The popular God of War series is known for its exploration of famous mythologies. The series originally centered around Kratos, a man consumed by his desire for revenge against the Greek pantheon that wronged him. Over the course of the first three games, and a few spin-offs, he wipes out most of the Olympian gods. When it came to bringing Kratos back for 2018's God of War, the developers at Santa Monica Studio decided to shift towards Norse mythology, and it proved a massive hit. Once the Norse storyline is concluded, it is likely future games will see other mythologies make an appearance.
One of the possible options for a future game is Egypt, a concept the developers themselves have expressed interest in. 2018's God of War even hinted at this possibility with Egyptian artifacts appearing in Tyr's vault. Egyptian mythology has a lot to cover, including its share of strange monsters and the iconic array of animal-headed gods. There are lots of interesting characters to choose from that would work nicely in an Egyptian-themed God of War. Some of these would make great bosses, some would make great allies. But all of them would be interesting characters to see brought to life.
6 Ammit
- Photo by Olaf Tausch, from the Temple of Hathor in Deir el-Medina
As is common in many religions, Egyptian mythology held the belief that a person's soul would be judged after death. In this case, it was a ceremony in which Anubis would weigh each person's heart against the Feather of Truth. If the heart was lighter, the person was deemed virtuous and permitted into the afterlife. However, if the person had been cruel in life, their heart would be weighed down and fed to Ammit, a monstrous creature traditionally depicted as a strange cross between a lion, crocodile, and hippopotamus. To the Egyptians, this monster that would deny them access to the afterlife was terrifying.
A creature like this would be a logical boss fight for Kratos, especially since God of War is no stranger to exploring mythological afterlives and has done so in both its Greek and Norse iterations.
5 Apophis
- Photo Credit: Assassin's Creed: Origins
Ammit may seem frightening, but she pales in comparison to Apophis, the other monster of the Duat. Apophis is the Egyptian god of chaos and darkness, typically portrayed as a giant snake (or, in some cases, a crocodile). There are a few different stories about exactly where he came from, but generally it is agreed that Apophis is a force of evil who constantly has to be held back. This has led to a rivalry with the sun-god Ra, who repeatedly has to thwart Apohis's relentless attempts to stop the sun rising. Some players may recognize Apophis from the dream sequence in Assassin's Creed: Origins, where Bayek has to fight him while crossing the Duat.
God of War is no stranger to gigantic bosses, or giant snakes, so a creature like Apophis would fit right into the standard gameplay. The Assassin's Creed sequence can offer some insight into what such a boss battle would look like, but God of War could go a few steps further. While Bayek was limited to a raft and only able to perform ranged attacks with arrows, Kratos could spend the fight climbing all over the monster. They could even have a stage that involves gatting going inside, possibly having to navigate Apophis's innards similar to the Midgard serpent, or attacking from the inside out like Kronos in God of War 3.
4 Imhotep
- Photo Credit: The Mummy
Imhotep is a strange case, as he was an actual historical figure that was later mythologized by the Egyptians. Contrary to what The Mummy would have fans believe, Imhotep was a widely-respected genius who made breakthroughs in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and architecture, although he became best-known for constructing the first pyramid. He would go on to advise several Pharaohs, before being deified and incorporated into Egyptian myth for his accomplishments.
The most logical way to use Imhotep would be casting him act as an ally He could serve the function of providing Kratos with new gear, similar to Brok and Sundri, as well as giving him the means of accessing more difficult locations. There could even be a side quest that incorporates his architectural skills with Kratos trying to help him build something.
3 Isis
- Photo Credit: Smite
Isis was the wife to the original king of the gods, Osiris, and would become a queen in her own right putting her in a similar position to Hera in Greek mythology or Freya in Norse mythology, though often described as being far more compassionate than Hera. She also acts as a fertility and nature goddess, similar to Demeter. Her most famous story involves a quest to resurrect Osiris after he was murdered by his jealous brother, Set, for the Throne. When that was complicated by Osiris's body being chopped up and scattered by Set, Isis went out of her way to put them all back together and managed to briefly resurrect him, despite the minor setback of a missing phallus. She was also at one point accompanied by giant scorpions.
Isis would be a logical ally for Kratos, possibly filling a similar role to Freya. There are some crazy things in her myths the developers could take advantage of, like her use of magic. Her grief over losing Osiris could also be used as a possible motivation for helping Kratos. She might be on his side out of a desire for revenge against Set or the hope of seeing her husband again, or perhaps she just wants to make sure Set cannot harm anyone else the same way he hurt her. It would also be nice to see a less sexualized depiction of Isis, which would help her to stand out from other depictions such as Age of Mythology and Smite.
2 Set
- Photo Credit: Doctor Who: The Pyramids of Mars
The famous Egyptian god of destruction has a complicated place in Egyptian mythology. Depending on the era, he could be widely loved or feared, but he would become better known as a malevolent deity and the embodiment of chaos. His most famous story involves him trying to steal the throne by killing his brother, Osiris, chopping up his body, and then scattering the pieces. This worked until he was challenged by Osiris's son Horus, starting a prolonged conflict that led to some very strange occurrences. Set has sometimes become the go-to character whenever a mythological "bad guy" is needed in Hollywood movies such as Gods of Egypt and 2017's The Mummy. He even made it into an episode of Doctor Who.
From a design standpoint, Set would be an interesting character to see brought to life. While Set is traditionally depicted having a human body with an animal head, similar to other Egyptian gods, historians have never been able to determine what animal it was based on. There are various theories, but nothing has ever been conclusively determined. It would be cool to see how this aspect of him is rendered in a 3D world. In terms of gameplay, it would make sense for Set to be a major antagonist. Kratos might have to encounter and fight him several times before he can be defeated, similar to Baldur in 2018's God of War.
1 Sobek
- Photo Credit: Assassin's Creed: Origins
The crocodile god known as Sobeck was both loved and feared by Egyptians. He was closely tied to the Nile and associated with fertility, something that earned him reverence, but his borderline feral personality and unpredictability offered more than a few reasons to be wary. Unsurprisingly, he was also closely tied to crocodiles, especially the massive ones found in the Nile that would have terrified people in Egypt. This connection led to some strange practices that included mummifying crocodiles, and domesticating them as "sons of Sobek." Some players may recall seeing one such crocodile in Assassin's Creed Origins.
There are a few ways Sobek could be taken, but he would probably make the most sense acting as a boss for Kratos to face. In keeping with his reputation as a predator with a habit of eating anything (including the god Osiris in one instance), the fight could be motivated by Kratos trying to recover something he has consumed and maybe even see Sobek trying to eat Kratos. The developers would undoubtedly want to take advantage of his relationship to crocodiles. Giving him the ability to summon giant crocodiles would be one way to do it, but it could also come in the form of him having crocodile-based attacks.