God of War Ragnarok is the final installment of the series in the Norse realm. This conclusion to Kratos' Nordic adventure brings his story arc and character full circle from where we began in the original series. There are a range of items and references that relate to the original series which help us to empathize with Kratos and his past.
The surrounding characters and cast are also a beautiful reflection of who he could become and where his relationship with Atreus could land. With such a major change to the God of War formula in 2018, it can be difficult to see the relations to Kratos’ past; here are a few moments players may notice.
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The Blades of Chaos
This may be stating the obvious, but the Blades of Chaos are Kratos' biggest reminder of his past. These weapons feature throughout the game as players use them to take out enemies in large numbers. A large part of Kratos' story arc is learning to take these deadly blades that were used for evil and use them for good and for the benefit of others, not just himself.
At a late point in the story, Surtr, the giant that guards Muspelheim notices these blades and the primordial fire within them. This fire is then used to kickstart Ragnarok. Tyr also recognizes these blades when the player frees him from the Applecore mines in Svartalfheim. Tyr, the Norse God of War, is known for traveling the 9 realms and more. As players venture into Tyr's vault during God of War 2018 they see a range of items from both the Egyptian and Greek pantheon. This means he is very aware of Kratos' past.
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Deimos, Kratos' Brother
Although players don't directly see or meet Deimos during God of War Ragnarok, he is mentioned during a portion of the main story with Freya in Vanaheim. As players venture into Vanaheim with Freya to free her from her bonds placed by Odin. The pair discuss the events of the previous game, and the end of Baldur, Freya's son. As the player is responsible for Baldur's death, it puts us on edge whenever the player is with Freya, as she could turn on us at any point, and rightfully so.
However, Kratos opens up about his past life in Greece and empathizes with Freya through the loss of his brother. Deimos was taken from Kratos at a young age, as the prophecies told that a "marked warrior" would bring the end of Olympus. When Deimos was taken, Kratos decided to get a tattoo with the same markings as his brother to remember him. Unfortunately, when Kratos goes to retrieve his brother, Deimos is not too forgiving and turns on Kratos for revenge.
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Kratos' Daughter Calliope.jpg)
In the original God of War series, Kratos has his own family; a wife and his daughter Calliope. During our ventures with Freya in Vanaheim, we discussed Baldur and his unfortunate end. Freya says, "You think you can even begin to understand the pain of losing a child". This helps Kratos open up again about his past family and life in Greece.
After discussing his past, and the events that lead to the death of his daughter, Freya has much more sympathy for Kratos and gives her a stronger bond with the player.
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The Ghost of Sparta
Kratos is referenced as "The Ghost of Sparta" throughout the game by characters such as Tyr and Odin. This is a name that haunts Kratos as it directly references his awful actions in Greece that lead to the fall of the entire pantheon.
Although Kratos wants to dismiss his past and start a new life, he inevitably has to embrace the deadly god-killing side of his personality to defeat Odin and cause Ragnarok.
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The Sisters of Fate
During the mission in which Kratos is trying to find the Norns, prophecy tellers in the Norse realm, he begins to discuss the Sisters of Fate with Freya. These Sisters were able to predict and change the future, possibly for their benefit of themselves.
The Norns explain that they do not possess the ability to tell the future, only predict what someone will do based on their character the predictability of each individual. This makes Kratos realize they are different from the Sisters and he doesn't need to harm them to change the prophecies, only change his own actions.
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Life as a Spartan
Kratos began life as a Spartan warrior in Greece. There are numerous references throughout the game that relate to Kratos' past as a Spartan, but players get a sneak peek into his combat style when they receive the Draupnir spear.
When the Lady of the Forge crafts the Spear players see both the symbol of the Greek God of War and the Spartan symbol. Shortly after, Kratos explains that the spear is the first weapon all Spartans learn to fight with. Most fans believed players would wield Mjolnir as the third weapon in the arsenal. However, making this weapon a spear is an awesome callback to Kratos' birth as a soldier.
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Bonus: Mortal Kombat
Kratos was featured in Mortal Kombat 9 as a DLC character. This also came with its own storyline and plot that may fit into the lore of the original series. Mimir mentions this on a boat ride as he talks about "tournaments" that Kratos used to compete in.
Kratos chooses to dismiss these comments as he says he won't discuss this event. Does it mean Kratos' short adventure in the Mortal Kombat universe was indeed Canon to the story, or is this just a brief reference as an Easter Egg?
God of War Ragnarok is available now on PS5 and PS4.