In 2018, Sony Santa Monica Studios created the best mix of war and storytelling ever: God of War. God of War Ragnarok has a lot to live for and so far I’m happy to say that I’m loving the opening moments. I’ve had the opportunity to play through the first 5 or so hours and it delivered a compelling, emotional story with parts of Kratos half-sprinkling things during the touching opening moments.
If you’re unfamiliar with 2018’s God of War or just want a refresher, a bite-sized recap is available in the main menu. This has become a tradition for PlayStation games that I hope will continue. I like to block out a long period of time to dive into a new game I’m excited about (like God of War Ragnarok) and that synopsis lets us start this new adventure with the original leftover tone of voice. miss you
God of War Ragnarok: The Final Preview
And that tone, for Kratos and Atreus, is one of understanding and care between them. Today they have a common goal of survival and are working to stay safe during the 3 years long Fimbulwinter. During the opening scenes of Ragnarok, it is clear that Atreus is a very different person from his father. He takes longer to interact with animals, such as a wolf that pulls his sled, or an octopus that sends him a gift. He even chooses to approach a situation that his father clearly had other ideas about, as Kratos tries to give him advice, a lesson from his past experiences. uses as. Atreus has matured a lot in Ragnarok and you will literally hear that maturity speak for the first time.
The difference in personality strikes a wonderful balance between Atreus and Kratos. Atreus seeks to explore and uncover the mysteries of the world, while Kratos seems content keeping his head down, and more importantly, keeping his son safe. He struggles to accept that maybe he can learn a thing or two from his son, and also feels like he’ll need to learn to trust Atreus’ instincts on their journey together.
Atrus is getting old and with that age, he is becoming more independent. You could say that he respects his father, but he doesn’t always agree with how he sees things. Their relationship seems to have grown stronger since the time of God of War in 2018, but hiding in a snowy place protected by magic trees is enough for anyone to get out and explore. The first threat they face at the beginning of Ragnarok is Freya. She is still mourning Baldur’s death and seems inconsolable as well as an understanding of her son’s death. It becomes clear that the safe haven this father and son have created will not last long.
To tell the story of this pair, the entire drama of Ragnarok once again constantly brings back camera shots. We’re told by Bruno Velasquez, God of War’s animation director for Ragnarok, that it “makes the player feel like they’re going on that journey with Kratos and Atreus and you never leave them.” I have been quite successful in doing exactly that. Not only are you invested in every moment but the “Lookout” or “Shield Bash” shouted during battle can be the difference between life and death.
Velasquez tells us “we try to contact Ragnarok, the god of war. The story never really ends. So you always get a story told through the battle, even whole encounters.” In, the dialogue that takes place between characters outside of combat and the cinematics while you’re exploring. That’s why we always think that the story should never really end. There shouldn’t be a clear division. So by adopting that approach We find it helpful to solder or string the two together.”
And as expected they have succeeded in that goal. It really starts to feel like you’re on this journey together as the trio almost breaks the fourth wall by giving you tips on how to pass a particularly difficult battle with their warnings, or telling Norse stories. That’s when you paddle around the Aurwangar Wetlands. Swartlefyme.
Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir explore new areas such as the warm European climate found in wetlands, and the Jarnsmida Pitmines when they search for Tyr. The wetlands are the first time Ragnarok really opens up and allows you to look around. You are able to jump straight to the next story beat as clearly indicated by a big yellow icon prompting you to continue or get lost in various side tasks as seen in bright blue throughout the map. represented by an icon. There are collectibles to find like the Eye of Odin Ravens that return, to close battle-focused Dragur Holes, to open lore, apples, and legendary chests that will require some searching to loot. Oh, and of course a little extra hacksilver here and there. Lots of utensils to break into. I’ll admit that I also smashed several pumpkins I found in wetlands, but mostly just because they make a cool squishy sound when destroyed.
Do you know what else makes a cool squishy sound? A new Draugr mini-boss is known as Hateful because I dismembered her body after a battle. And thankfully, that won’t always mean Kratos is using his hands or blades, as the team has now added weapon-specific finishers.
“It’s one of the biggest pieces of feedback I got from the last game,” Bruno tells us. “So for the first time in a God of War game, we were able to do weapon-specific kills. So in previous games, you’d always be back in Blades of Chaos, or Kratos would just use his hands. But this time if If you have ax equipped, or if you have blades equipped, you’re going to get a different kill. And we’ve also added a few different types for each enemy variety.”
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And Hateful is one of the newest mini-bosses you’ll find at those dragon holes. These can be discovered if you like to go off the beaten path like me. If I know there’s a story beat coming up you’d better believe I’m going the opposite way to get every little item I can find before. And because I’ve opted to play on the hardest difficulty, it has gotten me into trouble with tough enemies from time to time.
Playing through the Give Me God of War setting is not for the faint of heart. Any mistake caused a great deal of health to evaporate, or my old friend met a “try again” screen. However, it also forces you to take your time, consider how each encounter unfolds, what armor you choose, and which shield will work best when perfecting your fairies. It is exhilarating to unwind on an island. If you’re going to jump on this difficulty as I did, Bruno had some combat tips to share.
“In God of War Ragnarok, we now have a lot more traversal and mobility that can be used in combat as well. So you can melee and prop yourself up to move forward which adds more verticality to combat. And it’s clearly an inspiration from previous games where Kratos could have done this before. We wanted to take inspiration from those old games and see how we could bring back some of those fan-favorite moves.”
