After years of rumours, Amazon has confirmed that a God of War series is coming to its Prime Video streaming platform.
Beyond the fact that a God of War series is in the works, little else is known about the project other than the fact that Rafe Judkins (The Wheel of Time) will be the showrunner along with Children of Men writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, as producers and writers.
Though it’s still unclear, it seems like the series will focus on 2018’s critically acclaimed reboot of the God of War series rather than earlier entries in the franchise or the more recent Ragnarök.
“When his beloved wife dies,” reads the TV show’s description, “Kratos sets off on a dangerous journey with his estranged son to spread her ashes from the highest peak — his wife’s final wish. Kratos soon realizes the journey is an epic quest in disguise, one which will test the bonds between father and son…”
Rumours regarding a God of War TV show first appeared in March, 2022.
“The God of War is a compelling, character-driven franchise that we believe will captivate our global customers as much with its expansive and immersive worlds as its rich storytelling,” Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios, said in a press release.
It’s unclear who will play Kratos, though Christopher Judge, the voice of the iconic character, is very interested in taking on the role.
In other video game TV show-related news, HBO’s and Sony’s The Last of Us premieres on January 15th. Sony is also working on TV adaptations of Horizon and Twisted Metal.
At times, it can be pretty isolating; you feel like you don’t really belong to either of the radically different groups that make up your background. For me, that’s being British-Canadian on my mum’s side and Guyanese on my father’s. In social settings with either parent, you become consciously aware that you stick out like a sore thumb. I’m not quite white, I’m not quite brown, so what am I? Making everything murkier for me is the fact that I’ve long had a strained relationship with my emotionally abusive paternal half of the family, and, consequently, my feelings about that part of me are complicated, to say the least. As a result, I’ve often felt like I need to carve my own path — to find my own sense of identity.
*Warning: this story contains full spoilers for God of War Ragnarök*
Much to my surprise, then, when I discovered just how central this conflict was to God of War Ragnarök, the latest big-budget game from PlayStation and developer Santa Monica Studio. In Atreus, protagonist Kratos’ teenaged son, I saw a young man who embarked on a journey much like my own. He, too, has an intricate mixed lineage, and this leads him on a similar search for his own identity. That he also has a difficult relationship with his father only made him more relatable to me. Over the course of Ragnarök‘s 20-plus-hour campaign, I was deeply engrossed in ways I hadn’t been with most games. And when Ragnarök came to an end, I found myself balling. Through Kratos and Atreus’ story, I felt seen, and it created one of the most deeply cathartic experiences I’ve ever had in games.
The wolf that always seeks its own kind
God of War (2018) ended with the shocking reveal that Atreus was actually Loki. His mother, the Jötunn (Giant) known as Laufey, concealed this from both Kratos and Atreus, and it sets up the boy’s arc in Ragnarök. On top of hoping to prevent the prophesied Norse apocalypse, Atreus seeks answers about his past. Who were the Giants? Who was his mother? What’s his role in all of this? Immediately, this connected me to Atreus in a way I hadn’t been in the previous game.
And just a few hours in, Ragnarök further deepens that connection by actually letting you play as Atreus. While many expected this would happen, I certainly didn’t think it would so early in the game. By doing it then, though, Santa Monica Studio was able to achieve wonders. Structurally, it served to shake up the pace of the game by giving us a character who played remarkably different from Kratos. The way Atreus gracefully zips around the battlefield, leaping and twirling and hammering enemies with his bow, makes for a wonderfully refreshing gameplay experience from the slower, heavier Kratos, diversifying the game’s already really damn good combat. It also helps that actor Sunny Suljic, who’s grown so much since the last game, does a great job of bringing Atreus to life.
But narratively, taking control of Atreus only enhances his coming-of-age story. In God of War (2018), he was a support character, effectively teeing up enemies for Kratos to finish them off while relying on his father to literally carry him around everywhere. In Ragnarök, though, we see — or rather, experience — how independent Atreus has become. In the three years since the last game, he’s grown, and it’s led him to become independent. He can think on his own, fight on his own and climb an entire mountain on his own. By embodying Atreus, we can fully appreciate how he’s starting to become his own man. Best of all, he does this, consciously or not, by leveraging both sides of himself — marrying the best of both worlds of his lineage. The survival lessons from his father, coupled with the magic of his mother, have helped shape him into a capable warrior.
This was all rather touching to see. As someone who’s been estranged from his father for several years now, I can fall into the trap of trying to distance myself from that side of me. Brown people and culture can bring up unpleasant memories and push me to withdraw. But in Atreus, I saw someone who was empowered by embracing both halves. I saw someone who often felt lost and desperate like me, but didn’t run away from what made him who he was. If anything, it only helped motivate him in his journey. It reminded me that you don’t have to be defined by family, but what you take from them, on either side, can truly be beneficial.
The bear that keeps to his own line
The other side of the coin, of course, is Kratos. Part of the brilliance of the Norse God of War games is the fact that they don’t shy away from their past; all of the previous Greek mythology-inspired titles actually inform the current story. In this way, Santa Monica Studio contextualizes the central “father-child” dynamic far more deeply for me than the many other games that have tackled similar subject matter, be it The Last of Us, The Witcher 3 or Telltale’s The Walking Dead. We’ve seen the vengeful, loathsome, even evil man Kratos has been, and that adds significant weight to everything he now does.
What this means is that Kratos is a deeply flawed character and, as a result, an utterly believable and true-to-life father — one not unlike my own. While we understand Kratos’ efforts to protect his son stem from his guilt over the deaths of his previous family, that doesn’t change the fact that it leads him to exhibit decidedly toxic behaviour. His inability to properly show his love for Atreus, on top of his coldness and emotional unavailability and overbearingness, only serve to push Atreus away. These actions mirrored those of my own father, who often wasn’t around or, when he was, demanded respect and obedience without ever extending any of that to me. Kratos is even advised against this behaviour early on by Mimir, with whom he now shares a surprisingly close bond. “Brother, he’s going to walk his own path,” says Mimir. “If you don’t want him walking away from you, then smarten up and walk with him awhile.”
And sure enough, Atreus does walk away — repeatedly. At first, it’s in small ways, like sneaking out with Sindri behind Kratos’ back, but this later manifests in more dangerous excursions. Take Jötunheim, where Atreus finds himself after Kratos effectively told him to shun his Loki side because “you are Atreus, my son, and nothing more.” Here, Atreus comes across Angrboda, a kind, bubbly young woman for whom he starts to develop feelings. Together, they explore the mythical Ironwood forests in a significant departure from the main Ragnarök quest. For some people, this section was “too long and absolutely boring,” but it’s one of my favourite parts of the entire game.
