God of War 2018 was not just a reboot of the popular series, it was a fresh invention that turned a rough and rumbling brawler into a story with emotional resonance and established Sony's first side as a creative force that should win in the world of blockbuster games.
God of War Ragnarok doesn't have the luxury of being able to come out on PS5 with a new look, a new perspective (both gameplay and story) and a new world. But while it's remarkably similar to the previous game, given its undeniable brilliance, that's hardly a bad thing, right?
At the beginning of God of War Ragnarok, I was a little worried. Not having time to really restore the characters, the setting and the scenario, the game is no longer pulling the heart strings, but pulling the arteries with the chains of Olympus. If the whole game was this thick, we'd be entering the nine realms of melodrama, but luckily Ragnarok quickly finds himself and fits into the tonal ping-pong of a contemplative coming-of-age story that explores interpersonal relationships with a dark edge while also making regular breaks to beat the monsters with a giant ax until their heads fall off. That's what video games are.
God of War Ragnarok is a very direct sequel to 2018's God of War, dealing with the aftermath of the last game, the conflicts created by the revelations at its climax, and developing the arcs of existing characters while introducing new ones.
At the start of the game, it's all wrapped up in a familiar package of well-balanced, barbaric combat that's easy to follow but demanding enough in terms of reflex actions and combo inputs to be as hard as you want.
Plus, the sound and visuals are as stunning as ever. It's become a cliché to talk about the "heaviness" of combat, but the audio tricks and clever slowing down of the action to maximize the number of skin-to-skin strikes and ax-to-bone crunches squeeze out every drop of adrenaline and masterfully ensure that your eyes are front and center. during every fight. And, of course, all this happens from that same over-the-shoulder perspective, which is reminiscent of walking down the stairs with a fully loaded backpack - cumbersome, but secure.
The main problem with God of War Ragnarok so far is that the bar is so high that it's very easy to take some of its best elements for granted. A couple of times I found myself racing through lush, detailed environments without really appreciating their scale or atmosphere, jumping from one monster closet to the next. It's a massive retelling of Norse mythology with a lot of impressive lighting, so maybe it's the game's merit that the fantasy world around you doesn't rob you of the last bit of faith.
The same thing happens with the sets, whether they are startlingly huge or intimate and dark. They come so thick and fast that you're almost spoiled for action. However, Ragnarok's continued success in this area is a definite credit, and there are undoubtedly more surprises in store to take things to the next level as the stakes rise.
