An epic journey drenched in blood and sweat

The task of developing the sequel to one of the best games of the past 20 years is not exactly the most rewarding. In 2018, Sony relaunched the already iconic God of War franchise, and how. The epic journey of Kratos and his son Atreus is rightly considered one of the best stories in video game history, which was also packed into a technical framework that was almost perfect for the time. With "God of War: Ragnarök" the successor is now starting on the Playstation 5. It remains epic and is technically even more impressive.

"God of War: Ragnarök" is a sequel that you can actually enjoy more if you've played the predecessor. Although the events are summarized in a little film at the beginning, that's more than enough as a memory aid for those who have already experienced part one. "Ragnarok" starts a few years after the end of its predecessor, in which Kratos and Atreus more or less accidentally triggered the apocalyptic Ragnarok, the end of the world, at the end of their journey. oops Meanwhile, Atreus has grown from child to teenager, more battle-hardened and further trained by his father.

Kratos feels his last years approaching and wants to prepare his son as best as possible for the time without him. He wouldn't have a problem twiddling his thumbs in snowy Midgard either, but after an opening battle that sets you up for the not-to-be-sniffed difficulty, Kratos and Atreus must set out to find a missing Norse god.

Combat in God of War: Ragnarök is brutal but beautiful to look at. When a giant crocodile is attacked with an ax throw, only to use magic to land the weapon back in Kratos' hand, or to throw opponents away with fire attacks - the fights are so varied that, despite the large number of them, they don't get boring over the long term feel repetition. This is also due to the large number of different opponents in the nine areas to be visited: dragons, undead soldiers, ogres - there is something for everyone.

Part 1 from 2018 was technically a revolution. "Ragnarök" naturally has the newer hardware and thus the better prerequisites, but compared to its predecessor it is more of an evolution. The first ten hours of play are tougher than the rest and are more linear than the time that follows. The combat system only opens up gradually, new techniques have to be learned first. So "Ragnarök" is more polished at the end, but at the beginning it still feels very much like its predecessor. The puzzles are also strongly reminiscent of the predecessor in terms of style and level. With some you have to think a lot, but you are rarely held up for very long.

Even if "Ragnarök" isn't told quite as stringently as its predecessor, it still pulls you along enormously. The story plays with expectations, again and again a twist throws you off the hook. It's a big story about prophecy, destiny, and how much is really in your hands. But the big core remains the relationship between Kratos and Atreus, even the great Nordic saga around it is more of a framework for it.

Legendary heroes like Thor and Odin make an appearance, but are pleasantly not at all reminiscent of characters from the Marvel Universe. "God of War: Ragnarök" ties you to the Playstation for around 30 hours just to complete the main quest and a few side quests. If you want to spend more time looking around in the world, which is designed with many details and want to fulfill other side quests, you can easily plan another 20 hours. It's not an open world game, but the level design makes it seem like it at times. Many of the nine areas are huge, some new sections only open after a specific weapon has been found. Those who deviate from the prescribed path are usually pleasantly surprised.

Ideally, you play it on a Playstation 5 to exploit the full technical potential. The game will also be released for the Playstation 4, and will also run on the old console. On the other hand, their fans get so loud that they sound like an airplane taking off and you worry about the old hardware.

The game's dialogue is written in such a pointed manner that both the deeply sad moments and the outrageously funny moments evoke blockbuster feelings. The English voice acting is outstanding and is in no way inferior to Hollywood productions.

"God of War: Ragnarök" is the hoped-for sensation and another milestone for story-driven single-player games. Its only downside is that it already has a sensational predecessor that should be remembered longer for its moments of surprise. Nevertheless, "Ragnarok" builds on its strengths so consistently that it would be a loss not to have experienced this game.

God of War: RagnarökPlatform: Playstation 5 and Playstation 4Release Date: November 9, 2022