On the one hand, Ironwood serves as a lovely respite from the harrowing apocalypse that loomed in the background, instead giving us an infectiously sweet back-and-forth between Atreus and Angrboda. In God of War (2018), Atreus really only gets to spend time with adults — chiefly his cold, hardass father. Now, though, we see a new side of him; he gets to just be a kid. The sense of youthful innocence on display between the pair is utterly endearing, reminding me fondly of Ellie and Riley hanging out at the mall in The Last of Us: Left Behind. When Atreus races through the mountains with Angrboda, Bear McCreary’s cheerful and adventurous “A Son’s Path” blasting in the background, I had a massive grin on my face. In many ways, Atreus and Angrboda are the beating heart of Ragnarök, the future that Kratos will inevitably commit to fighting for.
But beyond that, Ironwood made me feel even closer to Atreus. Narratively, this section is as long as it is because the lad wants it to be. He doesn’t want to go back home and deal with all of that drama. After so much conflict with his father, who fails to accept him for who he is, Jötunheim offers an alluring sense of escapism, and he’s fully drawn in by it. For me, this hit close to home. Since my mum worked long, late nurse shifts, I’d have to spend a few days of each week with my father. Needless to say, that was not my preference. So, that sense of dread that Atreus felt in having to go back to his father, and his desire to prolong it as much as possible to be around a much warmer presence? Well, I got that.
Ragnarök also captures the little intricacies of an angsty teen who nonetheless has legitimate grievances with his father. After Ironwood, when Kratos returns from Vanaheim with Freya, he goes to confront Atreus about where he’d been. Mimir had asked him to consider a measured approach, but Kratos, acting out of frustration, rather forcefully declares “He will tell me where he’s been.” Naturally, this quickly leads to a heated fight, with Atreus upset that his father doesn’t trust him, and Kratos thinking that he’s recklessly plotting to seek Odin to prevent Ragnarök. With haste, the rest of their allies take Kratos’ side, essentially ganging up on Atreus by doing so.
Now, is Atreus being foolhardy for considering such things without much in the way of an actual plan? Absolutely! But Kratos and the group’s complete lack of empathy for this clearly scared and conflicted teen just leads him to feel even more alone. Everyone stands around and berates him — of course, he’d lash out, run away and do the exact thing he was told not to do. It brought back vivid memories of all the times I’d spend the summers in Florida to visit family, where everyone would take my dad’s side and make me out to be the villain. Was I perfectly behaved? Probably not (is any child?), but adults not being more understanding when dealing with a teen, especially one who clearly feels lost and scorned and far from the comfort of his home, just leads him to become even more bitter. Even the way Atreus rather astutely points out Kratos’ hypocrisy in lying to him rang true for me. The many times my own father would keep things from me — chief among them, how I found out about his wedding through Facebook, of all things — but then get mad should I also not be so forthcoming. “Wonder where I learned that?” Atreus says sarcastically when Kratos calls him out for lying. Every resentful remark, every anguished plea for his father to just listen to him, felt all too familiar.
Finally being better
This isn’t to say that Kratos is a terrible father — far from it. It’s evident that he does care, and the ways in which Ragnarök uses not only main story missions but an ample amount of sidequests to illustrate this are absolutely masterful. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the heartwarming Hafgufa “Jellyfish” quests in Alfheim. After Atreus asks to track down and free a wounded creature, the boy is surprised when his father is willing to traverse eerie, barren deserts and Elven warrior-infested caves to do so. Eventually, Atreus’ curiosity gets the better of him — he just has to ask why his father has even bothered to go on all of these excursions.
“Have you ever considered..? He just wants to spend time with you lad, while he still can,” asks Mimir.
“We do not know what lies ahead, but if Ragnarök approaches…” Kratos adds sternly before his voice softens, “I wish to enjoy the time we have left.”
This little exchange encapsulates so much of what I love about Kratos and Atreus’ relationship. No father is perfect, and it’s certainly not uncommon for one to be guarded with his emotions. But it’s the effort that counts. Kratos going on these grand adventures with his son is, in his own way, the ultimate expression of love. For someone like me, with a father who lived just 10 minutes away yet barely ever made the time to see me, Kratos was exhibiting everything I ever really wanted. The beautiful subtleties in Christopher Judge’s performance — which he’s candidly admitted serves as both a “love letter” and “apology” to his own children — only adds to the sincerity and emotional weight of such scenes.
We also see Kratos grow more empathetic. When Atreus returns to Brok and Sindri’s, ashamed of having let the deadly Garm free, the others start to admonish him. Kratos, though, acts a bit differently — he actually stands up for his son. Instead of making him feel even worse, he puts a hand on his shoulder and reassures him that together, they will fix this mess. Atreus even asks if he’s going to be reprimanded, and Kratos simply says, “No. I am… relieved you are safe.” What’s more, this entire experience brings Kratos to a major epiphany. After they stop Garm and prepare to return home, Kratos has a heart-to-heart with Atreus, candidly acknowledging how he’s wronged Atreus. “I have been… falling back into my own ways. Angry. Distrustful. With you, now… and before. I… I chased you away.” What’s more, he actually says, “I’m sorry,” with Judge expertly capturing all of the guilt and self-loathing in his tone. It’s a far cry from the Kratos in God of War (2018) or even Ragnarök up until this point. All of this, in turn, helps Atreus see the good influence his father’s watchful eye has had, and the two come to an understanding.
It’s a moving exchange and one I’d have killed to have with my own dad, even once. Never did he accept responsibility for anything; it was always me, the petulant child, to blame. When I had to call my mum at 3am on Father’s Day to pick me up from a party he dragged me to, my 13-year-old self fearful of how intoxicated all of the adults were, I was at fault. When I saw him weeks later, he complained about how embarrassing that was, how I was the only child to do that and cause a scene. If I told him I didn’t want to go to Waterloo, Ontario with him so he could see his fellow beer-loving cousin, I was being disrespectful and disobedient — who cares if I just wanted to spend the day just the two of us? In that moment, I saw something I always dreamed about — my father recognizing his harmful traits and genuinely apologizing for them. Throughout his entire journey in the first game, Kratos told Atreus about the need for them to be better — now, he’s actually doing that, and my heart was full.
From here, everything we see between Kratos and Atreus is just icing on the proverbial father-son cake. When Atreus feels immense guilt over the murder of Brok, Kratos tries to comfort him by accompanying him on a deer hunting trip and, later, tries to apologize to Sindri. The night before they make the climactic charge on Asgard, Kratos lets Atreus sleep in his tent and tells him a story to help him go to sleep, all while trying to keep his weariness and reservations about the coming battle in check. Ragnarök takes its time to get to these tender, oh-so-human moments so that they feel earned when we get them. But Santa Monica Studio saved the best of them for last.
Letting go
Much praise has been heaped upon the ending of God of War Ragnarök, in which Kratos weeps as he discovers a prophecy depicting him as a peaceful and beloved god, and, finally, having hope for his own future. I certainly adore this, as it’s a magnificent and beautifully poetic cap to his arc; somehow, the thinly written, one-note rage monster of the old God of War games was given some of the most profound character development I’d ever seen in a game. Not forgiving him for his actions, but making sure he puts in the work — going around the Nine Realms with Freya to clean up Odin’s mess — to earn his new lease on life.
