Playing with emotions is dangerous: gamers know it well, who day after day in this era of remakes and reinterpretations, sometimes find themselves with a heart broken by unfulfilled promises and choices that are not in line with what the fan expected. He knows it even better Kratos, the Spartan who, driven by revenge, exterminated all of Olympus and then went to live as a human where the Norse gods walk. But we know, putting a match next to the card is dangerous, and if the card in question is made of gods who are decidedly disinclined to peace and terrified of an impending event that will end it all, then the fire is sure to flare up. Let’s start with these premises for the review of God of War Ragnarokdirect continuation of the previous chapter of 2018, ready to tell us what happens after that ending seen a few years ago.
It is strange to think of the juxtaposition of Kratos, a symbol of fury and revenge, with everyone those fans who already in 2018 had not taken the change of pace of the game well, gone from an isometric hack ‘n’ slash to an over-the-shoulder camera and more thoughtful, calmer (but obviously no less violent) gameplay. The style that Cory Barlog imposed that sort of restart (we cannot call it a reboot given the direct connection with the previous titles) was very different from what colored Greece in the games released on PlayStation 2, yet he managed to return something, a feeling that brought back to the same all the way towards that saga that began years earlier. Barlog gave up the baton for this second chapter, passing it to Eric Williamsa less social character but who boasts a decidedly remarkable connection to the series.
We are talking about a designer who was behind the combat system of the first chapters, and then help in creating and reinventing the saga in 2018: the choice to upset everything, removing some dynamics such as even the jump, was born from a chat between Barlog and Williams. Tremendously projected towards the future, God of War Ragnarok, however, has more of the past than it may seem, especially in the combat system.
The scars of the past
God of War Ragnarok, like its predecessor, is well anchored in the original saga. Even if the same Kratos in the previous title he had decided to leave the past behind, it seems that now this is peeking out in a more disruptive way: it is not necessary to see the iconic tattoo of Kratos, made to pay homage to the brother Deimosnor the scar on the right eyereceived “as a gift” by Ares during the kidnapping of his brother, or the one on the abdomen made with the Sword from Zeus, to remember how much the Phantom of Sparta has been through. On the other hand, there will be moments in which these memories will even flow as dialogues between various characters, creating much deeper contexts and really exciting parallels (also because let’s remember, even if Atreus it could make us forget, that Kratos he already had another wife and daughter, both of whom died in his hands).
We can also see beyond the appearance though: the scars that tell the relationship between father and son, made of a grown Atreus who begins to have firmer ideas about his destiny, but also those that Odin reveals, choice after choice, showing the terror of Ragnarok and how he is doing everything to avoid it. In short, God of War Ragnarok it distances itself from its predecessor in two important respects: the first, of course, concerns the tone adventure, this time always told with the style that made the 2018 game original, but at the same time more profound, multifaceted, articulated.
I also acquire value secondary characters, now no longer simple extras within the adventure of Kratos and Atreus, but detailed and with revealed past that will make interpersonal situations really more dynamic. Each dialogue is even more layered and each word has its weight, even when it is said in a different context and therefore brings to mind memories or situations, pleasant or unpleasant. We are facing the direct evolution of that narrative that in 2018 had fascinated thousands of gamers, and which now becomes even more brilliant and refined, bringing us to all intents and purposes an unforgettable journey, full of meaning. The scars, however, also serve to remember our mistakes, and perhaps some errors of 2018 have been fixed, considering that the second aspect on which it distances itself from God of War, albeit not too much, is the combat system.
Pass me the ax
Play God of War and then put your hand right after a Ragnarok it could be alienating, but having played the first title at the exit and this after 4 years instead could make you go unnoticed a change of pace: enemies that stay longer in the airfaster combos and dodges and a combat speed accelerated just enough makes this new combat system much more adrenaline, closer to the original titles than it was God of War on the other hand, even the RPG part becomes even more profound, with unlockable abilities, equipable items and customizations elevated to the nth degree compared to before, to the point of making Kratos closer to the your Kratos than it has ever been, and with the ability to find your own way into the game world. God of War Ragnarok boasts the best combat system of the serieswithout a shadow of a doubt, thanks above all to the feeling that your shots will have when you see the enemies receiving the backlash at every single direction in which your weapons will go to rage.
