God of War: Ragnarök: The Review

God of War: Ragnarök: The Review

Score: 10 out of 10

Overview: "God of War: Ragnarok is a near-perfect journey that surpasses its predecessor in nearly every way, delivering a deeply emotional, high-stakes story to conclude the Norse saga of Kratos' Journey. Building on the strong foundations of 2018’s "God of War," Ragnarok masterfully combines breathtaking visuals, finely tuned combat, and intricate character development. With an epic story, stunning world design, and the return of Kratos and Atreus in top form, this game is an unique experience that fans of franchise can't miss."

Notes: We will be covering the DLC "Valhalla" in a short form review releasing early 2025.

The Positives

• God of War:Ragnarok's story is a powerful tale that deeply explores themes like fate, parenthood, and redemption, especially through the complex relationship between Kratos and Atreus. The story shines in every department with every piece of content in the game tying back to the main conflict in some way;
• The combat is a refined and more complex experience compared to God of War (2018),with enemy encounters that challenge the player to adapt to every circumstance and scenario, testing the player's knowledge of every system the game has;
• Not only do Kratos and Atreus shine as the leading characters, but secondary characters like Freya, Thor, and Odin are also given rich and complex character arcs which adds more layers to the elaborate narrative​ and to the overall mythology of the franchise;
• Every actor brings their A game in this story by showing an incredible range in both comedic and dramatic moments, with the clear highlight being Christopher Judge's performance as Kratos;
• The boss encounters are phenomenal from start to finish, each bringing a new set of challenges to Kratos and Atreus. The early game fight with Thor is easily a standout with a very specific moment (that we won't spoil) that breaks the fourth wall in one of the most creative ways we can remember;
• Visually, the game is gorgeous. Each realm has a distinct style and ambiance which makes the player want to explore the entirety of these worlds. The quests also take full advantage of the environments by creating dynamic ways to use every aspect of the world, using the visuals as a tool to tell interesting stories;
• The soundtrack is also a highlight with a powerful mix of songs that bring more weight to scenes and moments of the story while also complementing the narrative;
• The game has a wide range of accessibility settings that allow EVERY type of player to enjoy this story.

The Negatives

• The pacing in the early sections of the game is a slight problem. The game has a pretty electric start for the first few hours only to then slow the pace down to almost a drag in the next sections. It wasn't a huge problem for us but we thought we should mention it cause it's a common issue given by some of our team members;
• The puzzle sections are (mostly) a huge drag that bring the game's pacing to a grinding halt. They are used more often than they should. Some of them could either be shortened or use some more polish;

The Experience

God of War: Ragnarok is our favorite game of 2023 and one of the best games we ever played. It was the first game we ever played on the PS5 and our experience with it was one of the most memorable gaming experiences we ever had.  It took us around 70 hours to fully 100% and obtain the platinum and we loved every second of it. We are anxiously awaiting for a sequel or any sort of future content related to the franchise. We will be covering the DLC in 2025 so you better stick around if you wanna know our opinion on it.