But it’s the other half of that ending that resonates even more for me. After the war with Asgard, Atreus takes the opportunity to tell Kratos that he’s decided to find the remaining Giants. After everything he’s been through, all of the soul-searching to forge his own identity, he’s now certain of who he wants to be — a hero to his people. As he attempts to explain his reasoning, Kratos quickly tells him he understands why — to truly become his own man, he has to take a risk and venture out, even if it frightens him. What’s more, he tells Atreus that the reason they overcame Odin is because his kindness — his innate ability to believe in good — led him to entrust the allies who ultimately saved them. Ultimately, Kratos says, “you are ready,” a wonderful full-circle moment for the man who has been saying the opposite for nearly two full games. “Loki will go… Atreus remains,” says Kratos, choking up as he utters those last two words, embraces his son and a solemn version of the God of War theme swells.
This final interaction moved me to tears. For so much of my life, this is something I’ve longed to have gotten from my own father. No, Kratos wasn’t the kindest, most forthcoming or even thoughtful of dads. But at this crucial juncture in his son’s life, as he’s about to become a man, he’s there for his son — to put a hand on his shoulder, tell him he was proud and give him his blessing to go forward. Atreus, the conflicted mixed youth who I saw a lot of myself in, got what he needed from his father. As someone who went through university, graduation and real-world employment without any fatherly support or encouragement, this hit hard. Sure, the circumstances were a bit different between Atreus and me. He parted with his father on the best of terms, lovingly and with the knowledge that someday, they will surely reunite. Meanwhile, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready — or even willing — to reconnect with my own father. Still, seeing Atreus step out from Kratos’ shadow and successfully carve his own path was nonetheless so meaningful to me. Me even writing this about this publicly for the first time is, in many ways, doing something that scares me, just as Kratos mentioned. And in a way, hearing Kratos say, “you are ready” also felt like a direct address to me — a reminder that whatever happens, I can also move forward without my father.
As Kratos descends the mountain with Mimir and Freya in tow to start a new heroic journey, McCreary’s commanding and stirring score hitting a stupendous crescendo, I felt a surprising sense of resolve. Kratos and Atreus will be okay. And you know what? I will be, too.
God of War Ragnarök is now available exclusively on PlayStation 4 and 5.
Sony tweeted an infographic with the details, stating that the game has sold more than 5.1 million copies in its debut week, which also sets a God of War franchise record.
I’m absolutely thrilled to learn about all of this. God of War is probably among one the best games I’ve ever played, and I’m about three-quarters through Ragnarök.
Brad Shankar covered the game for MobileSyrup and said that it’s “a genuinely moving narrative and sweeping gameplay improvements across the board make Kratos’ latest outing an absolute masterpiece.”
Four years after the beloved God of War reboot, developer Santa Monica Studio is back with its highly anticipated sequel, and it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. In the game, Kratos and Atreus are tasked with finding a means to prevent Ragnarök, the prophesied Norse apocalypse, while learning more about Atreus’ illusive identity as Loki.
To learn more about what went into crafting God of War Ragnarök, we sat down with two members of Santa Monica Studio: Bruno Velasquez, animation director, and Erica Pinto, lead narrative animator. They touched on the work that goes into bringing characters to life through animation, responding to feedback regarding a lack of enemy variety in the last game, Kratos’ flashy new combat moves and more.
Note: This is a spoiler-free interview.
Question: The cast of characters is so much larger in Ragnarök. You still have that core emotional story of Kratos and Atreus, but the ensemble is so much bigger now. So I’m curious — among all of these characters, who were your favourites to work on from an animation perspective?
Pinto: My favourite… Even with a large cast of characters, there’s so many, and I worked God of War (2018) as well. But Freya really resonates with me, and the opportunity to really dive into her story, and try to give her some closure with what happened in the last game in [Ragnarök] was fairly exciting for me to to explore.
“We gave Kratos almost like a glow-up — we increased the number of joints in his face.”
Velasquez: I’m going to cheat a little bit because I’m going to pick two. I’m going to say Brock and Sindri. Because I feel that we have seen them evolved from 2018, where their role was a supportive role and they would interact with Kratos and Atreus in a very fun way. But I feel like this time around, they feel more like a family — they’re part of a family. And now that they’ve reconciled after the ending of the last game, they’re back together as brothers. So I think it’s fun to see their interactions with Kratos and Atreus and how they’ve evolved and grown over the past three years that Fimbulwinter [the prelude to Ragnarök] has been happening. And then Brock is just hilarious — Brock is so much fun. Robert Craighead, who’s the actor that plays Brok, just did an amazing job. And we even brought him in to shoot some of Brock’s navigation running around and it was so much fun. He really brought the character to life.
Pinto: I feel like everybody on the team is going to give you a different answer.
Velasquez: Oh, yeah!
Pinto: Some people really love some of the Aesir characters [Odin’s gods]. And some people love the returning characters. There’s something for everybody.
Velasquez: Our hope, actually, is that the players find and gravitate to one of their favourite characters. We don’t want them to like a certain one only — we want them to gravitate to who they identify with the most.
Brok, the dwarven smith, returns from God of War (2018).
Q: This game is so emotionally powerful, and you’re taking Kratos, especially, into more emotionally vulnerable places. And there are so many quiet, dialogue-free moments where it’s an interaction between him and Atreus and we see all these little subtle animations on his face. Obviously, you don’t want him to be melodramatic, but you also want to take his character and evolve him. So I’m curious — how do you strike that balance, where you have the great writing and [Kratos actor] Christopher Judge’s understated performance, and then on the animation end, you have to bring that to life? What’s the the animation work that goes into conveying that emotion and making these scenes that just floor you?
Velasquez: There is so much that goes into it — it’s definitely a full team effort. It starts with the writing, right? It starts with a really powerful strict script that the actor can connect with and relate to, and a lot of that is really driven by Chris’s performance on how he himself feels as a father, and he puts his personal experiences into into Kratos as well. And when it comes to the performance, yes, the basis is there from Chris, and our animation team then comes in takes that over and finds the moments where we could push things or enhance things or just let it be. We have a very talented group of animators on our team that have really helped us to bring Kratos to life.
Pinto: Even on the technical side, we didn’t just take the same rig from the last project. We gave Kratos almost like a glow-up — we increased the number of joints in his face. We partnered very closely with our Visual Arts Group to really capture all of the performance that Chris Judge gave us, and get all those little micro expressions, and really see how much we could bring out of every character — not just Kratos, but every character got that same amount of attention. And even like our engineering department would work on, like, ‘what is the maximum compression we can squeeze out of our engine to make sure all of that facial performance comes across and doesn’t get wiped away from for memory purposes.
Q: One of the pieces of feedback you got from God of War (2018) was to increase the enemy variety. Having beaten the game, I can attest to just how many more enemy types there are in Ragnarök. When you were making the sequel, what was the process of conceptualizing these enemies — drawing from the Norse pantheon and deciding how each enemy moves around and attacks differently?
