God of War: Ragnarok

The Scandinavian adventure arc of Kratos culminated grandly in God of War: Ragnarok — a third-person action-adventure with RPG elements, puzzles, and Metroidvania. It is a classic sequel where everything — from the storyline and world size to character development and ways to deal with enemies — has increased, but the core gameplay mechanics have changed little.

Ragnarok is a PS4 generation project, with plenty of loading screens during transitions and minor graphical improvements. The color palette and lighting system have been reworked, making the visuals more realistic. The updated particle system delights with colorful effects. Surfaces now respond to physical contact. The detail of models has increased, and the environment is filled with numerous small elements.

Three years have passed since the ending of God of War . The dreadful winter of Fimbulwinter is about to end, forever changing the mystical Norse worlds — Midgard and the Lake of Nine have frozen over, the dead find no peace, turning into zombies, and other foul creatures emerge.

All this time, Kratos and Atreus have been hiding, searching for the Norse god of war, Tyr, to prevent Ragnarok, and out of fear of revenge from the enraged native gods, especially Freya. Finally, they are discovered by Allfather Odin and the god of thunder Thor, who offer to resolve the conflict peacefully but are not afraid to confront the god-killer.

During this time, Atreus has become a difficult teenager, eager to learn his purpose and break free from his father's protection. Kratos, on the other hand, is used to the little one, trying to be a good father and protect him from the unfortunate prophecy of the first game.

In Ragnarok, the player will visit all nine worlds of Norse mythology — each with a unique natural landscape and climate zone, flora and fauna, enemies, and quests.

Everything is drawn and designed authentically to ancient tales and embodied in large (or medium) seamless locations — giving enough time to feel the atmosphere of each world, but not realizing them entirely. The worlds are brought to life through NPC characters and extensive visual diversity.

Moving between the nine worlds is facilitated by a hub location, where you can also rest, interact with characters, upgrade Kratos and Atreus' weapons and equipment, trade, and exchange unnecessary loot for useful crafting items. Additionally, the hub itself plays an important role in the narrative.

The level design has changed. There are fewer caves and more open spaces, some of which are simply monstrous. The arenas for large skirmishes have become more spacious. There is more "verticality," which the heroes have learned to use, flying over open spaces. And spatial puzzles, sometimes consisting of several stages.

The storyline of Ragnarok is an exciting and grand action movie aimed at young players and modern issues, shown through the prism of Norse mythology, significantly deviating from it. The story unfolds in two interconnected planes — the father-son relationship and everything else. Knowledge of the GOW 2018 plot is not required, although it is desirable.

The personal part is presented intimately and somewhat sentimentally, raising issues of fathers and children; the formation of Atreus as a warrior; the appearance of new acquaintances, not all of whom Kratos is pleased with; fatherly admonitions; and the transformation of Kratos into a wise but depressed man. A concentration of emotions, drama, and healthy humor.

The rest of the plot is simple and straightforward (good is better than evil, and peace is better than war), there are no antagonists as required by the laws of the genre, nor are there conflicts and defined sides. The end of the universe happens somewhere in the background. There's no need to look for logic, the plot needs to be felt.

On the way, you will meet many characters — well-written, with character, temperament, motivation, and transformation as the story progresses. Some will even temporarily join the team. The dialogues are very skillfully crafted — the heroes not only discuss their problems and current events but also tell anecdotes from the past, joke, tease, explain the lore, and raise serious topics.

The direction and scene staging have made a qualitative leap. Animations, facial expressions, camera positions, episode dynamics, and acting make you believe in the characters, empathize with them, and become emotionally involved in what is happening.

The combat system has become broader and more diverse, faster and more energetic, but not deeper or more complex: we roll, block or dodge, parry, hit the enemy until their attack resets, enjoying spectacular strikes and brutal finishers. The heroes have been taught new tricks and movesets (the old ones have been reworked), expanding combo chains and creating new ones.

Kratos's progress has been reset, rune attacks have been transferred to the skill tree, and Spartan rage has been divided into switchable types with different effects. Weapons now have elemental damage, and shields can be charged with energy, resulting in various effects. New weapons and equipment have also appeared, such as spears and amulets. Enchanting the latter can affect all aspects of combat.

Weapons and all equipment can be upgraded several times by collecting a dozen resources in the game world, extracting them from chests, and taking them from enemies. Weapons improved by the player are usually better than newly found ones. The world is interactive in places — you can grab something heavier and throw it at enemies.

There are more bosses and sub-bosses (dragons, berserkers, draugr), with non-story ones offering inventive combat mechanics that will make you sweat, while the story branch is not particularly difficult and features "staged" battles, but with unconventional designs.

Leveling is divided into two types. The usual, where you gain experience from enemies and quests, which accumulates into levels, and for each level, you get character development points. And a la Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition: the more often and more a skill is used, the better it works and can be enchanted for various effects. The enemy auto-leveling system in Ragnarok won't allow over-leveling, encouraging you to find the most suitable set for Kratos for each fight.

Completing Ragnarok will take 50-60 hours — a large prologue, major story acts, side quests lasting 2-4 hours in separate locations, regular side missions, challenges, and many small activities. After a brisk start, the pace slows down, allowing you to get acclimated, explore everywhere, and get a feel for the combat, and by the middle, the narrative and gameplay become increasingly intense and engaging.

Локации Ragnarok по мере прохождения постепенно расширяются, тем или иным способом открывая новые участки и позволяя заходить всё дальше. Исследование миров вдоль и поперек — важная часть игры, ведь записки с объяснением лора, сбор сундуков и ресурсов, скрытые квесты и поиск предметов взаимосвязаны между собой и общим прохождением.

Свобода действий полная — в любой момент можно переключиться с исследования на крафт и прокачку, бросить их ради побочки, а затем продвинуться по сюжету. Легко что-то упустить — контента, активностей и вариантов времяпрепровождения так много, что вместе они разрывают внимание игрока. Квесты сделаны вручную, обильно сдобрены объяснениями и CGI-роликами, став гораздо лучше заданий прошлой игры.