Testing «God of War Ragnarök»: the story gets under your skin, but the gameplay gets on your nerves

Kratos enters his bedroom with heavy steps, carelessly dropping the Blades of Chaos to the ground. He slowly sits down on the edge of the bed and places the Leviathan Axe on his bedside table with a thump. As he gently runs his rough paws over the notches on the handle, the God of War looks really old for the first time. The inner turmoil, the self-doubt, the weariness from the never-ending combat; I can see it all in his eyes without him having to say a word. It’s these moments that make «God of War Ragnarök» so special.
Four years after the reboot transformed the «God of War» series from the one-dimensional revenge campaign of an angry citizen to the thrilling adventure of a single father, the long-awaited sequel – «Ragnarök» – has arrived.

Kratos is still the gruff god of war, who tears through opponents one after another, but he’s vulnerable on the inside. Especially when it comes to his son, Atreus. This becomes much more prominent – both in gameplay and in terms of the story. And both benefit from it. The bad news, though, is that Sony’s Santa Monica Studio has also expanded the game in many places where it’s unnecessary, weighing it down.
I tested the PS5 version, but «God of War Ragnarök» will also be released for the PS4.

The storytelling is still the highlight

«A picture is worth a thousand words» is a saying that rarely applies to games, but «God of War Ragnarök» is definitely an exception. The graphics – which were already impressive in its predecessor – flex their muscles once again, both when depicting the fantastic Nordic worlds and in character-led moments where the actors give their all. Christopher Judge as Kratos, Sunny Suljoc as Kratos’ son Atreus and Danielle Bisutti as the deity Freya in particular ensure that the story gets under your skin.

The story and the way it’s told are without a doubt the best part of the game for me. «Ragnarök» takes place three years after the last instalment, but seamlessly follows the events of that time. Kratos, the Greek god of war, has retreated into Norse mythology to escape his past. But he fails. So, it’s now a question of preventing nothing less than Ragnarök – the end of the world. Not an easy task, especially when the prophecy is that the actions of Kratos and Atreus will be the trigger. In addition to the impending end of the world, Atreus has to struggle with himself and his search for identity over the course of the story. In the last «God of War», he found out that he is actually a Norse god named Loki. This regularly leads to conflicts with his father, and it’s these moments that make the two gods seem especially human.

The relationship between Kratos and Atreus isn’t the only emotional one. They’re accompanied by different people on their journey through the nine realms. This creates interesting pairings and dynamics. I felt a real connection with the humans, dwarves, and gods I met along the way. The only exception is an unnecessary story arc in the middle of the game. It feels like a side quest.

Speaking of quests, there are plenty of them again, and they’re subtly woven into the main story. Most games would ignore the fact that it’s utterly preposterous for you to be leisurely completing side quests in the face of impending doom. In «God of War Ragnarök», the characters talk about it openly and even ask you if there is anything else you’d like to do before you start the next task. This simple but elegant solution ensures that I perceive the side quests as part of the whole.

The side quests feel handcrafted rather than run-of-the-mill filler. They’re varied and not only reward you with loot, but also with additional dialogue and background information on the Nordic sagas. I have to capture three animals for a talking squirrel because they aren’t taking care of the world tree. The dwarf blacksmith has lost a mysterious object, which turns out to be a dog toy. The tasks for my companions teach me more about them and usually improve their weapon or armour.

The camera also ensures that the story remains exciting. As before, the game has no cuts whatsoever. It’s as if a curious observer is watching with no sense of privacy and never blinks. Although the wow effect from the first time has subsided, it still ensures that I’m constantly drawn in to what’s happening. And when the camera fluidly latches onto another person’s shoulders or transitions from a daytime scene to a dream sequence, I want to clap in appreciation. Sometimes it can also lead to unintentionally funny moments. For example, when I enter Kratos’ accommodation right after an adventure and my companion is already serving the food, although we’ve both only just arrived.

There’s no lack of variety in «God of War Ragnarök». At first, some levels seem a bit too constructed and not like real worlds. However, as the game progresses, almost every new region raises the bar. The nine worlds of Norse mythology lead me through snowy, icy landscapes in Midgard, over steep cliffs in Asgard to lush jungle areas on Freya’s home world, Vanaheim. This is exactly what an epic adventure in a Nordic fantasy world should feel like.