The Dreki.
Velasquez: Yes, that was one of the biggest things that we wanted to set off and accomplish based on the feedback from God of War (2018) — to increase the amount of enemies that you faced, and bosses, and make them as epic as possible. And one of the things that we wanted to do as well, other than just increase the variety of them, was also come up with a lot of different types. So you have dragons and you have big giant beasts, and you’ve got small characters that slither across the floor. So we really wanted to give a write a nice variety. We did look at Norse mythology and see what we could pull from that made sense and kind of give it our own twist and adapt it. But really, it just comes from great imagination of our visual development team that come up with.
They’d been working together with the combat designers to come up with these really interesting creatures that then goes through all the pipeline and gets to us. And then we get to have fun deciding like what type of style we want to give them. We do base a lot of stuff off of nature. Like, we have a creature called the Dreki, which is like a giant alligator lizard dragon thing. So we look at a lot of references to see how they slither across the floor. But then again, the animators, that’s where they come in and give it that spark of life and have them do things that you wouldn’t see an alligator through, like leap through the air and slam Kratos. So it’s a combination of a lot of things, like having fun with it from an animation perspective, but also basing it off of real life.
Q: You mentioned the Dreki. Some of the finishing moves for enemies, including the Dreki, involve Atreus, who’s a little older and more experienced now. What the process of coming up with moves that incorporate both him and Kratos to take down an enemy together?
Velasquez: Everything that we try to do in the game across everything is tell a story, right? So even those moves were designed in that way, because you tend to see those moves where Kratos and the Atreus collaborate together usually against bigger enemies. And the reason is we wanted to drive home that now Atreus has grown up and he’s more in tune with his dad. And it’s more like they’re a fighting unit that works together. So we wanted to showcase those moments with these big creatures and that’s that’s why there’s a couple of them with involves both of them. And that was purely the decision of not only to make it cool and make it awesome, but also showcase that growth in relationship between them and make them feel like they’re like a fighting unit that has been training for three years getting ready for Ragnarök.
Pinto: Yeah, I think that was a natural progression from 2018 to here. You saw the progression of Atreus throughout that game and now here, he’s a little older, and he’s not hanging on to Kratos for dear life anymore. He gets to do his own thing. He’s branching out. But they’re still working together. It was fun to establish — both in the combat and also on the story side — what that relationship is like.
Q: Bruno, I’ve seen you mention this is the first God of War game to have weapon-specific finishers. I’m curious — how much time goes into designing these, especially when you have many more enemy types now? Do you sit around in a room just brainstorming the most violent ways Kratos can kill enemies with the Leviathan Axe vs. the Blades of Chaos? What’s that whole process look like?
One of the new enemy types, the Light Elves.
Velasquez: Definitely, that’s been a dream that the team has had for a long time — even as far as like God of War 2 or 3. We had so many different weapons and then Kratos would always default to one animation when he disposed of them. So yeah, it was definitely a goal for us to be able to, for the first time, have weapon-specific kills. Now, you get them on the majority of the enemies — there’s some certain enemy types that you’re going to use their own weapons against them, and then you mentioned the special team up attacks with Atreus and Kratos. But the majority of the enemies that you encounter the most, we focused on them to ensure that they would have like those special animations.
And I promise you we’re nice people, but there’s definitely a dark side to us. [laughs] Because yes, we do get together with the animation team, we get together with the combat designers, we get together with some of our stunt performers, and we just come up with, like, ‘alright, what can we possibly do here to really up the cool way that Kratos can finish off enemies?’ And we try also to draw inspiration from the old games? Because our fans have been with us for a long time and want to make sure that they feel that, ‘oh, that’s a cool callback to that certain kill.’ So it’s a combination of coming up with new ideas and looking at the past and drawing it forward.
Pinto: That’s always the challenge, but also the creative thing. Like, ‘oh, we did that in God of War 2, do we bring it back or what can we make new?’ Because Kratos has been around for a while, so you want to make sure you’re not just copying yourself. We also want to have fun and let the animators stretch their creative flexes.
Q: You have all these new Norse gods, and I won’t spoil some of them here. But for a lot of reviewers, myself included, Odin was a real highlight. Then there’s Thor, who you’ve shown a lot more in the marketing. When you design these characters, how do you give them that sort of unique Santa Monica Studio twist? And how do you bring that to life through animation, especially when you have characters who are shorter or taller or larger, like Thor?
Pinto: It starts all the way from script and our visual development team saying, like, ‘what is something we can try? That’s new.’ And I’m really proud of the diversity we were able to bring to our cast, trying different body types, different genders, different roles, and just seeing how many different types of stories can we tell and then be inclusive in that sense. And the actors bring a great deal to their performances — giving them the script, but then letting them bring their own thing into it. You mentioned Thor — like, Ryan Hurst is huge as well. So just seeing him on the stage and seeing how he relates to other actors, it’s a great collaboration. Bruno, do you want to talk a bit about the size difference a little bit? [laughs]
Thor has a bone to pick with Kratos.
Velasquez: Oh yeah, of course. We had to do a lot of tricks on stage when we were performing with our actors. Because the actor who plays Tyr [Ben Prendergast] is not nine feet tall, right? So we have to get very creative. For example, for the actors that played Brok and Sindri, we would put a picture of their [characters’] heads on their chests, because that was about the height in relation to Kratos where their heads would stand. So Chris Judge would have to look and act to their chests, essentially, where the face plates of Brok and Sindri sweetie were, and that would help us sort of get the eyeline correct and get the connections between them. And of course, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done sometimes to clean up the motion capture data to make sure, especially when they shake hands or they exchange items or something, there’s a lot of alignment things that need to happen. But yeah, we try to make it as easy as possible to visualize for the actors what it would be like to be those characters. And one thing that’s really helpful on stage is that once they have put on the gear, the suits, they can see themselves as a characters up on screen. So that already puts them in the mood and they can see a size and relationship between the characters happening live on screen. So that is very, very useful to help us accomplish our goals.
Pinto: That was also pretty essential for our cinematic arts team who are controlling the camera and the choreography. You need to be able to see how you’re going to frame the characters so they have a virtual camera to say, ‘okay, we need to look up more for Tyr and down more for Brok and Sindri, so having that real-time preview was very important.
Q: The word “epic” is used a lot, but I think it’s very true, in every sense of the word, for this game. Even in the first few hours you have two incredible setpieces — Freya chasing Kratos in the sled and then Thor comes in fights Kratos. And there’s many more that I won’t spoil. But when you design these set pieces, which are so rooted in narrative but also have such big scale and action to them — what kind of work goes into that? Even when you’re animating everything, even little things like when Freya attacks, then Kratos falls off the sled, gets back on it, they swerve left and right… How do you conceive of and ultimately create these kinds of setpieces?
