Is God of War: Ragnarok as great as people say?
I have played every main God of War game since the first one on PS2, and Ragnarok is a superb addition. I am only talking the main ones – 1, 2, 3, the reboot / reimagined one from 2018, and now Ragnarok. They are insanely fun and the ultimate ‘I have had a stressful day and now want to unwind and kill stuff’ games.
But is the latest the best, and is it as good as people say?
The main characters and Ragnarok’s story
The narrative picks up three years after the last game. Ragnarok is a direct sequel to the first one and actually finishes the Nordic Gods story, which in this day and age is a miracle. I’m surprised they weren’t forced at axe point to make it a trilogy. This alleviated one of my concerns that this would be mostly filler, with you killing a major god but not any of the main ones, so that the story and epicness would mostly happen in the third one. Nope – this is a two-part tale and all the better for it.
This one features Atreus changing from boy to man and learning more about his background as a giant. This is happening while the main gang – Kratos, Mimir, Freya, Brok and Sindri – are working toward bringing down Odin. Because Odin sucks.
Other characters include Agrboda, Thor, Heimdall, Freyr, Tyr, Thrud and others.
Atreus and Kratos are working on their relationship, but after one argument, Atreus goes to work with Odin to help him assemble a mask that will grant all knowledge. This will help him stop Ragnarok.
I can’t really say much more without creating spoilers. So just know that Odin is the big bad, the realms are in danger, and only Kratos (with help from Atreus) can save the day by smiting the living crap out of everything he comes across. This includes huge monsters, little monsters, gods and goddesses, and lots of vases and pottery.
The characters are well imagined and well acted, with satisfying arcs and developments. I even felt a tear form in the corner of my eye at the end.
Gameplay and weapons – is it as fun kill stuff as in other games?
In the last game, I was a bit shocked that I was going to be using an axe instead of my twirly wrist blades. I was even more surprised when I realised the axe was awesome. Then, when I got the chain blades, I was wracked with indecision the whole time over which incredibly fun weapon to use.
In this game, you start with both, but you also get a shiny new spear and a shield that is more useful and can also attack and stun. The spear is cool, but not as great to use as the axe or blades. It’s pretty essential at times, though. I guess I’ve been spoiled. The shield can be fun once you’ve mastered it.
Generally speaking, killing, smiting, and being an aggressive God War have never been more fun. It has always been fun, it is the principal joy of the game, but the reboot has managed to up the ante with axes, an arrow shooting helper, more monsters and generally smoother gameplay. Apart from the new weapons, killing stuff with the axe or the whirling blades feels even better in Ragnarok than even the 2018 game.
Finding a new region, discovering the angry creatures there, and then going all-out aggressive on them is so much fun and incredibly satisfying. As are the boss fights. As these fighting elements are the main meat of the game, this is a massive plus.
My only real negatives are the maps and that some things are blocked off until later
God of War: Ragnarok isn’t perfect, though, and there were a couple of things that I thought could be improved.
The maps reminded me a bit of the recent Star Wars Jedi games in that they are pretty useless. Pure exploration is fun, but when you have a specific task and can’t figure out how to get there, it can be annoying.
I know people like some of the puzzle stuff, but I spent ages trying to do certain bits, only to find out I needed the spear (this was early on), or needed a different companion, or it was the wrong time of day or whatever. I enjoy this sort of thing with Tomb Raider, but with God of War, I just want to kill stuff. Boss fights and working out how to defeat certain baddies are all the puzzle I need in a GoW game.
Also, I get annoyed in any game where the protagonist can use a grappling hook to shoot across to different platforms, but can’t seem to jump over something chest-high. Or they can smash through a wall, but can’t clear a small pile of debris.
These are general game things, I guess, but I am still going whine about them.
So is God of War: Ragnarok as good as they say?
Yes it is. There you go. The title has been answered. The characters are great, have decent arcs, and are well-acted. The design and combat system are immensely satisfying and fun. It’s a good length and enjoyable to play.
Ragnarok came out in 2022, so this review is a bit late. As a huge fan, I was going to play it, but I was waiting for a sale. Because I am cheap. Instead of going on sale, it appeared on the PS5 game catalogue for free, which is why I am reviewing this now.
So if you are late to the game (figuratively and literally), I can summarise this whole post with – God of War: Ragnarok is awesome. Highly recommended.
If you don’t have access to the PS5 games catalogue, you can check out God of War: Ragnarok here. (Affiliate link.)