feel more impactful and powerful. Its no wonder Ragnarok won best sound design at the game awards given the crisp sound of Kratos retrieving his axe alone.
Of course, the game also supports 60fps (as well as 120fps if your monitor can handle it). This really lends itself to the big action setpieces- with every hit feeling faster than before. Throughout my playthrough, this framerate never obviously dipped either. This was certainly not a rushed product- a conclusion I’m glad to come to given the buggy, unfinished state of recent 2022 releases like Pokemon: Scarlet and Sonic Frontiers. The presentation and performance of Ragnarok really allows the gameplay and story to thrive- which makes it one of the most underestimated parts of the package.
Conclusion
Eric Williams and the whole team behind Ragnarok have created something really special here. Even without the masterful narrative, this would still be an excellent adventure around the Nine realms with beautiful landscapes to explore if you so choose to. However, with the emotionally wrenching relationship between Kratos and Atreus; between father and son; this becomes one of the greatest video games ever made. Pulling off everything it does nearly flawlessly, this is certainly a mythological epic for the ages. Ragnarok may have meant to be the end of the world, but I hope this is just the start of Santa Monica’s stories for the God of War franchise.
