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This review contains spoilers
I'll do my best to avoid specifics but there will be spoilers in here
In almost every way this game manages to improve upon the first. Despite the few issues I had with 2018 I thought it would be hard to top it, but Santa Monica managed to do it.
Starting with combat, this is simply an improved version of the first game. The axe and blades of chaos are almost identical, except for a few new skill and mechanics. One weird thing is that this game decided to do the Metroid sequel thing of having you lose all your abilities from the first game, even though Kratos apparently spent all the time in between preparing and training. Weird but not a huge issue. The combat feels just as great as it did in the first god of war.
One major change is the inclusion of a third weapon. While it wasn't what I was expecting, it actually fits Kratos perfectly as pretty much the first weapon in the series that is truly his own (the blades of chaos I don't consider to be his own) while fitting with where he came from. It's also incredibly fun to use and has some great unique mechanics around it.
Another major change is that there are now sections where you play as Atreus. While not as fun Kratos in my opinion, he did offer a unique playstyle more suited to ranged combat. And seeing things from his perspective I think helped with the story.
The combat helper system with atreus also returns and its also great like the last one as their assistance is helpful and you rarely ever have to worry about them in combat.
My major complaint from the first game, being a lack of enemy and especially boss variety, has been more than addressed. There are a large range of enemy archetypes in the game, with multiple types within them. they also aren't just reskins either and have unique attacks, strategies and status effects. This kept the game from feeling boring or that it was too long, and later encounters would still keep introducing new difficult enemy types. There is also a strong variety of bosses and minibosses to be fought. Most of them were great bosses and good spectacles, although a couple felt straight up unfair to fight, either because the combat system didn't feel like it was designed for that kind of fight, or because one particular boss barely telegraphed their attacks and would change attack patterns (At least on give me no mercy, which I played the game on) you pretty much had to die a couple of times to learn how to fight them.
This is a massive game, with a ton of side content. As was hoped for after the first game, all 9 realms are accessible, and 7 of them freely explorable, though some more than others. They are well varied and tend to have unique enemy types and hazards. A few of these have large open areas to explore with side quests that have better stories than the ones in the first game and feel more unique and worthwhile. Of course these also provide ample opportunity to listen to the conversations with Mimir, which are just as delightful as they were in the first game. These open areas individually werent too big, and felt very dense in terms of activities and secrets to find. The other good thing is this felt like like a Ubisoft open world tick box game like how Horizon and Ghost of Tsushima felt. One thing I particularly enjoyed was how completing some side quests actually made changes to the environment, giving the feeling like you're doing something that matters to the world. I will say I prefer the Valkyries from 2018 a lot more to the Berserkers in this one.
When it comes to the story itself, I'm still unsure of whether I like this better than the first game or not, however I find myself leaning towards liking it better than the first. The first game had a lot of "your princess is in another castle" moments, where you progress to where you think you need to go, then learn you were wrong and have to go elsewhere or you find yourself blocked then go somewhere else to get something then backtrack and come back later. In Ragnarok it felt more like you accomplish goals you set out to do and that the story is actually advancing more than it did in the first one.
It's still amazing to see Kratos evolve from this shitty one note character (who admittedly was rather tragic and earned all that rage) to one of the best characters in videogames. His relationship with Atreus felt fully realized and believable here, and there were many emotional moments that almost got me (it succeeded at the very end). Atreus himself has vastly improved as a character from the first game, sure he was a kid and that's how kids act, but it was still annoying, and his arc was resolved a little too quickly for my taste, however here he is struggling with the knowledge of Kratos' impending death, and combined with secrets he learns and is forced to keep concerning the Giants, we see a believable internal struggle.
We also see the Norse mythology aspects more realized here, seeing all the 9 realms, Vanir, Aesir and giant characters. As with the first its great to see how GoW subverts mythology, and I think this is done largely well here. While Thor is what I expected based on the descriptions in the first game for the most part, I think his character is done really well here. Odin was a very surprising portrayal, but the idea of this Gaslighting mob boss kind of character grew on me. It also helps that every performance in this game is excellent, the dwarfs, Freya, the Aesir, Kratos and Atreus are all amazing. The game also does the "one take" gimmick which is also very well done here, and has some creative transitions.
I think where I was let down was two points in the story. Atreus's time in Ironwood, while cool, felt very weirdly paced to me, like it took a lot longer than it should have. Although Angrboda was a very fun character and I really liked her chemistry with Atreus
The other point was the final battle of Ragnarok. It felt rather underwhelming to me, like I was expecting this grand battle but all we really got to see was us running through narrow pathways largely fighting enemies on our own. I also wasn't much of a fan how the things we worked towards were almost instantly shut down, like the realm towers instantly getting destroyed and us losing our reinforcements, and when the Ragnarok beast shows up we decide not to use it (makes it feel like wasted time and effort). however the boss fights and character interactions in this section very much helped make up for it.