A brutal but overcomplicated combat system

The combat system has only changed slightly since the last instalment, but some new elements have been added. For example, Kratos gets a new weapon to complement the axe and Blades of Chaos. Experience points can unlock attacks and skills for all three. There are also companions who can be controlled indirectly in combat. Atreus, for example, has different arrows that can form deadly combos depending on the type of opponent and Kratos’ weapon. In addition, companions have their own super attack – the equivalent of Kratos’ «Spartan Rage». When in a rage, he briefly smashes everything with his fists.

I even found the selection of different weapon skills overwhelming last time. «Ragnarök» goes one better. Each weapon has a light hit and a heavy hit, and pressing L1 button results in two more attacks. Combined with L1 and L2, pressing R2 activates the special attacks – or is it the other way around? Even after 20 hours, I regularly press the wrong keys under pressure. Then weapons can also be charged, which affects all attacks. And there’s also a button that can be used to apply various offensive or defensive skills.

I have to remember all this if I want to react perfectly to the different types of opponents. I counter blue rings when attacking by tapping L1 twice, I only crack red life bars with frost attacks and I have to weaken some flying creatures with arrows. It suits me that the game isn’t overly difficult. On the normal difficulty level, I only die when I’m not concentrating or a boss catches me out. Despite the exaggerated complexity, the fights are fun. Overwhelming opponents with a series of perfectly timed combos and literally tearing them apart with a finish move is hard to beat.

Nevertheless, the game has a few too many fights for my taste and normal opponents in particular take too many hits, which makes the whole thing repetitive. That’s why I played most of the game on the lowest difficulty level. The only difference compared to the medium difficulty that I noticed is that enemies are defeated faster. I find that only appropriate for the god of war. Nothing annoys me more about games than being a supposedly all-powerful war machine who takes 15 blows to defeat even the puniest opponent.

Does every game have to be an RPG?

In the last «God of War», I enthusiastically accepted every challenge to find better and more unusual armour for Kratos and Atreus. In «Ragnarök», I don’t have the same motivation. This is not least due to the confusing menu. The navigation is a horror show and not at all intuitive. There are countless pieces of armour, weapon attachments, amulets and relics to equip, improve and expand with magical frills. How am I supposed to keep track of all that? As for the amulets, I only found out at the end of the game that I get the bonuses by putting on three pendants of the same colour. Then there are also perks and so on, and so on. I also have to do a lot of this for my companions.

I used to be happy when more and more games took up role-playing elements. Now I wish studios would take the adage «less is more» to heart. This applies even more to another area of the game.

Too much hard work

I know puzzles have always been a part of the «God of War» series. Unfortunately, they’re the only part that hasn’t kept up with the rest of the development. Why does Kratos have to set up a crane on every corner, tear down gates or burn bushes? That’s a job for the city gardener, not the god of war. Compared to its predecessor, a few interaction elements have been added, such as freezing water with an axe. But I’d only use the term puzzle in quotation marks.

The game is crammed with similar unnecessary mini quests. Few of them are fun. I only tended to take my time on the short box puzzles, where I have to find three switches and activate them. At first, they’re barely hidden and an axe throw is enough to advance. Later on, I have to search the environment carefully to find it and use my skills properly. These puzzles are fun and reward me with loot like life bar upgrades.

Verdict: gripping to the end, despite the baggage

«Ragnarok» is the direct sequel to one of the best game reboots ever. But anyone expecting another revolution in the «God of War» franchise will be disappointed. Sony’s Santa Monica Studio hasn’t changed much in terms of gameplay and that’s largely a good thing. The combat system is massive and allows different ways of playing. The presentation is among the best that games currently have to offer. And just like four years ago, the story about Kratos and his son Atreus fascinated me from the very first minute. In around 20 hours, I was able to accompany the two gods on a monumental adventure. The game is worth it just to experience all the fantastic worlds. But what catapulted «God of War Ragnarök» to the Olympus of games are the characters. They’re written with love and conviction. I mourned, laughed and celebrated with them. Kratos in particular has always surprised me with how many emotions he conveys with so few words. I can also forgive the fact that the antagonist Odin turns out to be a bit one-dimensional in the end.

The only thing that really bothered me about the game was the amount of dead weight. I’d radically cut the incomprehensible menus, the overloaded combat system and the monotonous puzzles. But even that can’t really spoil my gaming experience. «God of War Ragnarök» is an unforgettable adventure that I wouldn’t just recommend to action fans.

«God of War Ragnarök» was released on 9 November for PS5 and PS4. Sony provided me with a test copy.

Video games

Sony God of War: Ragnarok

PS5, Multilingual

128

Video games

Sony God of War: Ragnarok

PS4, Multilingual

28