Finally beat the main story after taking my sweet time with it, and I have many thoughts. Above all else, God of War: Ragnarok is an excellent game, but not without its flaws.
In all things related to story and character, this game nails just about everything. I do think the overall narrative is maybe a little longer than it had to be, but that's a very minor complaint. I think the game starts out strong, slows down a bit, but then really picks up about halfway through and doesn't let go from there. The performances, the writing of these characters is pretty top notch within gaming. I love my Mimir, Brok & Sindri etc. but Kratos is the real star of the show here, having now felt like a fully developed character. Shoutout to Heimdall and the actor who portrayed him. Everything about this slimy, shithead character worked and I felt he singlehandedly brought the narrative up with him.
Gameplay wise it's really satisfying to play and never really lets up. Random enemy encounters are fun to go through but boss fights are where it really shines. They're spectacular.
Some of the gameplay mechanics that I didn't care for in God of War (2018) are here as well. I found some of the Uncharted-style puzzle solving to be annoying, interfering and really slowed down the gameplay unnecessarily. I think the fast travel system, while it makes sense is tethered to the previous game, is imperfect. I think the menus, while improved, are still a little cumbersome and overwhelming.
All that aside, God of War: Ragnarok absolutely nails so much of what it sets out to achieve. It's beautiful, with little to no technical flaws and really satisfying. Sony first-party titles are really special, something that gaming needs. Many of those games are must-play, and this is no exception.
In all things related to story and character, this game nails just about everything. I do think the overall narrative is maybe a little longer than it had to be, but that's a very minor complaint. I think the game starts out strong, slows down a bit, but then really picks up about halfway through and doesn't let go from there. The performances, the writing of these characters is pretty top notch within gaming. I love my Mimir, Brok & Sindri etc. but Kratos is the real star of the show here, having now felt like a fully developed character. Shoutout to Heimdall and the actor who portrayed him. Everything about this slimy, shithead character worked and I felt he singlehandedly brought the narrative up with him.
Gameplay wise it's really satisfying to play and never really lets up. Random enemy encounters are fun to go through but boss fights are where it really shines. They're spectacular.
Some of the gameplay mechanics that I didn't care for in God of War (2018) are here as well. I found some of the Uncharted-style puzzle solving to be annoying, interfering and really slowed down the gameplay unnecessarily. I think the fast travel system, while it makes sense is tethered to the previous game, is imperfect. I think the menus, while improved, are still a little cumbersome and overwhelming.
All that aside, God of War: Ragnarok absolutely nails so much of what it sets out to achieve. It's beautiful, with little to no technical flaws and really satisfying. Sony first-party titles are really special, something that gaming needs. Many of those games are must-play, and this is no exception.