Velasquez: It’s a full team effort. It’s a collaboration between our combat design team who designs those big epic moments, big fights, but then we collaborate with animation and also our cinematics group. Because, as you see a lot, especially in the two moments that you talked about, there’s a lot of gameplay, but then it’s interwoven with these personal moments where you get really close to the characters. And then you need to have these cool transitions that happen between the gameplay moments. So there’s definitely a lot of collaboration that happens. Erica’s team, for example, in the Thor fight, especially towards the end, they had to intermingle this, going from gameplay over to this really cool epic cinematic that I won’t spoil. But it’s definitely a collaboration. Do you want to add anything to that, Erica?
Freya also isn’t happy with Kratos.
Pinto: Yeah. From a narrative standpoint, it’s about, ‘what is the story we’re trying to tell and what are the beats that make sense there?’ And then from a technical side, it’s like, ‘well, if the player can be anywhere in this arena, how do we work them into place so that we can have a cinematic happen in the right place so that they’re looking in the right direction? And at the end of the cinematic, lead the player to where they want to go next?’ There’s definitely a combination of artistic and technical endeavors to pull this off.
Velasquez: Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of tricks under the hood that the player may not perceive and see, but that are happening to make sure that things get lined up and everything gets to the point where we need it to be.
Q: One of my favourite things about the combat this time around is that the levels are bigger and more interactive. Specifically, there’s a verticality, with a fluidity of going to higher platforms or further platforms using the blades. Where did that idea come from? And from an animation perspective, what did you have to do to ensure that it feels seamless? Where you’re maybe fighting on the ground, then you maybe you see a Draugr up high, you launch yourself up there, then jump back down and slam an enemy. There’s a seamlessness to it. What did you have to do to ensure that and maintain that combat rhythm?
Velasquez: One of the goals we set out to accomplish in Ragnarök was to give the combat and give it boost and make it more fluid. So I think one of the biggest things was like, ‘Hey, let’s create some arenas that have verticality so that you’re constantly going up and down, jumping off platforms, reaching higher places. So, of course, the grapple hook made the most sense, because it was something that Kratos did before in the past games. We do look to our previous games to see what we can bring back to the forefront and present it in a new way. So to me, that was an immediate early idea that was conceived: ‘yes, we need to have Kratos have more mobility.’ And now that Atreus is more independent as well, he didn’t have to wait for him to jump on his back or anything like that. So now, Kratos is able to move around the arena more freely. And that was just a perfect way that was drawn from the past games that for him to be able to do that. And we just needed to make sure that it felt snappy and responsive. It was treated almost as a combat move in and of itself, because it needs to feel as good as a combat move. And I think that’s the secret to making it flow.
Q: And part of the change with Ragnarök is you have the Blades early on, so you come up with all these ways to integrate them into combat that — verticality being one of them. What are some of your favourite new moves with that? For me personally, from an animation perspective, the one where he’s like spinning the blades kind of like a lasso.
Pinto: [laughs] That’s still my favourite!
Q: [laughs] Yeah, so I’m curious if you could kind of touch on some of that — your favourites and the sort of the philosophy behind coming up with them.
Velasquez: Do you want to elaborate on why you like that move so much, Erica? [laughs]
Pinto: [laughs] It almost feels like a callback, like he’s just playing with his food. Just the power of it — the bigger flames and bigger effects, it just feels more epic and just feels good to play it.
Velasquez: For me, personally, speaking of the addition of the verticality to the fight spaces, I love doing the off the ledge moves. you get a different one whether you have the Blades, the Axe or you’re bare-handed. You can even summon the Axe in the middle of it, too. So jumping off a ledge and coming down on enemies then seeing them pop up in the air and then you’re able to continue the juggle. It’s so much fun. I’ll never get tired of doing that move.
Pinto: Part of what’s fun is being able to change different moves together. Combos, you know — that adds so much variety visually and just makes things stay fresh.
Q: One of the other new things about this game is all of the accessibility options you have. I think a lot of people don’t necessarily understand why these are important. So for the team, why was it significant to add these? Why is accessibility important?
Pinto: One of our core mantras is, ‘how do we reach as many players as we can?’ And I think accessibility just opens it up for anybody to be able to play. We don’t want to limit it just because of what we created. So I think that we took a lot of feedback from the last game and said, ‘Well, okay, how can we make this even more available for anybody to play?’
Velasquez: Yeah, absolutely. And we draw a lot of inspiration from some of the other PlayStation Studios teams that have done great accessibility features, like Naughty Dog. They’ve always pushed forward in their games a lot of these things that make it easier for people to play. So we were inspired by them and wanted to go ahead and offer as many options as possible. And with some of these things, they could help any player feel more comfortable and change the way that they experience the game. I think that’s very important, because in the end, just like Erica said, we want as many people as possible to be able to enjoy and play the game and get to experience that adventure with Kratos and Atreus and really get the most out of it.
This interview has been edited for language and clarity.
God of War Ragnarök will launch exclusively on PlayStation 4 and 5 on November 9th.
When the credits started rolling in God of War Ragnarök, I was surprised to feel tears running down my face.
Not necessarily because of anything that happened in the final moments, mind you, though that certainly contributed to it. Rather, it was the catharsis of seeing this second chapter in the deeply affecting father-son story of Kratos and Atreus through to the end that hit me so hard. Upon completion, I began reflecting on the powerful journey I went on with these characters, and, in turn, just how much they’ve come to mean to me.
Rarely do I have such a reaction upon finishing a game, so when I do, I know I’ve experienced something special. But Ragnarök is indeed special — a brilliant culmination of everything developer Santa Monica Studio (SMS) has learned while making its nearly 20-year-old God of War series to create something truly unforgettable.
2018’s soft reboot of the God of War series won many over, myself included, for its riveting, sophisticated tale of fatherhood. As someone who’s estranged from his dad, Kratos’ parental struggles — the desperate attempt to prevent Atreus from suffering from the sins of the father — hit particularly close to home. “We must be better,” Kratos tells his son in the reboot, imploring that they break the cycle of violence perpetuated by both god and man. But what does that actually mean?
Despite a far bigger cast this time around, Kratos and Atreus’ relationship remains the beating heart of Ragnarök.
In God of War Ragnarök, SMS’ attempt to answer that question results in one of the most gripping stories I’ve seen in a game. Faced with the titular Norse apocalypse, Kratos and Atreus set off on a journey to save the Nine Realms while seeking answers about the latter’s mysterious identity as Loki. Naturally, our story begins with Kratos hesitant to leave their home, concerned with putting Atreus in too much danger by falling into conflict with Odin and his fellow Asgardians. But over the course of the narrative, the world-weary warrior undergoes a profound — and even soulful — arc in which he develops just a bit more empathy for both his son and the world around him. He realizes that it’s not enough to just tell your son to do something — you have to lead by example. The lengths to which Kratos goes for his son in Ragnarök — something I would have yearned to see from my own father — proved to be genuinely moving to me.
