God of War Ragnarök: Create your own destiny in 2022’s Game of the Year Contender.
What a time to be a PlayStation fan. What every fan across the world has been waiting for is finally here. After years of hype, rumours, news, and coverage, the time has now come. It is one of the delectable medleys of gaming. It is enough to get you pumped up even when you hear the official soundtrack. This is, without a doubt, the most anticipated game of the year. Ladies and gentlemen, God of War has returned, and in the form of Ragnarök. From here on out, is when you make your own destiny.
In 2018, it was the release of the predecessor, and immediately after completing the game, you could not wait for the next title and what it entails. Fast forward four years later, and after all of the patience, Once again, you will be taking charge of the son of Zeus. Along with his teenage son, Atreus. Who has now become a more mature, more thoughtful, and stronger warrior? Traveling across realms, expecting a far, much bigger adventure as Ragnarök is entering the finale of the Norse Mythology era.
If you recall, at the very end of the last game, Kratos and Atreus defeated Baldur in an intense final fight. After, Kratos finally revealed his dark past and where he’s actually from to Atreus. Shortly thereafter, they went on to carry through on what they had planned on doing from the beginning by scattering the ashes of Faye in Jötunheim.
Three years later, a thunderstorm emerges and wakes both Kratos and Atreus. As Kratos opens his door, the camera pans towards a figure with an axe, with Kratos then screaming, “who are you?”. That who turned out to be Thor himself. It was also apparent that it was a dream. But was it?
God of War Ragnarök is the aftermath of the predecessor. It begins with Atreus still seeking answers that only the deceased Faye withheld. But maybe someone else could also give him what he is after. Perhaps the God Tyr, whom Atreus speculates is a great part of his search and claims that there is something in the forest that Kratos must see. Despite Kratos’ complete distrust for his son’s assertion, he feels to go with him on his pursuit.
There is far more that awaits Kratos this time, including the highly anticipated encounter and battle with Thor, who is out to avenge the death of his sons and half-brother. Furthermore, players mustn’t forget that they also have Freya to worry about, who is also seeking vengeance for her son, Baldur’s death.
The story of God of War Ragnarök will have you stumbling across a barrel of emotions, wanting to know what happens next. Additionally, experiencing a series of heart-racing quick-time events, engaging in constantly enchanting battles, involving captivating boss fights, having interactions that deliver great animations, and overall keeping you intrigued throughout the game all at once.
Unlike God of War Ragnarök, not many games possess such a gift. One that you will remember for many years, maybe ever. Meeting new allies and foes, as well as ones from the previous game. And the side quests are just as enthralling. And who can forget the series of music that’s played occasionally to get you into the mood? Significantly, the official soundtrack has people constantly talking about it and labelling it as one of the best tracks in gaming history.
You can face your foes with an increasingly refined combat system. Despite the difficulty you are playing, you will feel that you will die considerably less than in the predecessor due to the improved fighting mechanics that have made the controls much more tolerable. There are many more ways to eliminate enemies, and you have additional methods of using your God-given weapons and shields that now come in different shapes, sizes and strengths.
God of War Ragnarök enables you to use nature to your advantage, including the tree logs that considerably damage enemies nearby and are very helpful in boss battles. Sometimes, when given the opportunity, you can perform devastating takedowns that take things a few notches. And, of course, the effervescent rage mode that imposes greater pain onto enemies, regenerating health, but faster than the last game, and now comes with stunning combos that have your adversaries begging for mercy.
Due to Atreus’ growth and maturity, he has become a progressively formidable warrior. Thus, making him more reliable in God of War Ragnarök. He acts primarily as a distraction for enemies to make things easier for you, but now he brings more to the table. Issuing commands whenever you wish for him to attack, interact with things, or during hurdles. And don’t forget the head of Mimir, who dangles behind Kratos’ belt, still providing his very beneficial warning shouts when an enemy is about to strike you and gives hints and clues whenever you’re stuck in puzzle solving, just like Atreus.
As a gamer, you should understand the importance of strengthening your character’s attributes as the difficulty of combat escalates during the progression in main campaigns and side quests. God of War Ragnarök is no different. After battles, it’s not just Kratos that receives XP, but so does his son. Gear up by improving your character’s stats that feature armour, weapon, and equipment metrics that determine the severity of damage that can potentially be inflicted on enemies. Plus, the brand new skills dashboard and trees for purchasing upgrades, new moves and other unlockables for your axe, blade and Atreus.
Speaking of blades, which also possess augmenting abilities, they are not only useful for battles but obstacles too. If a surface is too steep, your trusted blades will help. Moreover, if something is in the way or you need to drag certain objects to advance, then you know what to turn to for support. The additional mechanics in God of War Ragnarök are more beneficial than some realise.
Santa Monica Studio has a fine history of stunning visuals and they’ve done remarkably to implement their experience with fine art and designs and take it to the next level. Seeing as Ragnarök is the first game on the PlayStation 5, they’ve not only met the standard of next-gen visuals, they’ve surpassed it considerably.
In God of War Ragnarök, during your exploration between realms that leave you in awe, including the new ones, there is an extremely high number of collectibles that benefit your character in many different ways and a plentiful of gorgeous designs. Even some of the enemies’ designs are stunning. But wait, there’s more. You are provided with a full range of graphical modes to suit your ideological method of playing. As for transportation, you have more ways of conveying, which now involves wolves being tied to sleds.
God of War Ragnarök is essentially a masterpiece, and it’s no wonder this has taken the gaming world by storm. You will be left scratching your head as to how they’ve managed to take a great predecessor, drastically improve it, and forming into a flawless sequel. Having to wait a long four years was dragging, but with the game’s outstanding execution and delivery, patience was indeed a virtue.
This was a monumental conclusion to a fine saga, and there is the question of what’s next to come in the iconic franchise. There will be no surprises if God of War Ragnarök wins Game of the Year.
God of War Ragnarök is available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Lastly, follow our website for the latest video game reviews.
