GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK [2022] PS5 REVIEW

🏆  MASTERPIECE  🏆

The positive:

💗 It is exactly what I wanted this sequel to be

💗 Constantly toys with expectations

💗 Surprising narrative twists to an already compelling story

💗 Gigantic characters & multi-layered villains

💗 Doubles down on the intense emotions and character drama

💗 Satisfying and emotional closure to Norse Saga

💗 Even more rewarding exploration than before!

💗 The Draupnir Spear is awesome!

💗 Combat is still the star of the show

💗 Atreus Combat is fast, powerful & amazing!

The negative:

👎 Despite being a masterpiece, it's not perfection, there are details:

👎 Kratos controls the Wolfs that pull the sled with his mind

👎 Companions throw hints about the simple puzzles too fast

👎 When the puzzle is too complex they just remain silent

👎 The talking squirrel was a mistake

👎 Atreus ability to teleport while sleeping is never addressed or explained.

Finally! The acclaimed 2018 God of War Reboot sequel is here! Ragnarok rocked 2022 and raised the bar for the gaming industry once again with another fantastic story, more gigantic characters, and exceptional writing. Sony Santa Monica proves they still got it! with excellent execution of complex gameplay mechanics, addictive combat and rewarding exploration, stunning visual art, and incredibly strong, impactful character drama... I could go all day. By all accounts, Ragnarok excels upon its predecessor in every way with an experience that repeatedly toys with expectations and leaves a long, lasting impression on the player. 

HIGH EXPECTATIONS

GoW 2018 is one of my favorite games of all time! So I was really looking forward to the sequel. On their last adventure, we saw a semi-reformed Kratos and his son Atreus struggle to know each other while carrying out Faye's final wish. Along the journey, they've made some friends, and inevitably some enemies too.  Kratos tried to avoid killing gods again, but the path forced him to kill Magni and Modi, sons of Thor, and also Baldur, son of Odin. Thus, setting the stage for their next adventure as the Norse gods plan to exact their vengeance on them. Baldur's mother Freya, once an ally to our protagonists, turned against Kratos and Atreus because of her Sons death, which also brought about Fimbulwinter, a years-long stormy winter that is the precursor to Ragnarok, which it is said will bring about the end of the nine realms.

ANOTHER MASTERPIECE

God of War Ragnarok is a very long game, but I didn't have to play long to realize it was exactly what I wanted this sequel to be. The game doubles down on the intense emotions and character drama introduced to the series by its predecessor, maintaining the continuous camera shot with no interruptions and cinematic commitment to Kratos’ POV enhancing the focus on a more personal story. With no loading screens or CGI cutscenes, everything is generated within the game's engine, making the transitions and thus the experience fluid like before.

The main focus is still the journey of Kratos & Atreus, as they continue to live through the fallout of their actions. It has been three years, and their relationship has grown stronger since then, but as Atreus enters his teenage years, a new dynamic starts to set between them. Whereas Kratos only cares about taking advantage of the time they have to train Atreus, the young God is compelled to find answers: about the giants, his mother Faye, and his Destiny. And even though the events of the overarching plot of Ragnarok are often epic and bombastic the stakes always manage to feel deeply personal. 

It's great to see the New Kratos continue to evolve as he starts to open up to the people closest to him in genuinely moving ways as the main events of the plot unfold. As before, every side quest or exploration activity has meaning, making everything feel worthwhile, and a critical step in the journey of these characters.  And as the story progresses, Kratos and Atreus unsurprisingly get pulled deeper into the machinations of the gods and begin journeying through the nine realms looking for a solution to the potential world destruction that is now at their doorstep. 

Santa Monica's storytelling and character arch development are the most impressive achievements, with an amazing exploration of loss and grief. It's an astoundingly well-written game. Ragnarok's story is told from a grey area with a blurred line between heroes and villains; good and evil. By constantly toying with your expectations and forcing you to reconsider who the bad guys are and what drives them, they crafted compelling and deep characters that keep you invested in its world.

COMBAT & EXPLORATION

God of War Ragnarok is a very long game, but at every step of the journey, the writing, execution, and characterization are there to make it count. The game takes its time to develop relationships by cultivating intimacy with the characters by spending long hours with them, learning how they see the world, and what drives them. It's a huge world filled with gigantic characters,  where pretty much everyone is fascinating and everything you do has meaning. 

All this while improving and expanding the engaging combat and exploration loop. Further enhancing what Kratos is capable of are the various role-playing systems that are tied to equipment. As before, armor parts can be upgraded to improve their stats. Armor is treated similarly, bestowing pluses and minuses to attributes or having a unique effect that is activated by certain conditions. In my case, I like to play it safe with high defense & vitality armor sets and runic / skills based on health recovery. This allows me to start combat encounters by taking risks and being more aggressive, and in case of being overwhelmed by the opponent, I can still replenish my health Using a Talisman that fills my rage and using Valor to convert that into health.  Because of this, I focused on acquiring and upgrading equipment that rewarded this play style. None of this is particularly game-changing or innovative, but it does offer the freedom to create a build for Kratos that better suits your play style. 

CONCLUSION

Ragnarok excels upon its predecessor in every way with an experience that repeatedly toys with expectations and leaves a long, lasting impression on the player. Despite being a story about cruel gods and the end of the world,  it is also something far more sentimental. Within this grand scope, the plot manages to feel like an even more personal tale about the ever-changing dynamics between father and son. For every moment of brutality, there's one of genuine and relatable emotion. While nearing the game's climactic ending, everything comes together with high-stakes combat, majestic set pieces, epic visuals, and surprising narrative twists to a satisfying and emotional closure. Hope someday we'll see Kratos and Atreus again, still, Ragnarok was a fitting conclusion to the Norse saga and one of the best games I've experienced in my life.