Sure, he may not be the kindest or most forthcoming parent, but he demonstrates his love in the ways he can. And as is the case with the first game, Ragnarök doesn’t shy away from the atrocities that Kratos has committed, but it also never fails to remind us of our innate capacity for good. All of this depth is believably conveyed through a mesmerizing performance from Christopher Judge (Stargate SG-1), who expertly balances Kratos’ intimidating gravitas with his tender and more emotionally vulnerable side. And with the one-shot camera‘s return in Ragnarök, SMS is able to provide us with lingering close-ups that really let you soak up all of these raw, subtler moments.
Freya is one of Ragnarök’s best and most nuanced characters.
Of course, none of that succeeds unless Atreus himself is also compelling, and thankfully, he’s arguably more so than Kratos himself. Certainly, Ragnarök had tricky ground to navigate with Atreus, given that he’s now three years older and could have come off as an overly angsty and annoying teen, but SMS and actor Sunny Suljic (Killing of the Sacred Deer) effortlessly imbue Atreus with so much heart. Suljic, who’s grown so much since the last game that his voice had to be edited in parts, is impeccable, shifting between Atreus’ rebelliousness, complicated feelings over his mysterious identity and proclivity to help people with ease. Like Kratos, Atreus has a splendid arc; if the first game was about him proving himself to his father, Ragnarök is a coming-of-age story about discovering his own self-worth — something to which we can all undoubtedly relate.
Returning characters also have significantly more screentime and nuance. Much of Mimir’s (a spellbinding Alastair Duncan) role in this game revolves around confronting figures from his past to atone for the sins he committed when trying to curry favour with Odin. In this way, he finds common ground with Kratos, and the pair share some strong heart-to-heart conversations. Freya, meanwhile, is back to seek vengeance against Kratos for killing her son, Baldur, in the first game, but we also come to learn far more about her troubled past. Sensitive writing and actress Danielle Bisutti’s incredible performance beautifully convey all of this anguish, and it results in Freya being Ragnarök‘s most sympathetic character. Even Brok (Robert Craighead) and Sindri (Toronto’s Adam J. Harrington), the two Dwarven smiths who previously served as comic relief, have much more meaningful parts to play, with the latter even striking up a friendship with Atreus.
Rest assured that there are many more surprises beyond Kratos vs. Thor.
Then we have Ragnarök‘s new characters. Part of the intrigue in the first God of War were the constant teases that Odin and the rest of the Norse pantheon were quietly observing Kratos and Atreus. Naturally, then, there was much anticipation as to how SMS would ultimately portray them. That’s to say nothing of the fact that many people already have their own impressions of these deities based on the versions seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Given all of that, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how cleverly they’re used in Ragnarök. As voiced by Richard Schiff, Odin has a rather James Woods-in-Hercules sort of panache, which makes him feel simultaneously charming and sleazy. By contrast, there’s more than meets the eye with Thor (Ryan Hurst), whose gruff and drunken demeanour belies his complicated family dynamics. And in spite of the ridiculous pushback from racist trolls, Angrboda (Laya De Leon Hayes) is a particular delight — a kind-hearted, exuberant teen who shares a wonderfully endearing dynamic with Atreus and reminds us of his youthful innocence. There are other Norse figures whose roles I wouldn’t dare spoil, but suffice it to say that seeing who pops up and when — as well as the unique ways in which they individually test Kratos and Atreus — only serves to elevate Ragnarök‘s already fantastic core father-son story, especially in the absolutely thrilling final act.
If it ain’t broke
The Wight is one of many new and interesting enemy types in Ragnarök.
While Ragnarök‘s exponentially grander narrative ambitions and wider cast of characters are quite prominent, you might not immediately notice what’s changed with the actual gameplay. Indeed, it certainly feels a little too familiar at first, with many of Kratos’ moves and animations resembling those found in the 2018 predecessor. Once again, Kratos wields his Leviathan Axe for crunchy, weighty melee combos and oh-so-satisfying Mjölnir-esque throws and callbacks, and both are even more impactful thanks to the PS5 DualSense controller’s haptic feedback. Also making a return are the Blades of Chaos, whose long-ranged attacks still feel refreshingly distinct from the up-close-and-personal Axe. Powerful Runic attacks (super moves that have cooldowns) also come back and are as handy as ever. But if the weapons themselves largely function the same, it’s the litany of smaller added flourishes that really shake up the flow of combat.
The biggest of these is the introduction of Elemental statuses to your weapons — ‘Frost’ for your Axe and ‘Burn’ for the Blades. Operating independently from the classic stun metre for powerful finisher moves, these Elemental moves hinder your enemies in several useful ways. Do you want to freeze enemies to render them immobile for devastating follow-up attacks? Focus on putting skill points and gear crafting towards quickly building out your Axe’s Frost affinity. Invest enough into such a build and you can charge your Frost gauge for more powerful ice-based attacks or even imbue your slashes with wickedly cool projectile waves. On the flip side, maybe you’ll opt for enemies to take periodic Burn damage, in which case you spec out your Blades and, eventually, inflame them for added power.
Many combat areas also have a newfound layer of verticality to them, and only with the Blades of Chaos’ new grapple move are you able to ascend them. This makes battles feel even more dynamic, as you have to maintain situational awareness and zip between levels to manage all kinds of foes. Hacking up a few beasts on the ground, dodging an incoming energy blast from an overhead enemy, seamlessly launch myself up to their platform to finish them off before slamming back down with an earth-shattering landing smash never gets old. Throw in additional combo moves with Atreus’ magical arrows (thanks to a deeper skill tree for the lad) and an additional shield type that lets Kratos decide to prioritize blocking or parrying and you’re afforded far more choice in combat than before. When you factor in all of this, there’s a rousing, almost balletic, rhythm to each fight, cementing Ragnarök as having one of my favourite action game systems to date.
If that weren’t enough, Ragnarök also meaningfully addresses its predecessor’s most glaring flaw: a lack of enemy variety. In the 2018 game, you’d fight far too many variants of the same sorts of trolls and ogres, which became grating before too long. Now, though, the number of different enemy types is vast. Take Odin’s fearsome Einherjar forces, who can infect you with Bifrost to make subsequent blows extremely harmful. These feel markedly different from the Light Elves, who dual-wield swords for vicious flurry attacks, the graceful-yet-deadly bow-clad horsemen or the wraith-like Wights that can split into pesky little wisps. Minibosses are also appreciably diverse, ranging from fearsome Draugr to towering knights and electric alligator-like Dreki. Some enemies are also resistant to the Axe or Blades, which is a smart way to keep you on your toes and further switch things up a bit. Far be it from me to spoil the larger boss fights, but rest assured that the Kratos and Thor fight that’s been heavily featured in marketing is both early in the campaign and just one of many pulse-pounding, tense and titanic encounters that Ragnarök has to offer.
Grander scope, deeper design
Vanaheim’s dense and humid forests contrast nicely from the darker and colder Realms you’ll visit.