We do not go into detail on this topic, since some things could bring you not so much spoilers, but logical deductions capable of ruining the experience, yet it will be enough for you to know that now you will really have to play a lot more than fine, both based on what you will equip (since even the skills may have upgrades focused on a specific style), and based on which areas you will face. Speaking then of the enemies, these have been improved in terms of differentiation, inserting specific styles and therefore leading the player to have to live more reasoned battles, understand how to exploit the environment and attack in a precise way, otherwise death will be certain. Unfortunately, the violent killings he had given us were few Kratos in previous titles, not so much for cruelty (since they are also just as violent here, albeit less bloody) but for the repetitiveness that will give you killing dozens of identical enemies (since the areas will have more or less a couple of types of creatures to kill )
Sore point even the biggest battles: the boss fightalthough they offer really fantastic ideas to grasp in order to kill the monster or being in front of us, there are not so many quick time events anymore ready to put on a show, instead in favor of more freedom towards that combat system that is now less scripted and more articulated. In short, it is difficult to define whether this step is positive or negative, because it depends on the eyes with which you look at it, whether with those of the long-time fan, or with those of the gamer looking for deep gameplay.
God of War Part II
We had a hint of it in the previous article where we had given our first impressions, but now we are sure: the connection between this game and the previous one is really that deep to make Ragnarok a real seamless sequel. The game opens some time before the ending seen in the previous iteration, with a story that takes up those dynamics and brings them to fruition. Everything that was done by Kratos and Atreus three years ago pushes the gears of destiny towards Ragnarok, and this will be the engine that will lead the two to travel and seek old and new allies (or enemies). Thanks to a philosophy that I think Sony is applying to its First Party titles, in reality God of War Ragnarok is much closer to its predecessor in terms of plot and gameplay than it was. The Last of Us Part II or Horizon Forbidden Westas if to show everything as if it were the same game, only refined, improved and made even closer to perfection.
This story is articulated within a sort of linear but open world, capable of giving space when needed but also of making everything damn linear when there is to run towards the next goal. All this translates into open areas available in the various kingdoms, capable of hiding missions that we would feel ungrateful to define as secondary due to the depth they bring in terms of the plot (since they still add interesting curiosities) and for the design itself.
Speaking of design, the game world takes on some of the settings already seen in the past, but “updates” them thanks to the Fimbulwinter, a three-year winter that precedes the Ragnarok and that disrupts the ecosystem of all 9 kingdoms. Here then is that kingdoms already visited have different styles, as if we were going on vacation to that place we visited as children, but which now – due to being grown up or the passage of time – is different and at the same time the same. Strong then the presence of backtrackinga consequence of some areas of the maps that you will visit that you will not be able to unlock without certain objects or skills, and of environmental puzzlesmuch more present in terms of number compared to the previous chapter but still pleasant (even if a couple of times they came very close to the threshold of boredom, fortunately without ever exceeding it).
Finally arriving at the technical sector, the dubbing in some phases is affected by some intention that is too (or too little marked), not so much in the two protagonists but in the secondaries, who in any case will spend time talking with the characters and therefore, unfortunately, will unintentionally make these small defects known. The game engine manages the aesthetic style very well, which on PlayStation 5 could seem very close to its predecessor (not so much for a limit of Ragnarok, as for a quality above the average of the previous one), but the particle effects and details will leave you speechless. The choice to put those little tricks used for uploads remains unknown, considering that the PlayStation 5 SSD succeeds in games like Ratchet & Clank to have impressive speeds, but perhaps this could be the only aftermath of the previous generation, since God of War Ragnarok will also arrive on PlayStation 4. Too bad for the DualSensevery little exploited in this game, perhaps due to a development laziness that could have really given much more on this side and which instead boils down to some resistance on the dorsal triggers.
Review
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God of War Ragnarok (Tested on PS5)
9.5Final vote
This new chapter picks up where we stopped, exactly the next second, to bring us to grips with this Ragnarok that terrifies Odin so much and that is studded with confused prophecies to the point of making us miss the Greek Fates, in comparison as clear as a dictionary. . Technically excellent, DualSense and some aesthetic choices are affected by the cross-gen nature of God of War Ragnarok, but otherwise we have a direct continuation that brings us new adventures of Kratos and Atreus. Only now everything is deeper, from the combat system even more frenetic (finally) to the characterization that this time sinks even more roots towards a layered and deep detail. Beating up creatures during Fimbulwinter has never been this fun.
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