PlayStation has released a God of War Ragnarok trailer showing off some of the exciting new combat abilities players will be able to wield when they dive into the brutal world of God of War Ragnarok. The video gives gamers an overview of some of the new additions and changes to combat in the upcoming sequel while avoiding any spoilers for God of War Ragnarok's story.
God of War Ragnarok is the sequel to Santa Monica Studio’s 2018 God of War and serves as a continuation to that game’s story. God of War 2018 was a re-imagining of the PlayStation classic designed to bring the gameplay in line with modern titles while toning down the edgy nature of previous games. Retaining the series’ trademark brutal combat while managing to tell a story with genuine emotional depth, God of War 2018 became an instant hit with many fans and critics, with a sequel teaser at the end of the game helping to build hype for a follow-up. It was announced in early October that God of War Ragnarok had gone gold ahead of its release on November 9th.
In a new trailer released on PlayStation's YouTube channel, gamers are given an overview of the new combat features in God of War Ragnarok by members of the game’s animation and visual effects teams. The video highlights how the development team has taken God of War 2018’s acclaimed combat and refined it, giving players more choice in how they approach combat in the game by letting them customize Kratos' weapons, abilities, and shields to suit their playstyle. Senior combat animator Roberto Clemente remarks in the video that the team wants players to feel rewarded when they defeat an enemy because the encounter was "fun and engaging," not because it was impossibly challenging.
Kratos isn’t the only character with new combat abilities in God of War Ragnarok, either, with his demigod son Atreus also gaining a new suite of abilities in the sequel. In a gameplay choice fitting with his age, the adolescent Atreus will exhibit much more independence during combat, taking initiative during enemy encounters rather than waiting to be told what to do. The father and son duo will also have an expanded set of interactions available to help solve the game’s puzzles and initiate environmental interactions. Sony Santa Monica recently said it had to edit some of Atreus voice actor Sunny Suljic’s dialogue for the upcoming game to account for the young actor’s changing voice.
God of War 2018 took one of the most beloved action franchises of recent decades and revitalized it, bringing it in line with the AAA titles of today and creating a modern classic. With enhanced combat, expanded accessibility features, and an epic story, God of War Ragnarok looks to be a more than worthy successor to that legacy and a must-play for fans of the original.
God of War Ragnarok launches on November 9, 2022 for PS4 and PS5.