As the finale to God of War‘s Norse arc, all nine mythological realms can be visited in Ragnarök, giving the game an appropriately massive sense of scope. Impressively, each realm is stunningly distinct. Covered in ice by the apocalyptic Fimbulwinter, the key returning area of Midgard must now be navigated by a wolf-drawn sled, and it makes the once-lively lakes feel chillingly eerie and haunted. This is in stark contrast to the expansive, luscious and wildlife-filled forestry of Vanaheim, or the tight, claustrophobic and sweltering platforms of the hellish Muspelheim. On PS5, the flexible Performance Modes also meant I could have all of this displayed in gorgeous 4K fidelity while maintaining 40fps, which I found was a perfect balance of visual splendour and fluid gameplay.
Overall level design is also uniformly excellent across the board. While retaining the original game’s deliberate pacing and meticulously crafted interconnected areas of the original game, the Metroidvania-lite approach of returning with new equipment to open up previously inaccessible areas is more prevalent here, thus encouraging greater exploration. I was particularly impressed by Ragnarök‘s far more intricate puzzles, which rely more on thoughtful geography and environmental awareness. One enjoyable recurring puzzle type comes in the form of the Twilight Stones, Elven rocks that reflect your Axe in an arc with added force. Finding out where to position yourself so you can hit a switch at an angle or even leveraging the Stones while in combat proves consistently rewarding.
Atreus and his bow play a more active role in puzzles this time around.
Atreus himself also helps diversify puzzles, as there are many more that require his arrows this time around. Occasionally, there will be distant targets you’ll have to inflame with your Blades, and only by correctly lining up a string of Atreus’ new Sigil arrows to create a chain reaction will you actually reach them. It’s an engaging challenge that requires you to carefully scan the area to figure out what to do while also creating, through mechanics, a tighter connection between you and Atreus. The only downside here, honestly, is your companions’ annoying tendency to spell things out for you through dialogue. In more than a few instances, I would take but a brief moment to ponder upon what I had to do, only for an NPC to practically give away the solution. This is a disappointing trend in the AAA space, with sister PlayStation exclusive Horizon Forbidden Westbeing one of the biggest offenders, and it’s unfortunate that Ragnarök offers no option to turn it off.
Another rare shortcoming in Ragnarök is the frustratingly repetitive sidequest design, many of which boil down to “Defeat [x] number of special Draugrs” or “find one special flower in each realm.” While 2018’s God of War suffered from a similar issue, you’d have hoped that this would have been improved in the sequel. Thankfully, what’s also carried over from the first game, at the very least, is the injection of narrative morsels into each quest. Whether it’s freeing a giant creature to help Mimir rectify a past transgression or Kratos relating to a spirit’s desire to find closure with his son, practically every sidequest provides sharply written insight into each character. The bountiful amounts of gear, crafting materials and XP that you receive from these quests certainly don’t hurt, either.
An epic in every sense of the word
So many feels.
God of War Ragnarök epitomizes what it means for a developer to be at the top of its game. Across virtually every facet of design, Santa Monica Studio has purposefully built upon the foundations of every prior God of War entry, showing a level of maturity and self-reflectiveness that we’ve seen from few other teams. Small issues aside, the magnificent, emotionally-charged and intensely personal narrative, perfectly refined combat and awe-inspiring level design all come together to result to create a bonafide masterpiece. Not only is this now my 2022 Game of the Year, but it’s also one of my favourite games of all time, and an experience I won’t ever forget.
God of War Ragnarök releases exclusively on PlayStation 4 and 5 on November 9th and costs $79.99/$89.99. Those interested in reading about the game’s wide variety of accessibility features can do so here.
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Have you ever imagined what Ben Stiller would look like dressed as gaming icon Kratos?
Probably not, but someone at PlayStation clearly did. In a new ad for God of War Ragnarök titled “All Parents Can Relate,” Stiller is fully suited as Kratos, beard, Leviathan Axe and all, and even wants to be referred to as the God of War.
The premise of the ad is Stiller, fellow actor John Travolta and NBA star LeBron James getting together for a support group with their real-life children. It’s… as bizarre as you’d expect.
“The God of War dynamic plays out in every parent-child relationship. When that clicked for me, I picked up my Leviathan Axe and felt truly close to my son for the first time,” says Stiller at one point. When his son responds “I’m 17!” Stiller simply says, “Exactly.” Elsewhere in the bit, Travolta asks his daughter to hurt his feelings, to which she says “you’re old and you’re bald,” and he satisfyingly says “just like Kratos.”
Funny enough, less than 10 seconds of footage from the actual game are shown at the very end of the commercial. All in all, it’s quite strange, especially given the unique pairing of Stiller, Travolta and James.
In any case, God of War Ragnarök will release on PlayStation 4 and 5 on November 9th. Stay tuned for our review on November 3rd.
Sony has revealed a new PlayStation 5 God of War: Ragnarök bundle that’s releasing alongside the game on November 9th.
Revealed in a ‘Next-Gen Immersion’ trailer showcasing Ragnarök on PS5, the bundle includes the disc version of the console with one controller and a digital copy of the upcoming action game. However, it should be noted that both the console and controller are just the standard white models; they’re not themed like the recently revealed Ragnarök gamepad.
PlayStation did not yet confirm a price or retailer availability for the bundle. We’ll update this story once we hear more.
In other news, developer Sony Santa Monica confirmed last week that Ragnarök has gone gold, meaning it’s officially ready for release next month. The game’s predecessor, God of War, was released on PS4 in April 2018.
God of War: Ragnarök takes place three years after the events of the 2018 game and follows Kratos and Atreus as they seek to prevent the end of all worlds while contending with new godly threats. While the game is also coming to PS4, the PS5 version will offer 4K, 3D Audio and haptic feedback.
God of War: Ragnarok will officially launch on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on November 9th, 2022.
The release date was confirmed in a PlayStation Blog post alongside a brief CG trailer for the upcoming action game.
The highly anticipated sequel to 2018’s God of War was originally unveiled in September 2020 for a 2021 launch, but was later delayed to 2022. The last time we saw the game was the following September, when a full-length, in-engine trailer was shown.
This week, we watched as the makers of two prominent games received significant online abuse from so-called “fans.”
On June 29th, Estelle Tigani, Sony Santa Monica’s cinematics producer, tweeted that she’s received multiple dick pics from people demanding to know the God of War: Ragnarok release date. “Pro tip: sending me dick pics asking for the God of War Ragnarok release date will not, in fact, get me to reveal the release date,” she wrote. “To the people who are doing so, when did that ever work for you?!”
Pro tip: sending me dick pics asking for the God of War Ragnarok release date will not, in fact, get me to reveal the release date.
That same day, we learned via Monkey Island actor Dominic Armato that Ron Gilbert, the series’ creator, has made the decision to no longer publicly talk about his upcoming Return to Monkey Island amid harassment he received on his personal blog. “The joy of sharing has been driven from me,” wrote Gilbert. A quick look at the comments shows some people taking issue with the new game’s art style and calling for a redesign.