The ending of the game was very well done and emotional in my opinion, and made for a strong conclusion to the Norse saga. It leaves the future wide open for this franchise if they choose to continue it.
There's a strong post game as well, with new world events to do and side quests, including the proper final ending to the game which was also fairly emotional, and a great payoff to what felt like a random throwaway moment earlier in the game. There are also very challenging (and sometimes unfair) optional bosses and the opportunity to find and talk to characters after the end of the game for some unique dialogue, including a surprise character I wont spoil.
Overall this is an excellent game that anyone with a playstation needs to play and experience for themselves. Few things here and there keep it from being perfect but they're still far outweighed by the good.
In almost every way this game manages to improve upon the first. Despite the few issues I had with 2018 I thought it would be hard to top it, but Santa Monica managed to do it.
Starting with combat, this is simply an improved version of the first game. The axe and blades of chaos are almost identical, except for a few new skill and mechanics. One weird thing is that this game decided to do the Metroid sequel thing of having you lose all your abilities from the first game, even though Kratos apparently spent all the time in between preparing and training. Weird but not a huge issue. The combat feels just as great as it did in the first god of war.
One major change is the inclusion of a third weapon. While it wasn't what I was expecting, it actually fits Kratos perfectly as pretty much the first weapon in the series that is truly his own (the blades of chaos I don't consider to be his own) while fitting with where he came from. It's also incredibly fun to use and has some great unique mechanics around it.
Another major change is that there are now sections where you play as Atreus. While not as fun Kratos in my opinion, he did offer a unique playstyle more suited to ranged combat. And seeing things from his perspective I think helped with the story.
The combat helper system with atreus also returns and its also great like the last one as their assistance is helpful and you rarely ever have to worry about them in combat.
My major complaint from the first game, being a lack of enemy and especially boss variety, has been more than addressed. There are a large range of enemy archetypes in the game, with multiple types within them. they also aren't just reskins either and have unique attacks, strategies and status effects. This kept the game from feeling boring or that it was too long, and later encounters would still keep introducing new difficult enemy types. There is also a strong variety of bosses and minibosses to be fought. Most of them were great bosses and good spectacles, although a couple felt straight up unfair to fight, either because the combat system didn't feel like it was designed for that kind of fight, or because one particular boss barely telegraphed their attacks and would change attack patterns (At least on give me no mercy, which I played the game on) you pretty much had to die a couple of times to learn how to fight them.
This is a massive game, with a ton of side content. As was hoped for after the first game, all 9 realms are accessible, and 7 of them freely explorable, though some more than others. They are well varied and tend to have unique enemy types and hazards. A few of these have large open areas to explore with side quests that have better stories than the ones in the first game and feel more unique and worthwhile. Of course these also provide ample opportunity to listen to the conversations with Mimir, which are just as delightful as they were in the first game. These open areas individually werent too big, and felt very dense in terms of activities and secrets to find. The other good thing is this felt like like a Ubisoft open world tick box game like how Horizon and Ghost of Tsushima felt. One thing I particularly enjoyed was how completing some side quests actually made changes to the environment, giving the feeling like you're doing something that matters to the world. I will say I prefer the Valkyries from 2018 a lot more to the Berserkers in this one.
When it comes to the story itself, I'm still unsure of whether I like this better than the first game or not, however I find myself leaning towards liking it better than the first. The first game had a lot of "your princess is in another castle" moments, where you progress to where you think you need to go, then learn you were wrong and have to go elsewhere or you find yourself blocked then go somewhere else to get something then backtrack and come back later. In Ragnarok it felt more like you accomplish goals you set out to do and that the story is actually advancing more than it did in the first one.
It's still amazing to see Kratos evolve from this shitty one note character (who admittedly was rather tragic and earned all that rage) to one of the best characters in videogames. His relationship with Atreus felt fully realized and believable here, and there were many emotional moments that almost got me (it succeeded at the very end). Atreus himself has vastly improved as a character from the first game, sure he was a kid and that's how kids act, but it was still annoying, and his arc was resolved a little too quickly for my taste, however here he is struggling with the knowledge of Kratos' impending death, and combined with secrets he learns and is forced to keep concerning the Giants, we see a believable internal struggle.
