God of War Ragnarok review

God of War Ragnarok review: In Kratos and Atreus’ adventure to Nordic Mythology, we must destroy the enemies that await us and restore Atreus to health. We wrote God of War preview a couple of weeks ago. Let’s see what has changed since then.

God of War, which was released in 2018 and which PC players had the chance to play last January, was indeed a special game. We can say that it is one of the best examples showing how a series should change.

God of War Ragnarok review / PS5

Before we start the God of War Ragnarok review, let’s take a look at Kratos’ vengeful past and the story he left behind. It had shown that the hard knocking on the door, peaceful days are far away. The journey we set off with Atreus literally without rest continues from where it left off in God of War Ragnarok. After the first game we are sailing on a new adventure to the Ragnarok.

Although the first game was based on action and Nordic themes, there was actually a father-son relationship at the center of the story. God of War Ragnarok takes this relationship one step further and explores the changes in the characters.

Atreus shows that with the rebellious behavior of growing up, he is getting stronger and able to stand on his own two feet. Kratos, who is now even older, is proud of his son’s growth, but is not comfortable enough to give up his guard. Now he continues to grumble with that hard look that penetrates into her facial features.

Story

The story follows Baldur’s death, triggering Ragnarok, one of the greatest events in Nordic mythology. The game, in which brand new mysteries preoccupy us, has managed to keep the story alive. You are constantly wondering about the next step you will take and inhaling the details of this story, which is kneaded with mythology.

In other words, that detail mania we got used to from the first game has left its place to brand new stories. Even if they are not related to the main story, the new stories frequently told by characters such as Kratos and Mimir both prevent you by break off the game and reveal nice details. At this point, besides the main story, I would like to talk about the side quest system in advance.

Side Quests

In the first game, we were encountering side quests in terms of finding more items or low-level bosses. God of War Ragnarok has taken this event a few steps higher. In fact, I must say that one of my favorite details in terms of development lies in the side quests.

Of course, there are similar types of side missions, but especially character and mini-story-oriented side missions have increased the research and navigation of the game to a more successful level. You can finish the game without completing these missions, but these kinds of side missions are presented to the player in detail as if they are related to the main story.

Rush of the story

After the first game, where the story is almost rushed, God of War Ragnarok is in trouble of being a little more solid as a story presentation. We take frequent breaks throughout the story, digesting events and falling asleep, and witnessing the characters’ plans. I can say that I quite liked this process of storytelling. On the action side, of course, the same intensity has kept its place, but the feeling that the events happened in a few hours has left its place to a more settled story with this method.

Before the gameplay details, one more thing needs to be clarified. God of War Ragnarok sticks closely to the first game, both in terms of storytelling and gameplay. If you expected big changes of the game, it may upset you. Just as God of War and God of War 2, released in the 2000s, are two games of the same series, there is a similar situation in the new series. The game developed around that skeletal structure in the gameplay.

In other words, although Kratos is the main focus of the game dynamics, Atreus, who is next to him, is also very important. Atreus, who is far from that child profile, who develops himself in talent and whose hand trembles while shooting arrows, gets into the actions more.

Gameplay

God of War Ragnarok is a game that progresses vertically in terms of playground. In other words, Apart from the wars we fought on a single dimention, environmental elements were more prominent. With the chain, you can jump across and continue the battle, or you can attack the opponent by flying. Sometimes it is possible to throw logs and rock pieces towards the enemy. This structure made the strong combat system richer and more fluid.

Of course, let’s not forget that the Leviathan axe and Chaos knives, which we can call Kratos’s relics, are in our hands from the very first minute. It is very enjoyable to use both weapons. Moreover, with the new abilities unlocked, there is a considerable variety in the combo system.

Skills / Combos

The abilities, many of the features we are already familiar with have been further developed and added to Ragnarok. We find armor pieces, update them and make changes to Runic attacks, chamrs and factors such as attack, defense, cooldown luck etc.

You unlock new combos by updating the weapons we have in the skill system, of course. There are brand new features, but one thing I don’t like that we have to re-open skills we already know. I can understand it on major abilities, but re-activating smaller-based abilities that Kratos had his axe around was a bit annoying.

What I like about the skill system is that the experience points you collect are now separated. So you see Kratos and Atreus collect separate experience points. Thus, you are allowed to update the skill tree as you wish. There is no such thing as “No points left for Atreus”.

One of my favorite aspects of the first game, “one shot”, has kept its place. Moreover, this time it has a more great story. In this way, the already well-functioning dynamic has become much more enjoyable.

Boss Fights and Puzzles

It is not possible to write a God of War Ragnarok review and not mention the bosses. The lack of boss fights and puzzles in the first game was widely criticized. Ragnarok looks better in boss fights. There is also an increase in the variety of creatures and enemies in the game. However, I was expecting for huge boss fights of God of War in Ragnarok. On the puzzle side, there has not been much improvements. There are some innovations, but in general they are not very detailed.

Techcinal

God of War Ragnarok is not exactly a new generation game as you know. Since the PS4 version was also released, a hybrid structure was used, especially the level designs. The spaces built on the first one are wider this time. A much freer structure was used in the spaces we saw. So much so that there is a region that exists only for side stories, and this is one of the largest areas of the game.

The character details remain magnificent, especially in the main characters. You can see even the smallest embroidery on Kratos in detail. Moreover, despite the changing armour mechanics, the preservation of this detail has also shown how sensitive the team is working. I tested both PS4 and PS5 versions of the game. Both versions have nice touches in terms of detail. The difference is mostly seen in reflections and lighting.

On the other hand, you constantly feel the touch of mythology, as the game’s section designs are full of details. I also encountered some minor errors in the graphics, but not so much that they affect the game. We played the game on an early build, during which time it also received several updates. I think these minor bugs will be fixed when the full version is released.

With the new reinforcements in the voice-over, the team has kept its place. Names like Christopher Judge, Sunny Suljic and Danielle Bisuitti once again performed well. Other than that, I loved the character of Thor. Both the character’s place in the game and the voice acting are really great. Beside these names, my favorite is still Brok. The character, brought to life with the voice of Robert Craighead, radiates joy with his jokes.

Conclusion

Here is the end of God of War Ragnarok review. As a result, the new God of War Ragnarok is a quality game that follows the footsteps of the first one and that players will love in every sense. Although the story has very minor descents, it is decorated with details that you will play with excitement from start to finish and will attract your curiosity. Apart from the father-son relationship, it is really enjoyable to see the details of Odin’s being a god.

Yoo can preorder God of War Ragnarok from Playstation.com.