One blessing that made this difficulty a bit more bearable was the midpoint boss battle checkpoints that show you mercy if you’re able to reach the second or third stage of the fight. Additionally, if you’ve managed to clear a checkpoint and are low on health, Kratos will be gifted enough to stop the rapid heartbeat noise of near death and help you find health scattered on the ground. Will get some time.
And in a short amount of time we’ve encountered tons of bosses, including a huge, very angry bear, a horrifically large lizard that spews a sphere of light onto you, and nefarious mini-bosses who use fire. And burn your life bar in the blink of an eye, none other than Odinson himself – Thor.
Thor’s fight was amazing. From his bravery throughout the fight to the way he taunted Kratos, the fight was a highlight and did not disappoint. To keep it somewhat spoiler-free by focusing on attacks, I’d say it wasn’t too hard to overcome, that the moves with the hammer were a lot of fun to dodge, and that the thunder slaps were a lot of fun for Parry and Thor. Follows up with a heavy attack on Noggin.
Each fight presents its own challenge, but my reward is timing it right and figuring out how to win each boss’s unique move. Part of that planning includes choosing the best skills to help you along the way. With the XP you gain in the new skill menu are unlocking abilities for Leviathan Axe, Blades of Chaos, and Atreus. These will increase your effectiveness in combat and a fun addition is that these abilities last longer the longer you use them. For example, my freezing throw for Leviathan X is silver, but my frost rush attack is still bronze. And one thing I’d love to see is the option to disable skills if they’re hurting you by messing up your flow in combat. Pro tip: Don’t sleep with the atria flat. His sonic arrows are legendary because they will stop enemies in their tracks or stop them from powering up to the next difficulty level.
Another part of the combat plan puzzle is who you choose to play as Kratos and what you don’t when it comes to your weapons. For example, Leviathan X has attachments that you can choose from like the Furious Maul which adds a Luck stat that will give the gift of strength on any X kill. Blades of Chaos has lethal obsidian handles that have little chance of bursting rage when any blade hits. And those are the only two options we’ve explored for weapons so far. There are also different shields to choose from that react very differently in combat and do a great job of lending to your play style.
The Dauntless Shield, my personal favorite, is considered high-risk high reward because you’ll need to get your parry timing right, but if you do you’ll be able to double tap the parry button and release that energy. You can get your enemy back. A huge hit of stun damage. In contrast, is the Stone Wall Shield which will absorb attacks if you use regular blocks as opposed to parry, and once charged will return those attacks as bursts of damage to nearby enemies.
And finally, don’t forget the fashion game. Kratos had fortified Husk Cuirass for Chest Armor which made it so that Blox and Parrys had a generous luck chance of empowering Kratos to strike off his next attack with a damning blast. A huge hit at the Draugar Hole Shunting Party, let me tell you. Vidar’s Pauldron of Might also gives combo finishers a high opportunity to increase Kratos’ strength and Stagger resistance for a set period of time.
On the wrist, I had fortified Husk arm guards, which when blocking, reduced unblockable attacks from behind and damage from attacks. Wither’s Bracers of Might then dealt damage to the combo finishers. At the waist, we had a strong husk girdle that reduced the damage done by unblocked attacks and attacks from behind while blocking. Vidar’s Belt of Might also dealt damage to combo finishers. By taking a look at these armor and weapons stats you can start to imagine that there are so many different ways to build yours. Do you go for more damage or play it safe and wear something that helps empower your more defensive blocks and fairies? It’s just the right amount of RPG without being too overwhelming. And all the apparel you wear is important because it also helps you build your playing style and each piece has its own strength or defense stats that you can consider as you level them up.
There are important options to consider for war. You can build for damage, stun attacks, runic attacks, or defenses, and these are important decisions you’ll need to make when managing resources. I’m moving to parries and stuns, which Velasquez points out are a great option for a player.
“You can actually finish enemies a lot faster if you stun them and then get to the finisher early. So again it’s giving the player more options. Certain things will allow you to do more damage, some will allow you to stun more. So it will be fun for the players to see what style of play they choose and what they are attracted to.”
Although it’s not for everyone, I love playing God of War this way. Fighting in Ragnarok is still efficient and using all the abilities at your disposal is the difference between life and death. Shoot arrows from Atreus to stop bosses from leveling up, be sure to swap out your ax to blade for effective area of impact flame damage, and new options for vertical climbing if you don’t get an annoying acid-spitting grim or nightmare to take advantage of. out of your case. Grimm is a new projectile-spewing Toad-like foe that I especially enjoyed watching Kratos dispatch in new and bloody ways.
However, one of the key elements of my build is the Atreus. His arrows do a lot more than just damage the stun as I unlocked a number of abilities for him that made him a very strong ally in a fight. Sonic Arrows will create a vortex that causes opponents to float in the air and makes them more vulnerable to stun. Atreus isn’t afraid to throw a punch or two in a fight.
“This time we wanted to expand his repertoire and show that he is more of a seasoned fighter now that he has been training with Kratos for 3 years during the Fimbulwinter. So we really took his So that when you’re near the enemy it doesn’t look like it’s relying only on its arrows. Then we have a lot of cool melee moves. He still jumps on enemies and kills them like in 2018. grabs and there are options where we allow Kratos to order a bit more than in 2018. So I think he has both the range and the close- mayhem above, it makes us feel it more natural. Allows him to cooperate and help Kratos during fights.”
As I reach the end of my preview window, I look forward to continuing my journey with Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir. I am incredibly excited about what has left for the team on the road ahead. I hope I’ve left you curious to hear more and you will be on Thursday, November 3 at 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM GMT / 5:00 PM CEST when our reviewers are here. Will post my thoughts on IGN. In the meantime, I have a few more enemies to gleefully piece to pieces.
