Game: God Of War: Ragnarök
Studio: Santa Monica Studios
Estimated Time Of Completion: 35-50 Hours
Trophies: 36 – 1 Platinum, 4 Gold, 15 Silver & 16 Bronze
Cast: Christopher Judge, Sunny Suljic, Ryan Hurst, Richard Schiff, Alastair Duncan & Danielle Bisutti
Release Date: 9th November 2022
Platforms: PS5 & PS4
“Fate only binds you if you let it. Do what is necessary. Not because it is written.” – Kratos
Synopsis Of God Of War: Ragnarök
The game takes place a few years after the events of God Of War (2018) with Kratos and his son Atreus navigating the nine realms in search of a way to prevent the Armageddon-type event that is prophesised to happen. They must meet new allies and work through personal differences in order to combat Odin and his forces as he attempts to complete his own goals, for the betterment of his own.
Overview Of God Of War: Ragnarök
God of War (2018) built a grounded and human story by taking one of the greatest characters in the medium, and allowing him to grow on a human level, marrying and having a second child, allowing him to become more of a man, then simply a vengeful god from the previous instalments. This characterisation continues to further develop the God Of War, whilst also allowing the spotlight on side characters both new and old. Even in the gripping combat, difficult boss fights, and addictive collectible hunting, it’s the quiet moments with characters that can feel the most special, as you can see their bonds strengthen on the way to what seems like an inevitable finale.
Combat Design
In this installment, the combat is perhaps the densest that it has ever been in the entire franchise, using its predecessor as a foundation for this entry. The Blades Of Chaos and Leviathan Axe, perhaps the two greatest weapons in video games, return with legendary moves, whilst including signature moves. These moves, the flame whiplash, and frost awaken respectively, allow the player to stringing new combos with more familiar moves, whilst allowing the player to adapt to a more fast-paced and strategic combat system.
Even after 150 hours of game time, there were moments of changing up my playstyle to try something new and to implement lesser-used moves to get the most out of this addictive combat. In addition, the return of the RPG armour and weapon upgrade system makes for more personal builds for players as all armour pieces and attachments can be upgraded to the highest level, allowing more creativity around builds throughout the 40+ hour completion time.
Lore
Perhaps a more underrated element is the lore of the game. When discovering a new enemy type, boss, or when finding a lore scroll, the player can read in-depth lore, inspired by real Norse myths that fit the narrative of Ragnarök. These range from iconic characters in the mythos to lore about the specific area or quest that the player is in at the time. When unlocking new armour, there will be parts named after lesser-known gods of Norse myth. I was then scrambling for the nearest Norse mythology book from our library.
Of course, using the characters and moments from the famous stories allows for respectful perceptions of these elements in the game. However, the duology alternates these elements to create an original story that pays tribute to these characters. This links into the main part of the story, and the question it raises: “can you change your fate.” This allows incredible twists and turns that make moments that happen differently in the original texts happen. All whilst also making sense in the context of the game’s stories.
Boss Battles
One of the most entertaining aspects of the franchise is the series’ boss fights that not only are incredibly engaging for the player but act as a true spectacle, pushing the respective consoles to their limits. Ragnarök has a great collection of bosses against more Norse gods, creatures both large and small, and even a selection of bosses that must be defeated in a side mission. Similarly to its predecessor, defeating this group of tough berserkers leads to a secret and devastatingly brutal fight against its final boss. Ragnarök’s fast and addictive combat makes all boss fights enjoyable to play and replay, even against the hardest boss fights, I wanted to get back in and keep playing and improving my skills and knowledge of the fights.
The Platinum Experience – 10/10
Just like the 2018 game, Ragnarök’s trophies are rewards for completing the story. This includes defeating hidden bosses, and levelling up armour sets. In addition, gamers must find all collectables, such as poems that relate to past PlayStation video games. They must find all artifacts hidden around the game’s many locations. And they must complete the tough and gruelling Muspelheim challenges. The trophy list is nothing new to the console. There’s a familiar set of challenges that are best to experience when unlocking on the hardest difficulty. This provide the toughest and most rewarding feeling.
Should you fully complete this game? Absolutely, as this allows players to experience all that the game has to offer. This ranges from incredible side quests to informative lore explanations, to some of the best boss fights in the game. It’s a great way to get the most out of one of the greatest games of the generation so far.
Key Points
- Familiar trophy-related objectives
- Allow for complete exploration and completion of the game.
- Accessible on any difficulty and achievable in any order.
- No missable trophies
- Comfortable time limit to achieve platinum trophy (35-50 hours)
Summary Of God Of War: Ragnarök
Overall, God Of War: Ragnarök delivers what any great sequel should, respect what came before. It also builds upon established characters by creating difficult conflicts to build to a satisfying conclusion. The combat, gameplay, exploration, progression, and story are all enhanced here. This delivers a game that rewards the player in story moments. There are in-game rewards for seeking out everything this masterpiece has to offer.
This is another example of how far storytelling has come in the post The Last Of Us era. It creates characters with in-depth, human, and emotionally told stories. Furthermore, all of this is whilst being grounded and delivering moments that stick with you forever. For completionists, this game is designed to be completed and experienced the way the developers intended. This is a game that deserves your time to play and it is easy to replay after a break. I definitely came back for more whenever I felt like it.
