I waited 4 years to finally play the sequel to my first PS4 game, with high expectations, and I was really looking forward to see how the story is going to continue after the previous game, because unlike that game, the story in Ragnarök is much more ambitious.
However, after finally playing through the game, I got to say... I didn't find the story nearly as engaging as in the first game; the pacing is surprisingly bad for the most part and the plot lacks direction. Also, the climax of the game wasn't satisfying enough; it felt very rushed at the end with a lot of wasted potential.
Aside from the story though, at least the characters are still well-written and meaningful to each other. Unfortunately, the dialogue, the tone and the writing are slightly off-putting and questionable at times, but the characters are likable nonetheless, with few exceptions.
Now, the gameplay in the previous game was awesome in my opinion and in Ragnarök it's mostly the same but with some tweaks that I appreciated, quality of life improvements, and more enemy types and bosses. However, I don't understand why they removed the bare-hands/shield skill tree; it doesn't really make sense because it makes the combat feel a bit stiff compared to the combat in first game. Also, Atreus's gameplay is much worse than Kratos's gameplay, making his segments feel tedious very quickly.
Lastly, not surprising, but music is still good and the visuals are just breathtaking.
Pros:
+ Interesting plot points
+ Engaging characters
+ Fun combat system
+ Gorgeous graphics
+ Nice music
Cons:
- Directionless story
- Major pacing issues
- Underwhelming climax
- Inconsistent tone and writing
- Some gameplay changes
Narrative: 5/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Content: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Music: 7/10
Graphics/Audio: 10/10
Final Rating: 6.5/10
Critical Rating: 7/10
- Pretty Good -
God of War Ragnarök is a very high quality and enjoyable videogame overall, a solid experience on its own, however, as a sequel, it feels like a massive wasted potential that could've been something so much better.
Do I recommend it?:
Honestly, yes, but only if you've played the first game.
However, after finally playing through the game, I got to say... I didn't find the story nearly as engaging as in the first game; the pacing is surprisingly bad for the most part and the plot lacks direction. Also, the climax of the game wasn't satisfying enough; it felt very rushed at the end with a lot of wasted potential.
Aside from the story though, at least the characters are still well-written and meaningful to each other. Unfortunately, the dialogue, the tone and the writing are slightly off-putting and questionable at times, but the characters are likable nonetheless, with few exceptions.
Now, the gameplay in the previous game was awesome in my opinion and in Ragnarök it's mostly the same but with some tweaks that I appreciated, quality of life improvements, and more enemy types and bosses. However, I don't understand why they removed the bare-hands/shield skill tree; it doesn't really make sense because it makes the combat feel a bit stiff compared to the combat in first game. Also, Atreus's gameplay is much worse than Kratos's gameplay, making his segments feel tedious very quickly.
Lastly, not surprising, but music is still good and the visuals are just breathtaking.
Pros:
+ Interesting plot points
+ Engaging characters
+ Fun combat system
+ Gorgeous graphics
+ Nice music
Cons:
- Directionless story
- Major pacing issues
- Underwhelming climax
- Inconsistent tone and writing
- Some gameplay changes
Narrative: 5/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Content: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Music: 7/10
Graphics/Audio: 10/10
Final Rating: 6.5/10
Critical Rating: 7/10
- Pretty Good -
God of War Ragnarök is a very high quality and enjoyable videogame overall, a solid experience on its own, however, as a sequel, it feels like a massive wasted potential that could've been something so much better.
Do I recommend it?:
Honestly, yes, but only if you've played the first game.