We also see the Norse mythology aspects more realized here, seeing all the 9 realms, Vanir, Aesir and giant characters. As with the first its great to see how GoW subverts mythology, and I think this is done largely well here. While Thor is what I expected based on the descriptions in the first game for the most part, I think his character is done really well here. Odin was a very surprising portrayal, but the idea of this Gaslighting mob boss kind of character grew on me. It also helps that every performance in this game is excellent, the dwarfs, Freya, the Aesir, Kratos and Atreus are all amazing. The game also does the "one take" gimmick which is also very well done here, and has some creative transitions.
I think where I was let down was two points in the story. Atreus's time in Ironwood, while cool, felt very weirdly paced to me, like it took a lot longer than it should have. Although Angrboda was a very fun character and I really liked her chemistry with Atreus
The other point was the final battle of Ragnarok. It felt rather underwhelming to me, like I was expecting this grand battle but all we really got to see was us running through narrow pathways largely fighting enemies on our own. I also wasn't much of a fan how the things we worked towards were almost instantly shut down, like the realm towers instantly getting destroyed and us losing our reinforcements, and when the Ragnarok beast shows up we decide not to use it (makes it feel like wasted time and effort). however the boss fights and character interactions in this section very much helped make up for it.
The ending of the game was very well done and emotional in my opinion, and made for a strong conclusion to the Norse saga. It leaves the future wide open for this franchise if they choose to continue it.
There's a strong post game as well, with new world events to do and side quests, including the proper final ending to the game which was also fairly emotional, and a great payoff to what felt like a random throwaway moment earlier in the game. There are also very challenging (and sometimes unfair) optional bosses and the opportunity to find and talk to characters after the end of the game for some unique dialogue, including a surprise character I wont spoil.
Overall this is an excellent game that anyone with a playstation needs to play and experience for themselves. Few things here and there keep it from being perfect but they're still far outweighed by the good.
While you could say elden ring is the best game Fromsoftware has made, personally bloodborne is easily their best.
The classic Fromsoft lore discovery from the souls series is intact here, and i think the world they have created is one of the best and most unique in gaming in general. The way it opens as a gothic horror setting with some bits of weirdness here and there before fully revealing its lovecraftian horror was really something special.
The enemies are various and dangerous but very manageable thanks to the combat system. This is very much like dark souls, with lock on, dodging and stamina to worry about. However where this majorly differs from souls and obtains its own identity is that shields are done away with (Except for the two borderline useless ones), being replaced by guns that you must use to parry an enemy right before their attacks land so they go into a vulnerable state for a visceral attack. The other main change is that weapons are known as trick weapons here, as they are able to transform into two forms. This can be more simple like a handaxe extending into a halberd and more out there like a sword turning into a large hammer or a cane turning into a bladed whip. Another element added is the rally mechanic which lets you regain health if you attack soon after getting hit yourself. All these factors combined encourage a more aggressive playstyle than in souls games, and are complemented well by the enemies who are also designed with this in mind. Rarely do deaths ever feel unfair in this game besides certain npcs (who approved the crow of cainhurst?)
The level design is immaculate, with multiple varied locations and laid out in a surprisingly interconnected way, also similar to dark souls 1, which makes exploration feel exciting and rewarding as you look for the promise of a lamp to rest at, or a shortcut to unlock.
Capping off what makes this game great and what may very well be the pinnacle of this game are its boss battles. For the most part these are very engaging tough battles, with each boss having very different movesets and quirks you may need to look out for like status effects or transforming mid fight. This is where the game also succeeds in making you feel your strongest as you must make use of the more aggressive playstyle to punish the bosses attacks with parries to deal big damage. This is topped off with an incredible soundtrack which, with the exception of a few areas and the hub, only plays during boss battles and really complements the boss and makes it feel epic.
Overall a near flawless game that has since only been matched by its own developer, i'd recommend it to anyone who likes games with a challenge.
The classic Fromsoft lore discovery from the souls series is intact here, and i think the world they have created is one of the best and most unique in gaming in general. The way it opens as a gothic horror setting with some bits of weirdness here and there before fully revealing its lovecraftian horror was really something special.
The enemies are various and dangerous but very manageable thanks to the combat system. This is very much like dark souls, with lock on, dodging and stamina to worry about. However where this majorly differs from souls and obtains its own identity is that shields are done away with (Except for the two borderline useless ones), being replaced by guns that you must use to parry an enemy right before their attacks land so they go into a vulnerable state for a visceral attack. The other main change is that weapons are known as trick weapons here, as they are able to transform into two forms. This can be more simple like a handaxe extending into a halberd and more out there like a sword turning into a large hammer or a cane turning into a bladed whip. Another element added is the rally mechanic which lets you regain health if you attack soon after getting hit yourself. All these factors combined encourage a more aggressive playstyle than in souls games, and are complemented well by the enemies who are also designed with this in mind. Rarely do deaths ever feel unfair in this game besides certain npcs (who approved the crow of cainhurst?)
