If we were to point to a perfect example of an ideal sequel, we would not go too far from suggesting without delay God of War: Ragnarok. The opera magna of Santa Monica is not only one of the best games of the year, but it is in all likelihood the quintessence of modern action-adventure and in general one of the highest points ever reached by the genre.
God of War: Ragnarok
Platform: PS4, PS5 Genre: action-adventure Release date: November 9, 2022 Developer: Sony Santa Monica Distributor: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Combining narration, evolutions of the combat system, expansion of the maps, solidity of the entire game system, rhythms, quality and quantity is something that God of War: Ragnarok masters with extreme ease and skill, fully improving what has been done in the previous chapter.
Thinking of a simple more of the same would be rather an understatement in light of what this sequel actually is, and although the lack of technical progress may lead to these superficial minimizations, it is precisely by fully enjoying them that one realizes how it is not just simple additions and improvements in a system that is already fully run in.
God of War: Ragnarok, the story
As explained in our preview, from the first hours it was clear how much at the narrative level there would be some important shocks. If in part they are direct consequence of the acts performed by Kratos and Atreus in the previous adventure, the rest seems to be written in the prophecies, like an inauspicious destiny that cannot be avoided.
Is there any way to escape fate? Can we reverse course and change what seems definitive and about to happen at any moment?
God of War: Ragnarok leaves you in suspense with these questions for much of the adventure, as troublemakers, dangerous manipulations, and terrifying under-the-radar actions slip into the narrative fabric hour after hour. While the foretold Ragnarok is upon us, with all the heavy load of consequences that it brings with it, relations between father and son become more difficult; Meanwhile, new and old allies join the two for a challenge that seems almost impossible to meet, and unexpected revelations arise during the long phases of pilgrimage between the nine realms.
Atreus ‘teenage excesses, along with Kratos’ justified fatherly concerns, as well as giving a new dimension to the characters they manage to masterfully deepen the conflictual relationship that makes the two more human, bringing them closer to a daily routine made of normality and at the same time able to involve the player in the fantastic stories told. As a leading figure and a tough father to whom it is impossible to disobey, Kratos now reveals himself as a parent at the mercy of the rash and dangerous choices of his son, now rebellious, haughty and also free to make mistakes.
The boy’s presumption, his naivety and the will to reverse the fate that lies ahead, involves him in a bigger story than himself, forcing Kratos to intervene as a father and an angry and implacable god. That bloodthirsty and violent Kratos from the first trilogywho in the previous chapter seemed to have left room for a man with other priorities, returns in a new and clearer light: that of a loving father cornered, once again in the face of slothful, malicious gods ready to do anything to ensure this for which they yearn in great secrecy.
It comes out a more choral, full-bodied, structured story, with ideal relay races between the characters involved and with a ping-pong of situations that finally manage to create an increasingly compelling, complex and certainly better picture than those previously painted by Santa Monica. God of War: Ragnarok (you can find it on Amazon) takes his time and inserts moments of interlocutors, others in which the story becomes lighter and still others in which the adventure presses, amalgamating everything with extreme effectiveness and sliding pleasantly the more than forty hours it will take you to reach the credits.
Furthermore, God of War: Ragnarok has a considerable amount of extra content, secondary missions, small and big secrets to discover, roads that can only be reached at a later time and different challenges that will guarantee you rare equipment and small background on secondary characters and the world of game. The total count of hours thus becomes much higher compared to that foreseen for a completion where the essential is done and the rest is ignored. To all this we reach the anecdotes of Mimir and his always punctual insights during the crossing phases, which qualitatively flesh out the narration.
Game
Through some innovations that we do not anticipate here, including the presence of characters who will assist the actions of father and son in separate moments of the adventure, this sequel also gives a change to the game system, which comes out more varied and articulated, never banal and never really prone to repetition. God of War: Ragnarok has essentially found the best method to deepen and improve what the predecessor did, and the various difficulties proposed will be able to stimulate even the most experienced players, forced to vary the attacks as much as possible to get the better of situations that escape from static.
Self at normal difficulty it is possible to abuse special moves by changing weapons in succession, continue the assault by igniting the wrath of Kratos and Atreus to unleash hell, and immediately after taking advantage of further new moves to clear the field, selecting tougher challenges all this will not always be granted. In fact, there will be a need for greater skill, quick reflexes in parrying and counterattacks, better management of special shots and in general the possibility of making mistakes or of relying too much on the attacks that are considered more reliable will be considerably lower.
God of War: Ragnarok gives you the ability to manage your play style at will, leaving room for decision making for the choice of which skills to unlock, which to upgrade, which to leave aside and how you want to aim for the best equipment.
As already hinted, completing satellite missions will always guarantee you a reward, and hunting for rewards will also mean equipping yourself with the best armor parts to facilitate you in subsequent quests. There are therefore no small dilutions, because you will always find the right stimuli to complete the missions.
We believe this is one of the most important merits of God of War: Ragnarok, because in the face of very large titles that only care about quantity, making you do the same things for hundreds of hours while treating you like stupid automatons, this instead pay attention to the substance, always challenging you and motivating you to deal with different situations.
It also happens with environmental puzzlesnow much more complex and elaborate both when you are on the main road and when you decide to go along secondary roads. However, you will have to take some backtracking into account, as areas will be closed to you until you get hold of new powers.
This is the case of the new Draupnir spear, a weapon that can also be skewered in specific points of the scenarios to use it as a useful rod to overcome crevasses, or that it can be set among the rocks before detonating it and thus change the appearance of entire paths. Other examples of puzzles involve particular rocks that make your ax bounce to hit points otherwise unreachable, or the movement of entire columns or elements of the scenarios thanks to the strength of the Blades of Chaos.
It is also interesting how some of these possibilities are reflected in the combat system, especially when you are given the luxury of interacting with elements of the arenas to gain advantage in battles: surprising opponents with ax bounces or setting fire to barrels full of flammable oil. God of War: Ragnarok therefore seems difficult to attack, and in all honesty we struggle to find serious defects that can somehow affect the overall quality of the work. Even one of the most evident problems of the previous chapter has been resolved.
If in the first canonical trilogy Kratos was involved in theatrical and spectacular boss fight that galvanized the player, in the previous God of War all this was inexplicably absent and visibly more subdued, representing a cause for concern for many fans. Beyond the more prominent, multi-round fight that everyone remembers well, that factor seemed to have been lost forever in favor of a new nature.
With God of War: Ragnarok, however, some of the most arrogant and spectacular boss fights of the saga returnwith colossal enemies, sections that recall the glories of the past and reinterpretations in a modern key that have also put this backbone of the saga back on track.
If that is true technically the game is a bit tied up due to the need to be published also on PS4with all that this implies in a general cosmetics certainly of a high level but not of absolute prominence, it is really difficult not to sing the praises of a monumental workwhich deserves by right to stand on the podium of the best games of this year.
We do not want to go into details on some narrative choices, on the tones and on what could be the future of the saga. But what we can tell you with absolute certainty is that you won’t forget God of War: Ragnarok that easily. Santa Monica has given its soul to offer the best to all fans of a saga that keeps his legendary lineage intact.
Version reviewed: PS5