In the case of both God of War and Monkey Island, we’ve seen some truly vile behaviour from gamers. There’s this sense of entitlement here that is truly baffling. Seriously: why do you think you’re owed anything from these developers?
With Monkey Island, it’s completely reasonable to not dig the new art style, but throwing abuse at Ron Gilbert isn’t the way to go about it. And the situation with God of War is even more nonsensical. Besides Estelle Tigani having absolutely no control over what people are upset about — a lack of a release date for Ragnarok — fans just feel like they deserve this information immediately. News flash: you don’t. The game will be ready when it’s ready, and no amount of whining will change that.
The quiet part out loud. It isn’t about having the freedom to voice your opinion. It isn’t about constructive criticism. It’s about trying to bully somebody into giving you what you want. pic.twitter.com/CH6lyw1g1S
In response to Tigani’s original tweet, someone mentioned that they blame two industry insiders for suggesting we’d get a God of War: Ragnarok update by the end of June, possibly even June 30th. This, too, shows a drastic misunderstanding of how things work. One of those sources was a journalist simply reporting on what he’d heard; obviously, plans can change. The other was a tipster who, while accurate in previous leaks, is an anonymous person that shouldn’t be blindly trusted. You can’t hear things from people outside of PlayStation about God of War and then get upset when PlayStation and its developers don’t validate your beliefs. It’s not even like PlayStation failed to live up to its own promise about reveal in June.
Plus, God of War creative director Cory Barlog said it best. Replying to the person who said they blamed the insiders, Barlog astutely tweeted: “don’t. the answer is not to find someone to blame or focus hate on. maybe just pay it forward and treat the people that make the things we love with some human decency and respect. this is not a battle, we are not at war. we are just trying to make + enjoy things together.”
don't.
the answer is not to find someone to blame or focus hate on. maybe just pay it forward and treat the people that make the things we love with some human decency and respect.
this is not a battle, we are not at war. we are just trying to make + enjoy things together.❤️ https://t.co/o1X3WBQyKF
That Barlog is able to still be kind about all of this says a lot about his character. Because frankly, this sort of “fan” behaviour is disgusting. And look: I even get the root cause of this, to a degree. I’ll confess that as both a gamer and someone who covers the industry professionally, I’ve been a bit anxious to see more from Ragnarok.
Things can often suck, and we love to have games as escapism. But sad stories like this are a good reminder — for everyone, including me — of the sort of nonsense game developers and creators, in general, put up with in this social media age. My desire to play the game really does mean little compared to the people who are actually making it. And I would certainly never send any abuse to them for any disappointments I may have — unreasonable or legitimate.
So if you find yourself getting impatient about a lack of updates or disappointed by an (inoffensive) creative choice that’s being made, maybe take a minute to remember that it’s just regular people making these games. Walk away from social media. Play one of the many other games out there. Go outside. Do literally anything else. As Barlog says, “they are busting their ass to make some for you to enjoy. Show some fucking respect.”
Sony’s PlayStation Productions is moving forward on a number of new projects. The company has announced its plans to bring a Horizon series to Netflix, a God of War series to Amazon, and a show based on Gran Turismo for an unannounced platform.
PlayStation Productions is looking at a number of new adaptations. On top of The Last of Us, which is in production in Calgary, Ghost of Tsushima, and Uncharted, which was released earlier this year, Sony has big plans for its IP. In a recent business briefing, Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan announced the company’s plans.
During a Q&A, Ryan revealed that the PlayStation Productions is working alongside a number of platforms. These platforms will help distribute each of the projects ranging from Horizon, God of War, and Gran Turismo.
Horizon and God of War are two of Sony’s most lucrative and popular IPs. Horizon Forbidden West landed on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 earlier this year. It makes sense that Sony would capitalize on its popularity by producing a live-action series. Likewise, God of War Ragnarok is approaching its launch.
An interesting takeaway is Sony’s apparent willingness to work with a variety of platforms and models. Uncharted debuted in theatres as will the Ghost of Tsushima film. The Last of Us, however, is a series for HBO. The Twisted Metal series is a Peacock title. Sony plans to also work with Netflix, Amazon, and one other unannounced platform. Whether it’s Apple or any of the aforementioned streaming services, it remains to be seen where Gran Turismo lands.
It’s currently unclear whether Sony plans to tell stories based around the iconic characters in Horizon and God of War. It seems like a surefire bet that these stories will revolve around Aloy and Kratos respectively. Though, there’s no guarantee that the creative teams will want to tell stories regarding established characters.
Film and television adaptations aren’t the only way Sony is expanding its reach. During its business briefing, Ryan also spoke about the company’s plan to have roughly half its games available on PC and mobile by 2025.
And sure enough, Atreus does walk away — repeatedly. At first, it’s in small ways, like sneaking out with Sindri behind Kratos’ back, but this later manifests in more dangerous excursions. Take Jötunheim, where Atreus finds himself after Kratos effectively told him to shun his Loki side because “you are Atreus, my son, and nothing more.” Here, Atreus comes across Angrboda, a kind, bubbly young woman for whom he starts to develop feelings. Together, they explore the mythical Ironwood forests in a significant departure from the main Ragnarök quest. For some people, 
This little exchange encapsulates so much of what I love about Kratos and Atreus’ relationship. No father is perfect, and it’s certainly not uncommon for one to be guarded with his emotions. But it’s the effort that counts. Kratos going on these grand adventures with his son is, in his own way, the ultimate expression of love. For someone like me, with a father who lived just 10 minutes away yet barely ever made the time to see me, Kratos was exhibiting everything I ever really wanted. The beautiful subtleties in Christopher Judge’s performance — 
From here, everything we see between Kratos and Atreus is just icing on the proverbial father-son cake. When Atreus feels immense guilt over the murder of Brok, Kratos tries to comfort him by accompanying him on a deer hunting trip and, later, tries to apologize to Sindri. The night before they make the climactic charge on Asgard, Kratos lets Atreus sleep in his tent and tells him a story to help him go to sleep, all while trying to keep his weariness and reservations about the coming battle in check. Ragnarök takes its time to get to these tender, oh-so-human moments so that they feel earned when we get them. But Santa Monica Studio saved the best of them for last.
Many combat areas also have a newfound layer of verticality to them, and only with the Blades of Chaos’ new grapple move are you able to ascend them. This makes battles feel even more dynamic, as you have to maintain situational awareness and zip between levels to manage all kinds of foes. Hacking up a few beasts on the ground, dodging an incoming energy blast from an overhead enemy, seamlessly launch myself up to their platform to finish them off before slamming back down with an earth-shattering landing smash never gets old. Throw in additional combo moves with Atreus’ magical arrows (thanks to a deeper skill tree for the lad) and an additional shield type that lets Kratos decide to prioritize blocking or parrying and you’re afforded far more choice in combat than before. When you factor in all of this, there’s a rousing, almost balletic, rhythm to each fight, cementing Ragnarök as having one of my favourite action game systems to date.
