2018’s God of War is getting a sequel, which will come as no surprise to fans who reached the end of the last game. The soft reboot of the franchise ended with the reveal that Kratos’ son, Atreus, was given another name by his late mother which hints at his role in Ragnarok: Loki.
The God of War Ragnarok sequel should have a lot of fun with Atreus’ new-found identity. If the game keeps Atreus and Kratos together like they were for the majority of the last installment, seeing Atreus become the mischievous god he was born to be could be very interesting. Even if the two are separated, there are some huge events which happen to Loki in the mythology of Ragnarok which could set up some memorable scenes in the God of War sequel’s story.
Atreus the Trickster
Loki is the god of mischief and deceit, or “svik,” the Old Norse word carved in runes above Atreus on the final panel of Jotunheim mural from God of War 2018. In the last game, Atreus was playful and kind, but also increasingly violent as the story progressed. This is best shown when he impulsively kills Modi, one of Thor’s sons.
The God of War Ragnarok sequel could have a lot of fun exploring how Atreus begins to change as he forms a new relationship with his “svik”. If the game follows the mischief route, players could see Atreus become increasingly risk-prone and impulsive in combat, perhaps leading Kratos into some hilariously sticky situations. It’s also possible that the game will take a darker path with Atreus’ deceit, with the boy becoming less of a trickster and more of traitor.
One likely route is that Atreus will fall more into the playful trickster characterization earlier on, but that, in a moment of intense emotion like his killing of Modi, Atreus could turn on Kratos. Seeing how Atreus begins to become the Loki fans might expect from Norse mythology could be one of the most interesting parts of the game, giving it a flare of dramatic irony.
Atreus in Ragnarok
There are some major events which surround Loki during Ragnarok as well which could be fascinating to see play out in-game, though some of them are described in grizzly detail. In the mythology, Loki is punished from indirectly causing the death of Baldur by being imprisoned beneath the earth, bound in his son’s entrails as a snake drips poison onto his face. Thor’s arrival in God of War’s secret ending could be with the intent of imprisoning Atreus in a similarly tortuous way in order to try to prevent the events of Ragnarok taking place.
It will also be interesting to see what relationship Atreus has with the characters and beings who, in the myth, are supposed to be his children. Fenrir, the wolf that will eventually eat Odin during Ragnarok, is said to be one such child of Loki. Perhaps God of War's Ragnarok will play with a more metaphorical use of the word “child,” or will find another way around the connection.
In any case, players will be watching Atreus carefully in the next game for any hint that he’s becoming the Loki fans expect. From its playful possibilities to its dramatic ones, the God of War Ragnarok sequel puts players in a unique position, wondering how certain prophesied events will play out more than what exactly those events will be. Whether this will lead to a story as compelling as the first game’s, however, remains to be seen.
The God of War sequel is in developement for PS5 with a release window of 2021.