When the original trilogy of God of War ended in 2010, five years after it began, few would conceive of the main character, Kratos, simply picking up his Blades of Chaos and leaving the realms of Greek mythology. In 2018, however, that’s exactly what the soft reboot game did, earning stellar reviews from gamers and critics alike.
It’s said by the game’s director, Cory Barlog, that Kratos used a boat to reach his new arena of Norse mythology, and that there’s a shared plane for the gods that our ancient civilizations wrote about. A scene in the game also notes three other mythical realms to discover. On November 9, 2022, we’ll see the second and concluding chapter of Kratos’ time in the Norse realms, with plenty more deities joining the story.
Once we’ve witnessed this next chapter for Kratos, the big question will be, where will the God of War series go next?
Upping the Norse in Ragnarök
In 2018’s God of War, we traveled with Kratos and Atreus as they met Mimir, Freya, Jörmungandr, Móði, Magni, Sigrún, and a whole host of lethal Valkyries. The first game also hinted at the arrival or, at least, the growing interest from Thor, and restricted the game to six of the nine realms. In God of War Ragnarök, there will be even more mythological figures in the story, and all nine realms will be open for exploration.
Perhaps the most craved character entering the fray is Thor. Ryan Hurst has done the voice recordings for the legendary God of Thunder, with the trailer showcasing a huge clash between Thor and Kratos. Along with Thor, the trailers have shown Fenrir, Angrboða, Durlin, and Týr – a son of Odin who has two unfortunate meetings with the great canines of Norse mythology.
Through other channels, we know of more characters set to join in the telling of the end of days. Odin was mentioned several times in the 2018 installment, predominantly via Mimir and Freya, and will almost certainly play a part in the upcoming game. We also know that Beyla, Hrist, Skuld, and Skjöldr will play a part in Ragnarök.
God of War Ragnarök brings with it more realms and more characters, offering gamers an even deeper look at the mythology. Mimir will continue to fill us in with tales and details about the deities featured in the story, and by the end, Kratos will be done with the setting. Being such a huge seller for Sony and a critical darling, there’s little doubt that there’ll be another God of War. The only question is: where will it be set?
Egyptian mythology looks like the natural choice
With Greek and Norse ticked off, the next best-known ancient mythology is that of ancient Egypt, which has been incredibly well documented and preserved. There are many larger-than-life figures in the myths and great tales for Kratos to find himself in the middle of, such as the rivalry between siblings Set and Horus, or the Book of Thoth – which is said to be filled with such profound wisdom that humans simply cannot possess it.
From a sales point of view, ancient Egypt continues to be a huge draw – especially with the power of modern technology behind entertainment pieces. You can look back to The Mummy of 1999 to see both Brendan Fraser’s best showing and an early big-screen craving for more Egyptian-themed movies. More recently, the Marvel series Moon Knight depicted Taweret, Khonsu, and Ammit.
Perhaps where ancient Egypt is at its most prevalent in entertainment media right now, though, is online casino gaming. While the top online casinos initially try to attract players with welcome bonuses like a 200 percent deposit match and free spins, it’s the games that ultimately make the decision. It’s because of this that the platforms load up with the most popular slots, including Book of Dead, Eye of Horus, and John Hunter & The Tomb of the Scarab Queen.
Should any more convincing be needed of the viability of ancient Egypt as the setting for the next God of War game, it was actually a concept that the team tried before sticking with Norse. Sony’s Santa Monica Studio crafted some concept art for Kratos and Atreus battling in a mythical Egyptian setting, but later in production, the director made the call to stick to Norse, which proved to be a superb call.
Japanese mythology has plenty to explore
Unlike many religions and ancient religions that we now term “mythologies,” Japanese myths don’t deal with an end of the world, instead focussing much more on tales of the moment and explanations of how the world came into existence. That said, Ame-no-Uzume did succeed in saving the world from an eternal night, and there are many among the pantheon who would give Kratos a run for his money.
Bishamonten, for example, could essentially be Kratos’ counterpart in a game, being the Japanese god of war and fortune. Fujin would, perhaps, be too powerful, as the wind god is so mighty that they cannot be one of evil or good. Just as the dwarves have in the Norse rune, Kagutsuchi could be the master craftsman that Kratos needs to equip him for his adventure into the new realm.
Central to Japanese mythology are the creatures, monsters, ghosts, and demons that are told throughout folktales and stories. These beings are bizarre, often very powerful, and conniving. The Kappa is a turtle-like goblin that lurks in shallow waters and is used as a cautionary tale by parents. Closely related is the Hyōsube, a vengeful creature that happily breaks into homes. Then, there’s a whole host of malevolent and benevolent yōkai, or the earth-shaking giant catfish, Namazu.
Also a PlayStation exclusive, Ghost of Tsushima did a superb job of immersing its players in the days of the Mongol invasions of Japan, combining slick gameplay with incredibly detailed settings. It received a multiplayer co-op mode after its release, Legends, that had you take on powerful demonic entities in a supernatural world inspired by Japanese mythology. Such a spooky realm would be great for Kratos to explore on a side quest.
After Ragnarök has been released and, quite possibly, swept up at the various game awards, the realms of Egyptian or Japanese myth look ideal for the Spartan’s next story. That said, Týr’s box in God of War also showed the Celtic symbol.
