Sometimes, a game’s hype leading up to release can be a detriment to how much a player might enjoy the finished product. Having high expectations for any game is dangerous, but some are safer to bet on considering what the developers have delivered before. So in God of War: Ragnarök’s case, it was impossible not to be excited beyond words. If you’ve played PS4’s God of War (2018), the first in this two-part Norse Saga, you’ll no doubt know what I mean. Having to follow up on what I would say, is pretty much the perfect game is no small task, and all I was hoping for was something on par at least, and I’d be a happy chap. So when I say that Ragnarök not only exceeded my expectations, is a superior game in almost every way, continues the narrative immaculately and improves upon what I would already call a 10/10 game, you can probably guess what score I’ve given this.

Ragnarök deals with the consequences of 2018’s story, as an impending prophesied war takes Kratos and Atreus across the Nine Realms of Norse Mythology, with a story that moves in unforeseeable and incredible ways. While Kratos wants only to protect his son, Atreus’ makes a journey to find out who he will become, and how he fits into the prophecies left behind by his ancestors. Challenging fate, writing your own story, and becoming your own person drives the core of the beautifully written, epic story, and at the centre is the complex and emotionally engaging relationship between father and son.

Returning characters such as brothers Brok and Sindri, once ally Freya and arguably the best character in the game, Mimir are given more play, whether that be an engaging development to their character arc or having more screentime, and impact on the game’s events. On top of returning favourites, you’ll meet new allies such as Tyr: the Norse god of war, Freyr: rebellion leader and all-round charmer, and Angyrboda: who knows more about fate than anyone else. These characters, as well as a whole host of minor or key players all slot perfectly into the already established world, with each interaction feeling purposeful, even in what is otherwise, extra dialogue. Ragnarök also had the impossible task of introducing the shadowy adversaries felt in the predecessor, Odin and Thor. Both characters subverted my expectations in the best ways, and throughout the game, the conflict between the two father-son duos takes unexpected dives and leaps, with perspectives changing to show how layered and three-dimensional villains operate under the hood. 

Speaking of perspective changes, one of the many new introductions to this 2nd Norse title is that a large portion of this game plays out from the perspective of Atreus, one of the many factors that make this feel like HIS story. As opposed to the last game where you could just command him to do a few bow manoeuvres, he gains a move set very similar to his father when you play as him, albeit focused around his skills with a bow. This could have ended up like Marvel’s Spiderman, where you just wanna get back to playing as the titular character, but here it works unreasonably well thanks to a clever translation of the known combat system. The familiar Kratos gameplay is reworked to fit not only Atreus’ physical attributes but his unique abilities related to animals, giving him an equivalent to the Rage meter and Light/Heavy Runic attacks, all of which work similarly to the standard way of playing. With parts of the story focused on Atreus journeying alone, you get to see how he operates independently of his father, how much he’s learnt from him, and the choices and relationships that he chooses on his own.

With the splitting of the previously inseparable duo, there’s a greater variety in who you’ll fight alongside. In place of Atreus as a companion slot, you find yourself supported by unlikely combat partners, Brok and Sindri take up arms to name just two. The sense of comradery and banding together is everpresent, a separate third main character even gets their own upgradeable skill tree which is dope, but one of the cooler parts to these character switch-ups is that it’s not always friends you’re depending on to have your back, with some of the more unpredictable moments in the game bringing two opposing characters together to work towards a similar goal. 

Without spoiling too much, Thrud, who you meet upon travelling to Asgard for the first time, stands out as a fascinating character, because of the perspective she brings to the antagonistic family of Aesir gods. Being both a friend to Atreus and the last remaining child of Thor is such a brilliant dynamic, and shows that not everyone associated with Odin necessarily shares his beliefs. Of course, with the seemingly good Aesir, comes the blatantly bad, and no one is easier to hate than Heimdall, whose unwavering levels of “asshole-ery” bring forth some of the funniest moments in the entire game.

