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God of War Ragnarok is set to be released on November 9. Fans have been highly anticipating it for more than four years after 2018's masterpiece ended in a cliffhanger. The franchise has been critically acclaimed due to the generation-defining games Santa Monica Studios released.
Kratos was already one of PlayStation's biggest names, but with the last entry in 2013, the franchise needed something out of the ordinary to revive itself. In 2018, God of War was awarded Game of the Year, beating tough competition from Red Dead Redemption 2 and Monster Hunter: World.
This was already a brilliant achievement that made Kratos synonymous with PlayStation 4, but this only made Ragnarok's job harder.
God of War 2018 set the stage for the successor perfectly
Santa Monica's most significant achievement to date has been changing the main protagonist of the God of War series to the point where Kratos is an entirely different person but is loved by the fans all the same.
The franchise has always had prominent stories with massive implications that have affected the whole Greek world, which was utterly toned down in 2018 and left for its successor. The story unfolded with Kratos and his son trying to lead a simple life, hidden away from the dangers of the Norse world in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, an adventure was forced upon them after the unfortunate death of Faye - the woman in their lives.
On the route to spreading Faye's ashes from the top of the tallest mountain in the nine realms, Kratos tried to keep the journey simple. He didn't want to bother anyone and only hoped to protect his son. This was different from previous iterations, where Kratos actively asked for trouble and sought it out.
Throughout the journey, however, Kratos was forced into fighting and killing, something he did not ask for. Still, he only fought when necessary and never provoked conflict. Baldur was the only main antagonist in the game who was introduced to the players early on, along with Magni and Modi, the side protagonists Kratos had to fight because of a massive misunderstanding.
A fight against Odin and Thor was teased many times in the 2018 story whenever Mimir spoke of them. It increased players' expectations of an epic showdown at the end, but Baldur again greeted them. While there aren't too many antagonists in the 2018 game, the new storyline shows Ragnarok as an all-in-one experience with an ampler story, better gameplay mechanics, and comparatively improved graphics.
The 2018 game felt like a prologue and a set-up for a successor when seen through a macro lens. The previous iteration did not have much at stake, featured minor antagonists, and showcased a simple story. Yet, Santa Monica Studios made it the best game of its generation. The writers focused on the storyline to develop Kratos and Atreus' bond and develop their characters heavily, rather than large boss fights and brutal massacring.
God of War Ragnarok has more of everything - more side-quests, more significant events, bigger fights, and better gameplay mechanics. The new characters currently known to players are Thor, Odin, Tyr, Angrboda, Ratatosk, Durlin, Skroll & Hati, Fenrir, and presumably more will be discovered throughout the journey.
If the 2018 game sets a high benchmark with less, players can only wait to see how big the successor gets. Moreover, according to Cory Barlog, the Creative Director of the series, the Norse God of War games were planned to be a trilogy.
But mid-way through the development of Ragnarok, the publisher decided to compress the two games and complete all events in one. Rich Gaubery, the lead director of God of War Ragnarok, said:
“Whether the Norse saga was going to be a trilogy or just two games was something we debated a lot. There were obviously pros and cons for either approach. So, we waited for Cory Barlog to weigh in, and he did. And he said, ‘let’s do it in two’.”
Conclusion
It is undeniable that God of War Ragnarok will define the PS5 generation as its predecessor did. The reviews of the latest title are out, and to no one's surprise, the game has received perfect scores. It got to a bigger stage than its predecessor, given how the previous game conveyed the story and left significant implications for Ragnarok.
Moreover, the new game's release comes at the perfect time to be a PlayStation exclusive, with no competition around. Compare this release to when Elden Ring overshadowed Horizon Forbidden West. This year's Game of the Year award will likely be between Elden Ring and Ragnarok.
The latest consoles had not yet seen a generation-defining release, but God of War Ragnarok sufficiently filled that void.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
