What I’m playing: Playstation’s newest masterpieceDate: 12/12/2022 In an effort to add variety to The Reminder’s D&E page, I have been given the opportunity to write the occasional video game review. I plan to write reviews about the biggest video games that release each year once I have had the opportunity to play them in their entirety.
While I am relatively inexperienced when it comes to writing reviews, one of my biggest hobbies since I was a child is playing video games and I have always been intrigued by the idea of writing reviews about them, so I am excited to have the opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream here.
In this edition, I will be reviewing Playstation’s biggest game of the year, “God of War: Ragnarök.”
Following 2018’s “God of War” I have eagerly anticipated its sequel, “God of War: Ragnarök,” and I have to say it was worth the wait.
Kicking off several years after the events of the original “God of War,” players rejoin Kratos, portrayed by Christopher Judge, and his son Atreus, played by Sunny Suljic, as they attempt to thwart the prophecy of Ragnarök, an apocalyptic event detailed in Norse mythology.
For the uninitiated, Kratos was originally a Spartan from ancient Greece who took on the gods of that realm after he was tricked into killing his first wife and daughter. Along the way he worked for the Greek god of war, Ares, before killing him and taking his position. After a bloody conquest through the gods of Greece, Kratos tried to escape his past by fleeing to ancient Norway, where he met his second wife Faye and had his son Atreus.
Despite his attempts to escape his past, after Faye’s death, he and Atreus are thrust into a journey through the nine Norse realms to spread Faye’s ashes from the highest peak in all the realms located in Jotunheim, the home of the giants. Along the way the duo is confronted by Baldur, the son of Odin, and Magni and Modi, the sons of Thor, all of whom die at the hands of Kratos and Atreus.
Suffice it to say, Thor, Odin and Baldur’s mother, Freya, all have a bone to pick with the duo, to the point that Freya curses Kratos for killing her son, even though he was seconds away from killing her; stating that she had the right to choose what happened and Kratos took that choice from her.
They also meet Mimir, played by Alistair Duncan, who is the revived severed head of a former advisor to Odin. Mimir is full of tales and provides comic relief throughout both adventures.
Kratos and Atreus’s previous journey ended with the revelation that all their actions to that point had all been foretold in prophecy by the giants, or the Jotunar as they are referred to in the game and in Norse mythology. Atreus has also discovered he is half-giant, as Faye was revealed to be a giant and his true name was Loki, whom many will recognize as the Norse god of mischief. Alongside this revelation Kratos saw another portion of the Ragnarök prophecy, depicting his death at the hands of Thor, which he kept from Atreus.
In the final scene of the game, Atreus receives a vision of Thor arriving at their doorstep with Ragnarök’s Fimbulwinter underway, which is precisely where “Ragnarök” begins. In the first hour players are met with blow after blow in an intense opening sequence where everything is thrown out on the table and expectations are set for the rest of the game.
Throughout the sequel, players are introduced to several overarching themes while looking at the relationships between Kratos, Atreus and the other characters. Knowing what Kratos does about the prophecy, a lot of the side content in between the large missions is designed around the relationship he has with Atreus with a large overarching theme of spending time with your loved ones because one day they are not going to be around.
In one section early on after a side adventure, Atreus questions why Kratos is going out of his way to do all these side tasks and Mimir simply states, “Maybe he just wants to spend time with you.” While Atreus is unaware of the prophesized death of Kratos, Mimir is, and he is explaining what Kratos is feeling because much of Kratos’s dialogue is grunts and short and to the point.
In between fights with monsters and enemies the game deals with some touching themes about loss, forgiveness and more, all of which is worth experiencing first-hand without any spoilers.
While there are plenty of twists and turns along the way, the place truly ratchets up to another in the final few hours with shocks and a very satisfying conclusion to Kratos’s adventures in the nine realms.
Once the credits roll there is plenty left to do and much of that content helps to supplement an already solid narrative experience.
As someone who has been interested in Greek and Norse mythology since I was a child, seeing them interpreted in this way was an entertaining experience.
In terms of gameplay, players are once again reunited with Kratos’s weapons from the previous game, the Blades of Chaos and the Leviathan Axe, both of which offer unique gameplay experiences and work well when used in conjunction with each other. While much of the combat is the same from the previous entry, there have been subtle improvements across the board that make for an even more enjoyable experience. Between satisfying kill cinematics against hordes of monsters and other creatures, the fluidity of the weapons and bursts of Kratos’s Spartan rage, combat feels incredibly smooth.
Utilizing the hardware capabilities of the Playstation 5, the game is gorgeous and runs buttery smooth with stutters few and far between. While I have not played the Playstation 4 version, reports say it runs well but as with many games that push the hardware of Sony’s previous console, the fan kicks into overdrive and sounds like a fighter jet taking off.
Between enhanced gameplay and an even stronger narrative than its predecessor, “Ragnarök” exceeded any and all expectations I had for it, and I eagerly await any potential follow-ups yet to come.
|
