God of War Ragnarok had big shoes to fill, being the follow-up to the beloved 2018 release while shuffling the entire mythology of Ragnarok into one game. Santa Monica Studio has previously stated God of War's Norse Saga could have easily been a trilogy, but the developer didn't want to keep fans waiting for years for a proper conclusion. What's clear, though, is that Santa Monica didn't water down its game to fit everything into one title; in every way, God of War Ragnarok is an epic befitting its video game reputation and mythological source material.

God of War Ragnarok picks up a few years after the original game, with Kratos and Atreus facing the dangers of Fimbulwinter. The events of the first game, as well as the original Greek storyline, matter throughout the ensuing story, and the result is an epic story told across mythologies but centered on one family.

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Indeed, if God of War 2018 is about a father and son's journey, God of War Ragnarok is about the story of an entire chosen family. It's a story that brings the world-ending events of Ragnarok into the household of a family, complete with a father and son, out-there cousins, an odd uncle, a mother figure, and all the branching friends and familial connections. It manages to pack a lot of emotion into these situations, as each family member's relationship with the other is distinct, and the game doesn't shy away from frustrating, upsetting family dinners. Beyond even that, God of War Ragnarok weaves first love, grief, trauma, and more into its narrative in a way that is nothing short of a masterpiece.

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It's not all doom, gloom, and family drama either; God of War Ragnarok manages to thrust players into wartorn location after wartorn location, with enough levity occurring around it that the game feels incredibly well-paced. It speeds up, slows down, and sometimes stops in a way that allows the story to hit its high strides while enjoying its slower moments. It knows when to give players relief from the bigger events unfolding around them, as well as when to stick a knife in them in a surprising way. The story of God of War Ragnarok is nothing like what many fans would expect, and from start to finish, it's all the better for it. That's not to say there's not a weak plot point or two here and there, but the sum of God of War Ragnarok is greater than its parts.

This story is delivered thanks to a variety of actors, all of whom deserve rewards for their performances. Each and every God of War Ragnarok character feels distinct and sometimes raw, as players wade through a boiling pot of emotions. Kratos remains the lovable stoic, but his character arc shows how much he has grown. Atreus has fully come into his own too, although it's clear his journey is in much earlier stages than his father's. And every character players encounter, whether they be Aesir, Vanir, giant, or so on, has the emotional depth and character development fans would not expect of side characters in any game.

Narrative and characters aside, the combat has as much detail packed into every element as the narrative does emotion. God of War Ragnarok's combat is brutal, visceral, and the best part: evolving. It's easy to learn the basics, but it grows as players progress throughout the game. It does this without feeling like a game-long tutorial either, as players will unlock more skills as they gain experience, learn new combos, improve their weapons through various attachments and special attacks, and modify combat to their preference through the use of artifacts, enchantments, and more. By the end of the game, players will find themselves stringing together an impressive array of abilities and attacks, switching between Kratos' weapons flawlessly in the flow of combat, unleashing Atreus' various arrow types, and facing enemies of epic proportions.

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God of War Ragnarok's major boss battles are nothing less than breathtaking, retaining all the ferocity of the original and, at many times, pushing a player's mastery of their weapons. Trickling down, players will face several enemy archetypes thanks to the various locations in the game, though this does come with one drawback. Not every realm in God of War Ragnarok is created equally, with some feeling more like a small open-world game and others simply feeling like a small hub for activities. Players will spend a lot of time in a few of the realms and marginally less in others. But, depending on the realm, players may find themselves fighting through a lot of simplistic, fodder enemies like wretches and nightmares. This does improve as the game opens up in its later sections, but there is plenty of fodder to just unleash Kratos against.

As many no doubt know, Atreus accompanies Kratos throughout their entire journey in God of War. It is one of many games to utilize a gameplay companion system with dual protagonists like this, but suffice it to say, this system has been expanded tenfold in this sequel. With God of War Ragnarok, Santa Monica Studio set a new bar for any game that wishes to follow this gameplay format in the future, and it's going to be hard to live up to it.

God of War Ragnarok's story and combat feature a similar depth because they weave into and out of each other so easily. It feels so natural that sometimes the transition from gameplay to story is almost unrecognizable, creating powerful moments where it feels like players are just naturally intimidating someone when it's actually a cutscene. This very depth translates to the puzzles found throughout God of War Ragnarok, as they begin rather simple—throw the Leviathan Axe, burn something with the Blades of Chaos—but as the game progresses, they grow increasingly complex and unique. God of War Ragnarok is a journey through every single one of its features, and the game is all the better for it.

Combine this with God of War Ragnarok's impressive array of accessibility features, and it means that the game is better for everyone. These are quickly accessible in the game menu, and once players boot the game up for the first time, there are a ton of options to launch the game with. We cannot speak to if God of War Ragnarok covers every aspect of the accessibility spectrum, but it sure tries, and we found several options we've never seen before that made the game even better for us.

God of War Ragnarok is a once-in-a-generation game. It doesn't just live up to its high expectations, but it subverts them and expands beyond them all the same. There is nothing quite like it on PS4 or on the PS5 yet, and it would be hard for anything to live up to the same heights. God of War Ragnarok may not make full use of the PS5's features, as there is nothing necessarily groundbreaking that couldn't be experienced on a PS4, but it's absolute proof that vision, artistry, and creative direction far outweigh hardware.

God of War Ragnarok releases November 9 for PS4 and PS5. Game Rant was provided a PS5 code for the purposes of this review.

GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK
God of War: Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It serves as the sequel to God of War (2018) and the conclusion to Kratos and Atreus' journey through Scandinavia. Loosely based on Norse mythology, players will fight mythological creatures while witnessing the events of Ragnarok. 

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