In 2018 Santa Monica Studio revamped the God of War franchise for the modern era giving us one of gaming’s most heartfelt and memorable stories. After bringing the franchise roaring back to life Santa Monica Studio had a gargantuan task ahead of them. Make a sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time and somehow surpass it. However, against all odds they have delivered a game packed to the brim with spectacle, heart, and adventure. Here is my review for God of War: Ragnarök.

THE JOURNEY

God of War: Ragnarök tells a sprawling epic that explores the finality of fate, the cost of godhood, and the consequences of war. Kratos, Atreus, and company will journey across the nine realms in an attempt to stop the destruction of everything in an event that that prophecy calls Ragnarök. 

Along the way you will encounter many new faces and some familiar ones as well. Such as Brock and Sindri, the dwarven blacksmiths who helped Kratos and Atreus on their first adventure. Some of the most powerful moments of the game will involve one of these many supporting characters. Among these new faces are the Aesir gods who you may know from other iterations such as the MCU’s takes on them. Here however, they are completely different and have surprising depth and character motivations. All the gods that you meet are wrestling with prophecy in some way. Can they rewrite fate?

However in the face of the sprawling tale that Santa Monica Studio takes us on, at the heart of it is still a story of father and son. Now closer than ever due to the adversity of their first journey, conflict brews between them as Atreus tries to figure out his destiny and ultimately where he falls in the prophecy of Ragnarök. Kratos this time around is gentler and more understanding, but as he sees the path that Atreus walks down he fears that it will eventually lead him to war. Something Kratos knows all too well.

What Santa Monica Studio has done here is magic. They take a well known mythology (the Norse myths) and make something truly unique and entirely their own. Here as the characters make their own paths forward (instead of the ones written for them) the story manages to subvert prior knowledge of the mythology and builds on it, crafting a message about choosing to be better through our actions. The game pulls no emotional punches. Truly earning all of the intense moments. Held together by a powerful score, breathtaking visuals, and great worldbuilding, God of War: Ragnarök tells a narrative that soars.

GOD TIER COMBAT

I couldn’t review a God of War game without talking about combat. Here in Ragnarök it is excellent. Instead of just the Leviathan Axe, you start off with the Blades of Chaos as well. The blades open up the battlefield allowing for more verticality. This grants Kratos the ability to leap gaps and vault up to higher vantage points. This immediately distinguishes this game’s combat from the first and creates more opportunities for strategic plays. Shields here are revamped allowing you to choose from many different types that cater to specific playstyles like aggressive play or defensive parries. These shields can also be upgraded, which pushes players to experiment with different playstyles. On top of this Ragnarök has way more enemy variety then the first game. Right from the start you will encounter many new enemy types that force you to think tactically about how you maneuver the battlefield.

Each weapon you use is able to be upgraded adding different abilities to your moveset. Atreus and other companions have separate skill trees as well that increase their combat abilities. This allows for a sense of progression that makes you feel stronger than at the start of your journey. Ragnarök throws a lot at you combat wise and can be a bit overwhelming at the start. You have to get used to different enemy types while learning new weapon combos and abilities. In the end though, it manages to create a flow that is brutal, responsive and everything combat in a God of War game should be.

RAGNARÖK FOR EVERYONE

I wanted to take a moment to mention the great strides that Santa Monica Studio has made in accessibility. Santa Monica Studio gives players ample amount of options to customize the game. I know that this is extremely important to a large community of people that are not able to fully experience most games due to lack of accessibility. A huge thing for me while gaming is motion sickness that comes from motion blur and other screen effects. In Ragnarök I was able to turn this off completely allowing me to enjoy the experience comfortably. There are 50+ accessibility options available. I hope to see most if not all games in the future achieve this level of accessibility. 

DO WHAT IS NECESSARY, NOT BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN

God of War: Ragnarök is a masterpiece. This is what games can achieve when they fire on all cylinders. It tells a compelling narrative about challenging fate and choosing to be better no matter your past mistakes. It does this while delivering punchy combat and rounding out the Norse Saga. If you love video games or good stories, I can not recommend this game enough. God of War: Ragnarök does what every sequel strives to do. It manages to be better. God of War: Ragnarök is available on Ps4 and Ps5. Be sure to check out some of our other game reviews right here on Geekwave.

Game Score: 10/10