To stop gawking at the narrative stuff for a second, which is difficult, I’ll focus on the worldbuilding and side content, which are gifts that keep on giving. As previously mentioned, all nine realms are available to travel to, including the ones previously unseen such as Asgard, Svartalfheim and Vanaheim. The returning realms also offer new exploration of their environments, be it through an entirely new location within one, or via the weather-altering effects of Fimbulwinter, changing the scenery into essentially a new area, as with the frozen-over Midgard. While some realms are less prominently explorable than others, many of them have large ‘open-zone’ areas with plenty of side quests, combat opportunities and secrets to discover, just like the previous entry. This time, however, these areas have been taken to the next degree, with numerous sidequests that pop up just when I think I’ve explored everything. Vanaheim, in particular, has a fascinating area to the north where you’ll unravel just what happened to a once civilised region, whilst hunting down drakes and dragons, restoring peace to a barren land. Completing the story of the game might take 20-30 hours, but to get platinum took me around 50, which is a pretty staggering amount, considering it’s all consistently enjoyable.

Combat is again immensely satisfying, and continues to build upon the seemlessly intuitive system established prior, with new runic attacks, combo moves, weapon attachments, shield variations, and even a brand new third weapon which fits perfectly alongside the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos. I wanted to switch between the various weapons out of pure speculative fun, but the game also incentivises the player to utilise all abilities of each “Tool” (as Kratos calls them) to overcome enemies and obstacles. Once a move is used a certain number of times, you can give it a little upgrade which not only allows you to enhance the playstyle personally utilised the most, but incentivises trying every move, to complete all the weapon tasks.

On top of the hefty main storyline, prominent side content includes a return to Muspelheim’s combat trials, which feels a lot more diverse this time around, as well as more of those pesky ravens I love searching for, which are given a neat lil’ storyline to unravel as you discover how exactly Odin came to acquire these winged spies. In place of the Valkyrie fights, which were the extra hard optional bosses from 2018, you’ll face off against King Hrolf’s Berserkers, whose atrocities are revealed by Mimir as you fight your way through their undead ranks. This in turn leads to an extra hard postgame boss, akin to Sigrun previously, but that doesn’t mean you’re free of a challenging Valkyrie fight, because if you thought she was difficult, then just wait for the other post-game boss fight.

This being a sequel, quality-of-life improvements were inevitable and are all very much welcome. The Huldra brothers collect anything you missed picking up after a fight, traversal of platforming sections includes speedy grappling up walls and quick descents to streamline the exploration, and inter-realm travel is now quicker and more efficient than before thanks to being able to use gateways instead of Tyr’s temple. Accessibility options are also the first thing you see when booting up the game, and they are expansive. Options to help those with disabilities are always great to see, and being able to change things such as button mashing to holding is nice to have in case your thumbs are about to give up.

The blending of both the immaculate narrative focus and the incredible combat elements is always astounding. Kratos and Atreus will often finish off enemies in a synchronised move, demonstrating the bond forged throughout the previous title. The cinematically astounding Baldur (The Stranger) fight which blew everyone’s socks off in the 2018 entry, has an equally impressive spiritual successor in the first confrontation with Thor. Not only does it take place across half of Midgard, destroying structures in the process, but Thor himself breaks the 4th wall of the game during the fight, showing that he is in fact, as strong as the stories tell.

At the end of the day, if you don’t currently have a PS4 or PS5 then I’m sorry (wait like a year it’ll be on steam). This is the pinnacle of modern video games, and along with God of War (2018) creates an absolute landmark in storytelling through video games. with a fittingly epic score from Bear McCreary, brilliantly creative use of the Norse Mythos, visually striking environments, beautifully designed characters and captivating performances from Christopher Judge, Sunny Suljic, as well as the entire cast of voice actors who bring the game to life. Santa Monica Studio weave together a story that twists and turns in exciting and unpredictable ways, with a satisfying and varied gameplay experience. Every axe throw, every arrow shot and every brutal finisher has the full weight of its emotional adventure behind it, and to be a part of it, along with Kratos, Atreus, and of course, Mimir, is a fucking privilege.