“Death can have me… when it earns me.”

The long awaited sequel to the masterpiece that was 2018’s God of War is a worthy sequel and surprisingly a finish to Kratos’ journey to Midgard and his relationship with his son. I have always said God of War is my favorite PlayStation franchise. Something about the series just feels right for me. Maybe it’s because I took a Greek mythology class and that piqued my interest. Or maybe, it’s the story of Kratos, who is a fallen man using his rage to take down the gods that wronged him. But in 2018, the series took a whole new turn. It introduced a conflicted Kratos, who is a different and much calmer former god, and has to deal with unexpected events following the passing of his wife and his new duties as father to Atreus.

Now let me get this out of the way right now, I liked the 2018 God of War more than this one. But before you get too mad (I’m aware some people absolutely adore this game), I still really loved it. The main cons for me are that the game does at times feel like an extended DLC. I also personally preferred the set up of the first one with the Lake of Nine instead jumping thought portals, which made it feel somewhat linear. There is also a twist I won’t spoil for anyone that hasn’t played it, that introduced a gameplay aspect I didn’t hate, but just kept feeling it was mostly unnecessary outside of the story elements it brought. And lastly, I did find the narrative to be very fast-paced and it felt like (to me) the planned third game was being squeezed in without much thought.

But this still is very much the game I was hyped for. Combat still feels great and the exploration is still there, despite me feeling it was less open like the first. The characters are every bit as good as you expect, and they even introduce new interesting ones that add to story. I especially loved the dynamic with Thor, making him more than just a villain or boss, but adding a human side and story arc to him. Odin was a great villain with a sort of… car salesman type personality that worked just as good as the tyrannical corrupt version of Zeus in the original trilogy. And just a quick note that Heimdall was one AMAZING villain and it felt so good when I finally go to fight him. A perfect character to make you hate so you enjoy getting your hands on him. Plus, the allies even brought in new characters like Freya’s brother and a new and important friend for Atreus (who I really wished we got to know better).

Overall, I really loved God of War: Ragnarök, even though I still slightly prefer the 2018 predecessor. The boss battles (and even some lesser battles) feel epic and grand, just as the series has always done. The wrap up of the story of Kratos and Atreus’ father and son arc is done nicely, despite what I felt was at times a rushed narrative. This a great entry to the series and it was fun going on another journey with Kratos. I can only hope his next journey is just as amazing as these two in Norse mythology have been. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this game.

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