This review contains spoilers
God of War Ragnarok is as good as a sony game can get and as much of a spicy take as I think it is, it's my favorite god of war game.
The combat is a complete improvement over 2018 in every way. 2018's combat is simply a blueprint compared to this. I love how much you can do with each weapon and the system of rewarding the player with a bonus ability for using a move enough times is fucking genius. The shields were given so much more depth and choosing which ones to use feels important but, there aren't enough shields in the game. Outside of the default one and the other 2 you get at the start you only acquire 2, JUST 2 shields. It simply isn't enough. The camera, while annoying to adjust to and way too zoomed in, it wasn't that hard to get used to so there isn't much hatred I muster for it
The enemy and boss variety saw a massive improvement over the last game. Tons of new enemy and boss types, that while they do get reused, it's not as egregious as in the last game. And there are plenty of unique boosses. From which the quality is very high: most berserkers and king hrolf, gna, both fights with thor, odin, heimdall, hrist and mist, garm, nidhogg. All range from great to exquisite in providing a satisfying fight. There are also a lot of boring, repetitive slogs like the drakes, but luckily they are much rarer.
I was shocked by how memorable the side-content is. The deserts in Alfheim with the Hafgufas.The crater region in Vanaheim where you rescue Birgir and slay dragons. Attemping to free the whale in Svaltarheim and seeing that it will never be truly free. Finding the real Tyr, attending Brok's funeral, finding Gna and King Hrolf. Good shit that is well worth your time to complete. I also adore how each artefact has its own lore entry and how the ravens actually give you a reward for killing them all. Makes them all the more enjoyable to find.
The story doesn't have the strongest of plots, relying on contrivances and dumb decisions but the characters make up a bit for that. People say it's an mcu game, and I would agree, but not in the way you think. It's not just an mcu game, it's THE BEST mcu game. I would compare it to infinity war of all movies. A strong cast of characters and jaw-dropping spectacle. As for the characteres themselves I found myself charmed. I loved Kratos's arc throughout these 2 games having a satisfying pay-off. I was a big fan of how Atreus grew as a person and became more wise. Sindri is downright heartwrenching by the last hours due to a specific character(the funniest in the game btw) dying.Heimdall si an endlessly entertaining prick. And oh, the plot twist was unexpected and in hindsight it does make sense. But my favorite character is still Thor. He and Kratos are two sides of the same coin basically. Both have an awful, blood-ridden past but while one chose to become the best version of himself, the other chooses to drown himself in alcohol and stay in his own misery. And when he FINALLY decides to stand up for himself, Odin kills him like he was just an animal with no care or remorse whatsoever. It's bitter but all the more impactful for that.
But I fucking despise the criticisms for this game. Find me a negative opinion that doesn't use the words: soy, walking, movie, mcu, woke. See the problem? It's the same shallow perspective and honestly, I'm sick of it. That doesn't mean the game is free of all criticisms but some are just god awful and irritating to the point of phisical disgust
The combat is a complete improvement over 2018 in every way. 2018's combat is simply a blueprint compared to this. I love how much you can do with each weapon and the system of rewarding the player with a bonus ability for using a move enough times is fucking genius. The shields were given so much more depth and choosing which ones to use feels important but, there aren't enough shields in the game. Outside of the default one and the other 2 you get at the start you only acquire 2, JUST 2 shields. It simply isn't enough. The camera, while annoying to adjust to and way too zoomed in, it wasn't that hard to get used to so there isn't much hatred I muster for it
The enemy and boss variety saw a massive improvement over the last game. Tons of new enemy and boss types, that while they do get reused, it's not as egregious as in the last game. And there are plenty of unique boosses. From which the quality is very high: most berserkers and king hrolf, gna, both fights with thor, odin, heimdall, hrist and mist, garm, nidhogg. All range from great to exquisite in providing a satisfying fight. There are also a lot of boring, repetitive slogs like the drakes, but luckily they are much rarer.
I was shocked by how memorable the side-content is. The deserts in Alfheim with the Hafgufas.The crater region in Vanaheim where you rescue Birgir and slay dragons. Attemping to free the whale in Svaltarheim and seeing that it will never be truly free. Finding the real Tyr, attending Brok's funeral, finding Gna and King Hrolf. Good shit that is well worth your time to complete. I also adore how each artefact has its own lore entry and how the ravens actually give you a reward for killing them all. Makes them all the more enjoyable to find.
The story doesn't have the strongest of plots, relying on contrivances and dumb decisions but the characters make up a bit for that. People say it's an mcu game, and I would agree, but not in the way you think. It's not just an mcu game, it's THE BEST mcu game. I would compare it to infinity war of all movies. A strong cast of characters and jaw-dropping spectacle. As for the characteres themselves I found myself charmed. I loved Kratos's arc throughout these 2 games having a satisfying pay-off. I was a big fan of how Atreus grew as a person and became more wise. Sindri is downright heartwrenching by the last hours due to a specific character(the funniest in the game btw) dying.Heimdall si an endlessly entertaining prick. And oh, the plot twist was unexpected and in hindsight it does make sense. But my favorite character is still Thor. He and Kratos are two sides of the same coin basically. Both have an awful, blood-ridden past but while one chose to become the best version of himself, the other chooses to drown himself in alcohol and stay in his own misery. And when he FINALLY decides to stand up for himself, Odin kills him like he was just an animal with no care or remorse whatsoever. It's bitter but all the more impactful for that.
But I fucking despise the criticisms for this game. Find me a negative opinion that doesn't use the words: soy, walking, movie, mcu, woke. See the problem? It's the same shallow perspective and honestly, I'm sick of it. That doesn't mean the game is free of all criticisms but some are just god awful and irritating to the point of phisical disgust
Lollycakeman
1 year ago