The level design is immaculate, with multiple varied locations and laid out in a surprisingly interconnected way, also similar to dark souls 1, which makes exploration feel exciting and rewarding as you look for the promise of a lamp to rest at, or a shortcut to unlock.
Capping off what makes this game great and what may very well be the pinnacle of this game are its boss battles. For the most part these are very engaging tough battles, with each boss having very different movesets and quirks you may need to look out for like status effects or transforming mid fight. This is where the game also succeeds in making you feel your strongest as you must make use of the more aggressive playstyle to punish the bosses attacks with parries to deal big damage. This is topped off with an incredible soundtrack which, with the exception of a few areas and the hub, only plays during boss battles and really complements the boss and makes it feel epic.
Overall a near flawless game that has since only been matched by its own developer, i'd recommend it to anyone who likes games with a challenge.
This game made two big changes to the franchise, and both of them paid off, one more than the other.
First off the lesser, the change to being a turn-based rpg instead of beat 'em up. I know a lot of people would have preferred the old style but this really appeals to me in many ways.
First off, it's still fun, sure it's a bit basic but there is a wide variety of classes with great funny special attacks, effects and enemy variants that help make things feel fresh and help you feel like you need to strategize somewhat with each encounter.
The second and most major benefit to the turn based rpg change is that it introduces a party system, which rather than you being some lone badass the whole time it ends up providing the game with a very solid ensemble cast who play off each other really well, especially with the first 3 members you can recruit. This is a change that i think really helped elevate the story in a big way because of how much it got me to care about the secondary protagonists. This also has a nice side effect of making it feel like these new characters aren't as strong as the established legends, since they need a whole team where you'd just play as one person in the old games.
The other major change to the franchise, is the new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga. To say I absolutely love this man feels like an understatement. Where Kiryu was a great stoic badass himbo, Ichiban oozes passion, positivity and a naivete that makes him super endearing. His performance is also excellent and powerful in some moments, I could really feel his emotions get through to me.
The new town is also great, and all these combined have allowed the devs to tell a story that actually feels fresh, instead of the same old Kiryu wants to live a normal life but is forced to save the tojo clan again". This story takes itself slightly less seriously that previous games but it has the same emotional depth and range, and has a high chance of keeping you grinning or tearing up.
There is a great set of new minigames here, including Mario kart style racing, trying to stay awake watching movies and a big business minigame where you run a holding company. There are also the classic ones like karaoke and baseball which remain great.
Music is top tier again with the boss themes being some of my favourite in games in general.
All in all an incredible game that moves the franchise forward in an interesting direction and I'm excited to see what's next for Ichiban and his gang.
First off the lesser, the change to being a turn-based rpg instead of beat 'em up. I know a lot of people would have preferred the old style but this really appeals to me in many ways.
First off, it's still fun, sure it's a bit basic but there is a wide variety of classes with great funny special attacks, effects and enemy variants that help make things feel fresh and help you feel like you need to strategize somewhat with each encounter.
The second and most major benefit to the turn based rpg change is that it introduces a party system, which rather than you being some lone badass the whole time it ends up providing the game with a very solid ensemble cast who play off each other really well, especially with the first 3 members you can recruit. This is a change that i think really helped elevate the story in a big way because of how much it got me to care about the secondary protagonists. This also has a nice side effect of making it feel like these new characters aren't as strong as the established legends, since they need a whole team where you'd just play as one person in the old games.
The other major change to the franchise, is the new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga. To say I absolutely love this man feels like an understatement. Where Kiryu was a great stoic badass himbo, Ichiban oozes passion, positivity and a naivete that makes him super endearing. His performance is also excellent and powerful in some moments, I could really feel his emotions get through to me.
The new town is also great, and all these combined have allowed the devs to tell a story that actually feels fresh, instead of the same old Kiryu wants to live a normal life but is forced to save the tojo clan again". This story takes itself slightly less seriously that previous games but it has the same emotional depth and range, and has a high chance of keeping you grinning or tearing up.
There is a great set of new minigames here, including Mario kart style racing, trying to stay awake watching movies and a big business minigame where you run a holding company. There are also the classic ones like karaoke and baseball which remain great.
Music is top tier again with the boss themes being some of my favourite in games in general.
All in all an incredible game that moves the franchise forward in an interesting direction and I'm excited to see what's next for Ichiban and his gang.