God of War Ragnarök Review: An Evolution

What do we expect from a sequel? Is it enough to refine and improve around the edges, or do we expect a major change to the formula when we’ve waited four years? 2018’s God of War completely remade a long-running franchise, turning it on its head and creating something that felt very new, even if it had strong ties to what came before. The team at Sony Santa Monica was never going to do that again in the very next game. Yet it must be said that many God of War Ragnarök will feel very familiar to those who played the past game, and to be clear, you don’t want to play Ragnarök if you haven’t played the last game.

Eventually, things do open up, and Ragnarök does get to show some fresh ideas. Changes are gradual, but by the end, there’s enough here to separate it from its predecessor. The foundation, however, doesn’t change. By the time I reached the ending, though, I realized I didn’t care. God of War was one of my favorite games of 2018, and getting to play an even better version of it, even if it’s often very familiar, is still fantastic in 2022.

A Direct Follow Up

Ragnarök picks up a few years after the ending of its predecessor but the way that game ended still hangs heavily over Kratos and Atreus as things get started. While I’ll try not to spoil too much about the specifics of how 2018’s God of War ended, it’s impossible to talk about the story without giving away some of what happened, so if you want to avoid knowing anything about it, navigate away now.

Kratos and Atreus have gone back to their home, but they’re haunted by Freya, once an ally who now very much wants to kill them. They aren’t exactly hiding, but their lives are limited by trying to stay alive. That’s why it’s so disconcerting when Thor and Odin show up at their door. They’ve already made enough enemies among the gods, but they did several things in the last game to get on the wrong side of this pair. That’s why it’s so surprising when Odin doesn’t push for a fight but rather asks for peace. He knows how dangerous Kratos is and that he wasn’t entirely in the wrong in that last game. If Kratos and Atreus will stay out of things, Odin offers to leave them be.

Of course, the game where Kratos and Atreus stay out of things entirely doesn’t sound like much fun, so you can probably guess how that offer goes. Atreus has been looking into who he is and the legacy of the giants that lives on in him, and it points to an adventure that will put the pair right in the center of Ragnarök, the foretold ending of the world. Along the way, tons of new characters, as well as plenty of old favorites, return, and they do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the story here. The characterization given to Odin, Thor, and the other Aesir gods are fascinating, showing them in ways that make sense but I’ve never seen before. They feel like the characters of myth and yet somehow completely different from the other versions of these characters we’ve seen in various media. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

Back In The Fight

From a gameplay perspective, God of War instantly feels familiar. Kratos starts more or less where he ended the last game, minus all the great equipment you found, of course. With two main modes of attack, his classic blades and the Leviathan Axe. While those who played through the last game will be familiar with both, having both available for the entire game this time does open up combat a great deal. There are many ways to customize both weapons, and while there are some enemies you’ll want to take out with a specific weapon, you mostly get to fight how you like. I still love the feel of the axe. Throwing it and recalling it is as satisfying as ever, and it remains one of my favorite video game weapons ever. The blades, however, have been fully integrated this time though, both in combat and even in some minor puzzle-solving, and they never feel like a lesser option. Eventually, combat opens up further, providing additional options beyond these two weapons, and one option in particular, which I don’t want to spoil, is nearly as great as the axe. I spent a lot of time with it.

The one-shot camera from the last game, which follows you at all times and rarely breaks away even for cutscenes, continues to make the game feel quite cinematic, which helps to make how linear much of the game is feel like a feature and not an issue. While you’ll eventually have more freedom to travel the realms as you see fit, looking into side missions and revisiting places, the main missions are all quite linear, mostly offering a single path from start to finish. Everything is so well designed, though, with fantastic visuals and interesting environments that I never really minded.

The Nine Realms

While the gameplay hasn’t changed a massive amount from God of War, Ragnarök offers far more variety than the last game. While you only traveled to a small portion of the nine realms last time, here, you can travel to all nine, and most of them are visited as part of the core story. Any fear that Ragnarök taking place during Fimbulwinter, a never-ending winter that is meant to precede the coming of Ragnarök, would mean the worlds here are one dimensional is quickly laid to rest. While Midgard is living in that eternal winter, Fimbulwinter impacts each realm differently, which means that you’ll still travel through lush forests, fiery mountains, deep mines, and far more.

The other major change this time around comes from Atreus himself. No longer a small child, Atreus may not be a man yet, but he’s getting there, and this is his story more than anyone else’s. He often drives the plot, with Kratos trying to listen to him even when it is difficult for a father who just wants to keep his son safe. Atreus will fight far more aggressively in battle with you being able to customize him with various skills, which can be a huge help. You’ll even go through sequences where you play as Atreus, which feel very different as he doesn’t have the pure berserker ability of his father, even if he’s now able to hold his own in battle. His bow opens up a lot of possibilities, though, and it’s a testament to how well done these sections are that I didn’t find myself in any huge hurry to get back to Kratos.

Performances To Remember

I want to take a moment to highlight the outstanding voicework by this cast as well. Christopher Judge continues nailing the role of Kratos, carrying the entire game on his back. Sunny Suljic though stands right alongside him, though as Atreus, growing into the role beautifully. Richard Schiff nails the role of Odin, delivering a far more cerebral performance than I expected but one which, in the end, feels perfect. Danielle Bisutti, however, delivers my favorite performance of the game as Freya, having to manage a ton of different emotions and conflicting desires, and she’s utterly heartbreaking.

If I have any real complaints about Ragnarök, they come down to the game feeling like it never truly takes full advantage of the PS5. I haven’t played the PS4 release, but after finishing the game on PS5, I saw nothing I felt like Sony’s last console wouldn’t be able to handle. Load times on PS5 are a bit long for the platform, though certainly better than a last-generation version will see. DualSense implementation is minor, and though the triggers feel good, they’re not essential. While this is still an outstanding game, I do hope the next time we see the series return that, it’s been designed around the capabilities of current platforms.

Conclusion

Few games released in 2022, or any year for that matter, are as well designed and made as God of War Ragnarök. While it doesn’t completely move beyond its predecessor, it eventually offers enough fresh content to stand apart, and additional variety helps make it the stronger game of the two, even if it’s perhaps a bit less focused. A beautifully told story that carries the themes of the prior game while allowing Atreus to stand on his own kept my interest until the very end. If you didn’t care for 2018’s God of War, then Ragnarök won’t change your mind, but everyone else should absolutely check it out.

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Available on: PS5 (Reviewed), PS4; Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment; Developer: Sony Santa Monica; Players: 1; Released: November 9th, 2022; ESRB: M for Mature; MSRP: $69.99

Full disclosure: This review is based on a retail copy of God of War Ragnarök.