Although it has not been confirmed, there's little doubt that God of War on PS5 is in the works. Kratos' latest adventure went over greatly with fans, despite the risks it took in restructuring the game world and even Kratos himself. The introduction of Atreus, a character who hit and miss with some, didn't do much to stop this momentum, and this immediately brings The Last of Us 2 to mind.
TLOU 2 took risks, and a lot of fans did not appreciate them. It introduced new characters players were made to hate, yet tried to show them that side of human in a post-apocalyptic world. Abby went so far that fans immediately rallied against her, while many criticisms of Atreus were just due to his power-hungry and obnoxious nature (he is God of War's Loki, after all). Either way, there's several reasons that a huge twist in The Last of Us 2 could easily happen in God of War.
The Last of Us 2: The Twist
There's a huge divide when it comes to the playerbase of The Last of Us 2. Many absolutely loved the game and praised it as a masterpiece, while many thought the exact opposite. However, there are some who find themselves in the middle ground, and one common concern here is the pacing of the story. Many feel that the twist becomes less of a plot point and more of a shock factor approach.
Specifically, because the gamer forces players to play as Abby just before she kills Joel and forces players to watch as Ellie, this initiating action makes it feel less important (even if the story itself makes it clear that it's super important). Players pursue Abby as Ellie, witness the event of the same few days as Abby to make her feel more human and empathetic, then finally play as Ellie as her pursuit of revenge consumes her. This causes some pacing concerns as it reduce's the big twist to shock factor when the same story, reset in certain ways, could have gone a lot further. Perhaps it would've been different if Joel were killed as more of the climax of The Last of Us 2 instead of the initiating action. And in this way, God of War may very well contain similar story elements but can do it better in terms of pacing.
God of War 5: The Death of Kratos
There's a good chance that Kratos dies in God of War, a fate many may be afraid of based on the game's ending. The mural found at the end of the game seemingly depicts the entire life of Atreus, as his mother could see the future, and the hidden panel that only Kratos sees is his death at the hands of Atreus. Obviously, the mural is up to interpretation, but it seems that the cycle of patricide isn't over. Zeus killed Cronos, Kratos killed Zeus, and Atreus may very well kill Kratos.
This type of foreshadowing may mean that breaking this cycle of patricide is part of the story, or it may mean players sees this manifest in God of War 5. It may be that Atreus kills Kratos intentionally or unintentionally, further developing his character, and Kratos finally meeting his death would be a controversial point for fans of the franchise. However, a better pacing means that God of War could follow the same story beats as The Last of Us 2 but in a more accepted way.
For example, having this happen at the start of the game and have players take over Atreus would be very strange, essentially using Kratos' death as the catalyst of the plot. No matter the context, or how it connects to other God of War 5 characters like Thor, it immediately sets the same tone and pacing as The Last of Us 2. However, players could still take on the role of Atreus (Kratos' presumed killer) in a way that makes the twist more memorable.
Instead of having Kratos' death be the instigating action, playing as Kratos up to the climax where he dies at Atreus' hands or somehow as a result of Atreus' action means players could see Atreus taking action against the gods while dealing with his own. Seeing that guilt manifest, seeing Atreus resolve it, and exploring the game's other story beats at this point would be more memorable in this way, effectively showing up The Last of Us 2 in terms of pacing.
God of War and The Last of Us 2 are out now for PS4.