I often seek platinum awards when reviewing AAA adventure games on the PS4. I know how much labor goes into the profession as a journalist and writer who knows a few people working in gaming communities. The work of long-term collaborative creative teams.
For this review, I attempted to complete anything in God of War: Ragnarok. God of War: Ragnarok, created by Sony's Santa Monica studios, is all that its predecessor was and more. It all comes down to family and what we leave behind. People who have lost family members and those who have been abandoned.
Ragnarok mostly examines Kratos as a loving father who chooses compassion over chaos and comes to care rather than murder for no cause. The plot revolves around Atreus coming of age and guiding the two on their adventure. At its core, the series further determines what the Norse gods are like and why they have such human-like difficulties.
The Story
God of War: Ragnarok is a narrative about defying expectations. Ragnarok is a much superior narrative than its predecessor, which was a mission to locate the tallest peak to spread Fey's ashes. Finding locations isn't as crucial as finding individuals.
Because the allies in the approaching conflict have diverse aims, each chapter ends on a tremendous cliffhanger. Ragnarok is more of an open-world game with much to uncover than a story-driven game. This is clear from the start of the Game when unexpected combat between Kratos, Atreus (Loki), Thor, and Odin occurs.
For something meant to happen in the center of the Game, the Game tries to pull off the bandage immediately and quickly, as every deity seems to be on edge and wants peace... but only on Odin's terms. The nine realms are terrified now that Fimbylwinter has arrived.
The climate has become a catastrophic risk, and Ragnarok, the demise of all things, is approaching. Since Baldur died in the previous Game, this is an ideal opportunity (the first few minutes) to establish Freya's quest for vengeance. She is angry about what occurred and wants to avenge herself.
The plot is significantly better written than in any previous God of War game. The voyages of Freya, Brok, Sindri, & Atreus will affect you and make you experience various emotions. It will cause you great pain. It will make you laugh, weep, and care for these people unexpectedly.
It's fantastic that this sensation has found its way into the world's narrative this time. There are places and tales to learn about in the nine kingdoms between giants, elves, and dwarves. The Nordic gods possess terrifying myths about each location.
Surprisingly, these missions and side tales discuss the nature of aggressiveness in war as well as what occurs when peace is broken. The awful events in Vanaheim and Jotunheim help you understand their histories.
Because of these ideas, Ragnarok is a better narrative. God of War is about a hero's journey toward a goal, while Ragnarok is about embracing and defying destiny. The route is not as clear because side missions play such a vital role in the plot.
Everyone is attempting to defy Ragnarok's plans for them. Still, there are some amusing moments throughout the Game. Mimir has evolved into a comedic relief, and the Game's various passive chats fill out the Game's numerous quiet ways of travel.
Traveling to a new location by sledding, sailing, or icing often results in these amusing side tales. There are also unusual dinner table conversations. You may also troll the NPCs by engaging with anything for an extended period. From how they behave to what they dress, the character concepts are incredibly well thought out.
Tyr seems to be a colossal Jesus. Heimdal was a jerk. It is very detailed and is based on true Norse tales. Thor is portrayed in these legends as a brute with golden hair rather than a divinity. Similarly, the voice acting is excellent.
Sunny Suljic has matured into the part of Loki, while Richard Schiff's Odin, like the all-father in Norse mythology, plays the all-father as a business-minded trickster. Also, Christopher Judge did an excellent job this rating Kratos as more than Simba's furious warrior. This time reveals his gentler side as he frantically seeks to safeguard the individuals he has come to care about.
Graphics
It's worth noting that the planet is now twice as large as it was in the original Game. The lighting is good, and the level designs are detailed. The scenery of each of the nine worlds is distinct, and most are not shown until the Game's second half. When your mouth drops when you realize how much stuff there is, when configured to 1440-2160P and 60 FPS, the Performance setting makes battle seem seamless. The quality level is native 4K. However, it is limited to 30 frames per second, making certain displays seem stuttering. Quality allows you to capture better screenshots, which will be useful when the Game's photography technique is included in a later version.
Gameplay and setting
Some aspects of the ecosystem remain unchanged, but Midgard is blanketed in snow as the world's end approaches. This makes certain locations difficult to recognize and allows the player to return to familiar locations and experience them in new ways without thinking like they're participating in the same Game.
The world in the Game is significantly more colorful and diverse. It helps you feel like the primary character rather than simply a player. Surprisingly, the wildlife elements are similar to how actual animals behave (in the real world), and it's nearly as if they were transported directly from "our world."
Traveling is simpler than in the previous Game, and add-ons such as Blades of Chaos and Leviathan's Axe may now be employed in various ways. You may now, for example, access high ledges, leap between walls, and shatter broken soil, which was impossible in God of War 2018.
The axe can still freeze liquids and damage objects from afar, but it can now also bounce off certain platforms, which is quite useful. When defeating creatures, there is no chance for mistakes or lengthy tutorials because both weapons are accessible from the start. Players must learn to balance them.
These tools, runes, and combinations have been improved and significantly redesigned, which benefits the Game. There are also diverse methods to battle here, particularly while facing different animals now that Ragnarok has opened up the Nine Realms to the player.
Each is special in its method, with unique creatures, themes, designs, and colors. Ragnarok is a much superior game to the 2018 edition, so don't let that deter you from trying it out! Despite the lack of numerous combinations, the battles are considerably smoother, quicker, and less dull than in the previous Game.
Changing your weapons may help you master your playstyle, whether it's tanky, where you want to battle for a long time but have a lot of health, or rapid, where you risk dying soon if you're not cautious.
Some significant adjustments and additions affect gameplay, but I won't reveal them since I don't want to spoil anything. When you play the Game, you can see that the creators followed the guidelines for its construction and what it is about.
Conclusion
Overall, God of War: Ragnarok is in a difficult position since the last Game in the series had such a radical departure. Still, it's an upgrade in almost every regard, and it features a fantastic tale you won't wish to spoil. This Game of the Year candidate contains one of the greatest platinum accomplishments I've ever attempted to get, plus the Game offers hundreds of hours of gameplay, so you should purchase a copy right now.