HOW I MET YOUR ALL-FATHER
Also for: Playstation 4
God of War: Ragnarök begins just like its predecessor (Santa Monica Studio's 2018 release God of War). The
Spartan war god Kratos and his son Atreus have retreated to the wildlands of
Midgard, trying to keep out of the Aesir Gods' radar. But one day an unexpected
visitor disturbs the peace of their secluded cabin. It turns out to be Thor,
later followed by Odin, who thunderously knocks on their door, delivering an
offer of peace - leave us alone and we'll leave you alone. Kratos
cannot trust them. Odin is notoriously deceitful, so the response is a
steadfast: "No."
This simple word sparks a chain of fateful events that becomes one heckuva
journey. It's a linear third-person action adventure with an emphasis on
cinematics, presentation and tried-and-tested gameplay mechanics. Kratos, Atreus and Mimir - the talking head at Kratos' side - travel through all the
nine realms of the Norse mythos, seeing sights and meeting characters I'll
never forget. The most impressive feat is the way it combines cinematics and
gameplay without sacrificing either. With no camera cuts at all throughout the
game, the transitions between cutscene and action are hardly noticeable. Gameplay feels like cinema,
and vice versa. You follow every single step of their journey.
It bears the Sony trademark - triple-A polished to perfection, with very
little player agency on how the story unfolds. If you haven't played the first
game, you should, because it serves as a setup to this dramatic, sometimes
funny and always absorbing character drama. Keep in mind, though, that GoW:
Ragnarök is so much better than the first one. A weird accomplishment, since the games are all
but inseparable in both presentation and gameplay.
It all comes down to the narrative structure. The first game made a costly
mistake: They gave us a very clear end goal at the start, and then yanked the
prize from under our noses for about 30-40 hours. They even moved the goalpost
at one time. The constant sidetracking frustrated me, which nearly ruined my
impression of the game.
GoW: Ragnarök doesn't repeat the same mistake. Kratos and Atreus travel back
and forth, exhausting all means to stop Ragnarök. That is the ultimate goal.
Failing that, they need to recruit allies in the upcoming war against the
Aesir. Much to their surprise, some of the famous Gods seem to sympathize with
their plight.
The journey is about character motivations and ambitions, rather than the
destination. The ancient prophecy of Ragnarök is a curse upon the situation.
In spite of all their wisdom, the characters seem unable to cast off the
shackles of superstition, and that weakness pushes the world towards a
violent conclusion.
Narrative improvements aside, very little separates the two
games mechanically. The exploration, combat mechanics and puzzle setup are identical. The environments look equally stunning and colorful, most enemies
are regurgitated, and you'll come a long way on your old combat skills.
The combat mechanics become more enjoyable with increasing player skill.
Kratos' Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos both return, and you get a new
addition later on. Their unlockable movesets remain. Fighting bare-fisted
is an often overlooked killer strategy. It can quickly dispose of
lesser enemies: After quickly stunning them with punches, you can tear them
apart with brutal finishers. Combining different status effects, like fire,
freeze and lightning, to maximize damage output is also done with great satisfaction.
Some sequences allow you to play as the boy, Atreus, who specializes
in ranged combat. He learns to imbue magic into his bow and arrows to either stun his
enemies, or make them more vulnerable to elemental attacks. His fights
generally feel much easier, which might imply he's turning into a champ of
his own right. His personal development is also the most interesting character
arc of the story.
A plethora of different pieces of equipment - like weapon attachments, runes,
artefacts and armor - all co-operate with upgradeable skills to allow many
different builds. I can't say, however, that they alter the playstyle a lot.
The coolest upgrades are the new weapon runes - one light and one heavy rune per
weapon - that unlock brand new attacks. Apart from that, the satisfaction of
upgrading your stats usually gets undermined by encountering stronger enemy
types.
The fun and challenging puzzles require you to stay vigilant, scanning your
surroundings for details that might help solve them. The level design is too
video-gamey to make real sense - who the hell would design a bunch of
geyser-powered waterwheels to control gates - but I've come to accept it. The
same can be said about the silly obstacles - like waist-high walls - that
Kratos realistically could jump over, but plain refuses to do.
Aside from the story, the art design ranks among the best in the business, featuring
colossal mythical beasts and all manner of detailed environments. From the
moist, tropical heat of the otherworldly Vanaheim jungle, to the frozen-over
ruins of Helheim, every biome has its own distinct vibe. The level design is
mostly linear, but some larger hub areas traversable by boat or wolf-sleigh
are laden with sidequests and hidden loot.
Many optional side activites nudge at the player's attention, and your companions are quick to point them out. Shooting
down Odin's spying ravens is one, finding runes and old artifacts is another. Mimir is a well of knowledge and will share his insights. Some
sidequests tell stories so intriguing you feel almost obligated to see them
through.
One of them, for instance, revolve around freeing a chained beast the
size of an island, that's been half-submerged for ages. Once you awaken it,
you can explore its backside, with Mimir narrating the history of his
imprisonment as you go. Stuff like this is too rich, too meaningful and too
rewarding to miss. And the visual spectacle of seeing the beast emerge from
the depths is not to be missed.
The careful eye for detail is most prevalent in the main questline. It's great
to finally see the full pantheon of Norse Gods introduced. The superb
character design and animation, as well as the voice acting, create an
unhinged cast of characters. The Gods radiate great power, but not enough to
hide some disturbing mental flaws. Thor is a colossal, raging alcoholic,
burdened by a lack of encouragment from his father, Odin, who in turn is
scrawny and deeply neurotic. Tyr, the War-God-turned-pacifist, stubbornly
dwells on old regrets, and Heimdall's narcissistic grandeur makes him a loose
cannon.
It's a tale of heroes so flawed you sometimes want to smack them over the head with the truth. And the antagonists are so charismatic and impactful that you might sympathize with them on some level. In their own eyes, the Aesir see themselves as heroes, but everybody else have lived long enough to see them become the villains.
To fully appreciate such character arcs you need to play both games. God of War: Ragnarök can only exist
as part of a greater narrative. It's as inseparable to the first game as the
movie Dune: Part II (2024) is to Dune (2021). With all that said, I much prefer
this sequel. What a difference a good narrative can do. Although the slight
gameplay annoyances remain, the story begs for your full attention, which makes the flaws absolutely trivial.
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