In 2018, the God of War revival took players by storm. It successfully revitalized a dormant franchise, offered a fresh look at an iconic character, built a gameplay system that was entirely unique from what the series had previously excelled at, and introduced a rich new world to explore.
Given how much of a home run it was for Santa Monica Studio, it naturally made gamers excited for the next one. Their cries were heard as Sony announced a sequel, God of War: Ragnarok, and fans both new and old are anxiously speculating where the epic saga will go. The hype is unreal, and the sequel must accomplish many feats to satisfy that hype. Conversely, there are also several roads that the studio should avoid at all costs.
10 Do Want: Atreus as a warrior
In addition to being a grand return for Kratos, 2018’s God of War functioned as a rite of passage for his son, Atreus. The demigod slowly comes into his own through the narrative. He learns to fight, survive, accept who is, and practice restraint in the use of power.
It only stands to reason that the next game will continue Atreus’ progression into manhood. The skills he has acquired would doubtless make him an unparalleled physical fighter. However, his wealth of knowledge, as well as the humility that Kratos emphasized, would truly make Atreus a force to be reckoned with and a refreshing new protagonist for the God of War series.
9 Avoid: Kill Kratos like a chump
Even before the foreboding painting on the Jotunheim wall, many people suspected that the longstanding series protagonist would meet his end in this new line of games. Much of the tale revolves around the end of one generation and the beginning of another, so the torch should eventually pass to Atreus.
That being said, fans hate when storied characters are disrespected, especially in death. Even when he/she is morally dubious to begin with, killing off one of the core protagonists unceremoniously is a great way to get an audience to turn on a series. Just look at Star Wars and The Last of Us Part II.
Contrary to some belief, Kratos is more than a heartless killing machine. He has strengths and weaknesses like any human being. As such, he deserves a death worthy of a god.
8 Do Want: More gods
This is another obvious one. The last game shifted gears from Greek to Norse mythology, making players feel like they’ve stepped into an epic Viking saga of their very own. Despite that, it was fairly conservative in how much it threw at gamers. Kratos and Atreus only encountered a handful of the Norse gods, with Thor being teased at the very end.
The natural expectation is to expand the roster of Aesir and other gods. This doesn’t necessarily mean all of them, but Ragnarok should allow audiences to see more of the twisted family dynamic and hierarchy surrounding Odin and his sons.
7 Avoid: Restrictions in the open world
Unlike previous God of War titles, the 2018 revival encouraged exploration. It frequently opened things up and allowed players to roam around Midgard to their heart’s content. Unfortunately, many of these vast areas could only be navigated through narrow pathways rife with invisible walls.
This meant that the game always felt contained in spite of the supposed freedom that it offered. Ragnarok should aim to lessen or outright eliminate these restrictions. If the creators truly want to grow this series through a more open-ended approach, then they shouldn’t settle for such half measures.
6 Do Want: More Freya
One of the plot threads ripe for further exploration is that of Freya. True, she swore revenge against Kratos and Atreus for killing her son, Baldur, but she also acknowledged the mistakes she made as a mother, realizing that they partially stemmed from her own fear. How will that growth affect her journey going forward?
In addition, the inevitable conflict with Odin and the other Aesir gods would more than justify her presence, be it as a friend, foe, or neutral party. She is one of them, after all.
5 Avoid: Repeat of the previous story
A recurring theme of God of War, including the 2018 title, is revenge fueling the cycle of violence. This previously caused Kratos to slaughter the entire pantheon of Greek gods. Although he attempts to break this cycle by preventing Baldur from killing Freya, the goddess still harbors intense resentment toward the tattooed wonder. This could lead to further conflict that eventually results in Kratos and/or Atreus offing the Norse gods in the same way.
The 2018 game led people to believe that the developers had an inspired reason to bring the series back. It wasn’t just about money, but instead about a new narrative angle. Repeating the cycle would undermine that vision and lead to the same tale with a new paint job.
4 Do Want: Evolved combat
Although Kratos’s iconic Blades of Chaos were present, the God of War reboot placed a much greater emphasis on the Leviathan Axe. The resulting combat system was less about the hack-and-slash spectacle of old and more about close-quarters strategy. More than any prior entry, it relied on aiming, timing, and constant awareness of one’s surroundings. It worked, but a few quality-of-life improvements would go a long way.
Make the act of switching weapons more fluid so that players can seamlessly chain them together in combos. Pull the camera back a bit so that players can see what’s behind them. Small tweaks and expansions would create a system that’s equal parts intuitive, challenging, and addictive. The developers already have a solid foundation. Building on it should yield something even better.
3 Avoid: Mundane side quests
Venturing into RPG territory, God of War gave players plenty of side missions to complete for various rewards. Sadly, many of these were simple fetch quests or repetitive arena battles for faceless spirits.
If the developers aim to continue down this path, then Santa Monica should spice up these objectives. Make the tasks more engaging. Populate the world with more characters, adding depth to not only the setting but also the questlines themselves. Create mini tales just as personal as the main narrative so that players actually want to complete them, regardless of the rewards.
2 Do Want: More realms
The Norse myths outline nine realms that exist. God of War, however, only gave gamers a handful to explore. One of these was also at the end of the story, while another was a bonus area. The majority of time was spent in Midgard, the Earth realm. Players could see the other realms in the World Tree travel room, but they were intentionally blocked off.
In continuing the spirit of expanding one’s horizons, Kratos and Atreus could visit those other realms in the future. This could either be an intentional journey or simply somewhere they end up during their war with the gods. Whatever the case, these lands are begging to be explored.
1 Avoid: Flashbacks
To be fair, the previous game didn’t abuse this trope by any means. As Kratos becomes more open about his past traumas and deeds, however, Santa Monica could be tempted to include more scenes from previous God of War games.
Not only could this undermine the significance of the current story, but it might also pull people out of the experience to hear more redubbed versions of iconic scenes. Christopher Judge brings plenty of gravitas and pathos to this older version of Kratos. If the samples so far are any indication, though, his voice simply doesn’t have the range or power of former Kratos actor T.C. Carson. They hired him to be Old Man Kratos, so keep him that way. In short, God of War should spend less time looking backward and more time forging a new path.
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