Background:

One word to describe the game God of War: Ragnarök would be “ful-kompna” or “perfect” for those who don’t speak old Norse. The main character in this game is Kratos, a spartan turned God of War in a fictional Ancient Greek setting. Kratos is often known by the nickname “Ghost of Sparta.” After being manipulated by the Gods of Olympus into committing atrocious acts, Kratos decided to rebel against these Gods’ by battling and defeating them all, including his own father Zeus. Following these events, Kratos met and married Faye, who helped settle him down. These two had a child, Atreus, who is a main character in the events of this game. In the beginning of God of War 4 (around 3 years before Ragnarök) Faye passes away, with the wishes of Atreus and Kratos spreading her Ashes at the highest peak in the mythical Nordic lands. Following the completion of this objective, Atreus and Kratos begin their next journey together in God of War: Ragnarök.

 The story in this game is a continuation of the events of God of War 4 (2018). If you try playing this game before the previous installments, there is a recap of the previous games plot points in the home screen of Ragnarök, but, you will be missing out on a great game and the build-up to Ragnarök. The previous game’s main focus is on Kratos and his newly introduced son, Atreus, finding a way to the highest peak in all the 9 realms of  a mythical Nordic land, which resides in Jötunheim, to spread the ashes of Kratos’ late wife and Atreus’ mother, Laufey or Faye. Throughout this journey, the characters come across many foes, in particular, the sons of Thor: Magni and Modi, which causes tension between Kratos and servants of Odin (the main antagonist): Thor and Baldur, that at the end of the game when you fight and defeat him, it sets off the events of Ragnarök.   

Story: Ragnarök takes place around 3 years after the events of the previous game. The characters have to deal with the consequences of defeating Baldur and new problems that arise during their journey. 

The game focuses on different lessons throughout segments of the game such as: maturity, redemption, grief, making your own destiny, being yourself, and being better than you were/are. 

The game utilizes the characters as hosts of the lessons listed above which allows them to develop and highlight the importance of these lessons. Experiences add to these lessons throughout the game by letting the player find a way to connect with the game and take a deeper meaning. 

Although this game has overwhelmingly positive aspects there is one negative that stands out: the pacing. A large portion of this game can be considered too slow for some, and not enough action, especially a segment in the middle of the game. Then it will go into fast paced action in the blink of an eye and then slow up again. Although the pacing could be considered off, a possible reason for these slow segments are to highlight the characters and their interactions with each other, the lessons being taught, and/or the climax of the game. These moments leave the player wanting more, but they add great detail to the overarching story.  

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay in this game, similar to the previous entries in this series, was amazing. In the early games of the series (I, II, and III) the gameplay was very different from the last two, although still very enjoyable. Starting with God of War (2018), the series took a different approach to the combat and overall layout of the game. This game may be action packed, but the pace of the gameplay is relatively slow. You will go from fighting a giant to taking on a puzzle to move on to the next area. Although this may be frustrating for some, there is a healthy balance between chaos and dormancy (a lot more chaos). In this game, there is a new weapon that Kratos will use, which is significant as he has only used two weapons through the previous games. In this game you will also be able to play as Atreus (the son of Kratos). He has his own skill tree, special abilities, and a completely different fighting style which makes the game even more refreshing. Overall, the gameplay is amazing, but very similar to God of War (2018). If you enjoyed the gameplay in that game, you are sure to love Ragnarök. 

Ending: The ending of this game is also the climax making the buildup feel very rewarding. It is the culmination of everything you were doing throughout the game. Although very enjoyable, It definitely could have benefited from a longer climax. The main Ragnarök part was very exciting. It felt as if you were right there in the moment, but sadly it was short-lived. The resolution tied up loose ends and started new journeys for possibly future projects.

Overall: This game, as a whole, is one of the best we have ever played. This tops the likes of all Call of Duty games, God of War (2018), and is also on par with esteemed games such as Red Dead Redemption II, in our opinion. If you have even the slightest of background knowledge on God of War games, or even none at all, we would strongly recommend that you play this game. Through the amazing gameplay, new weaponry, and soul-stirring story, this is clearly our game of the year and one of our favorite games of all time.