God of War Ragnarok Review

"An Ending is Coming"

Campaign

November 7, 2022 at 3:04pm
By Jason Stettner

Following the events of 2018’s God of War we once again jump into the role of Kratos alongside his growing son Atreus. Ragnarok is on the approach and snow has settled across the realm. A similar situation is happening across the other realms as they too are feeling the impact of a changing tide.

This direct sequel has a very similar and or directly mirroring sort of narrative structure to its predecessor and it’s fascinating to see that play out. I actually really suggest replaying or at least watching the game’s in-menu summary of what happened prior as so many moments come full circle in this one. Whether that’s in the various big events that take place, or smaller bits of wisdom that are passed along.

At its core, this is a game about relationships and intense family dynamics. The choices we make, and the growth we witness as we continue to age. Even Kratos is getting taught lessons as he continues to watch Atreus prepare for a time in life without him. It’s all rather beautiful in its presentation, and expansive in what it has to offer.

This is definitely a meaty story where the main narrative took just over twenty hours with countless additional side activities or where even off the path adventures could net you countless more. For the most part you’re also visiting fresh places throughout the journey, but every now and then you do backtrack through some spaces which felt too familiar in those circumstances.

The narrative here is beautifully presented though and very well done. It’s about fate and facing it head on despite things possibly being already foretold. It’s got incredibly strong performances, a robust cast of characters with their own motivations and a very strong opposing force that’s not exactly straight up evil. It’s about perspective, and this game splits your experience in a neat sort of way that I don’t want to spoil.

Many familiar faces return with new opinions on the situation, alongside some fresh ones. The might of Norse mythology is certainly present. A Palpatine like figure in the form of Odin who’s rather charismatic and a definitely overly tough Thor. There are others, many of whom you may want to immediately unleash your fury upon.

Gameplay

This plays almost essentially the exact same as the previous game. The two of them actually sort of bridge together to make what comes across as the same experience. There are some additions here or there alongside a wealth of skill trees and or armor upgrades to make but it’s about the same. You move through largely linear environments smashing enemies to bits or going off the path slightly to gather some material.

You visit familiar faces, solve the odd puzzle and continue to bash things to bits until you meet a bigger boss you need to break down. That may sound simplistic in nature, but it gets the point across. That being said, each space feels distinct and each challenge feels unique. You’re not feeling as though it’s ever repetitive as you face a fresh scenario each time.

Some of the more end game type spaces felt a tad too tight and grindy but for the most part it was refreshing no matter where I ended up going. The selection of weapons always felt fun and it was neat that I needed to change up what I was using to be most effective in differing scenarios. You got a sense of progression while also not feeling like you had to grind out items to become more effective. You could of course take part in side missions to get better loot.

There are also some play spaces that are largely in nature acting as a bit of a hub for exploration and that should be a familiar locale for those coming from the 2018 release. You visit locations on foot, within a boat or also in an awesome fashion of being on the good old wolf sled which is entertaining. You’ll have fun companions giving you bits of narrative and you’ll always be seeing new places which is exciting.

With that, you can certainly see the constraints of this being a cross-gen title. The spots with obvious loading screens, the mystical waiting sequences that return and other limitations of scale. That being said, this leaves room for some impressive visual options with six choices being present. You get everything from a stunning high quality selection to my chosen high frame rate with VRR that provided over the 60fps cap which felt smooth almost the entire time through aside from a spot here or there.

I would suggest the performance basic mode though as you’ll get a great dynamic 4k resolution at 60fps which is rock solid while looking great. Regardless, the worlds and their backdrops are stunning to take in across your journey. There are also many accessibility and difficulty options to fine tune this experience to your liking or requirements.

The Conclusion

God of War Ragnarok delivers a remarkable continuation from 2018 in a narrative that centers itself on dynamics of family and relationships alongside the growth you witness as time goes on. Kratos is once again at the forefront trying to help guide his son while dealing with his own issues connected to the past and what’s happening in the present.

Trying to use collected wisdom to pass down knowledge in a way he’s getting better at doing. Atreus continues to struggle with the pressure of fate as the enemies they both face continues to grow. New alliances are forged, familiar faces offer guidance and also moments of sorrow. It’s a story that continues to feel mature, but also soft at moments when it’s needed.

There were some genuinely shocking spots that popped up here or there and it’s the fun surprises that kept this so interesting as it progressed. I did find some of the backtracking to feel too grouped together at points and you could tell to a degree this was held back by the Playstation 4. It’s still a mighty release, an excellent follow-up and high prestigious level of release. Few games provide narratives this expansive, this exciting and this chunky.

Not to mention the many side adventures, off the path veering or just general extra content you can take in if you so choose. This plays perfectly well with 2018’s release and I foresee these two being more closely combined at some point way down the road as it’s basically two part setup. Anyways, good luck with Ragnarok as not everyone is totally happy to see that coming. You know, there’s a whole selection of new powerful Gods to meet.

Read our Horizon Forbidden West Review
View our God of War Hub

God of War Ragnarok Review on Playstation 5
Review Code Provided by SIEC

Rating Overall: 9.8