Fans of the God of War series were finally given a glimpse into the ninth installment in the franchise through an epic trailer that was shown during the PlayStation Showcase earlier this month. Aside from the trailer and interview with the team behind the game, there was also a detailed post on the PlayStation Blog that provided gamers with more details about the upcoming sequel.
With both the YouTube event and the blog post, fans now have more information than ever before about what they can expect from God of War Ragnarök. While some specifics like the release date have yet to be announced, players can focus on the things that have been revealed about Kratos and Atreus’ upcoming journey into the last chapter of their Norse adventure.
The Official Title Is God of War Ragnarök
Some fans have been calling the game God of War Ragnarök since last year’s PlayStation Showcase, thanks to a cryptic teaser trailer that didn’t reveal much aside from “Ragnarök is coming.” In a game that lets fans play as a god going through narratives based on Norse mythology, it makes sense that they would end with the apocalyptic event, Ragnarök.
After the last PS Showcase, players can comfortably call the game by its official name, as the team at Santa Monica Studio confirmed that it is indeed titled God of War Ragnarök. The developers confirmed during the live event that it will be the final chapter in the Norse mythology period, which likely left most fans wondering what the next world will be in future installments.
The Release Window Is 2022
Although players were hoping for a 2021 release based on the teaser trailer from last year’s PS Showcase, the blog post reconfirmed that God of War Ragnarök won’t be coming until sometime in 2022.
Santa Monica Studio announced this last June through a Twitter post, with the team explaining that the “safety and wellbeing” of their employees remain their top priority. Fans can look forward to “a top-quality game” that will hopefully end the Norse chapter in Kratos and Atreus’ story in a fitting way.
The Game Will Be Playable on Both The PS4 And PS5
Players who haven’t had the chance to get a PlayStation 5 don’t have to worry about being able to play Ragnarök, as it will still be available for PS4 users. An older post on the PlayStation Blog features an interview with the head of the PS Studios, Hermen Hulst, who confirmed that this is the case for a few new releases.
He says that while it’s important to have “showpieces for PS5” like Returnal, “Where it makes sense to develop a title for both PS4 and PS5 — for Horizon Forbidden West, the next God of War, GT7 — we’ll continue looking at that.” This was reconfirmed in a newer post from the blog about Ragnarök, where the team shared how excited they are for the release of the game for “PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5” in 2022.
A More Intimate Story Between Kratos And Atreus
Both the trailer and the blog post revealed a ton about what players can expect from the story of Ragnarök. Aside from taking place towards the end of Fimbulwinter and at the start of the events of Ragnarök, the important character, Tyr, was revealed in the trailer. It’s not clear what the son of Odin’s role is, but he has been teased in murals from the previous game.
Like the prequel, Ragnarök will also feature a more intimate story between father and son, with Atreus struggling to make sense of his identity as a half-god half-giant individual. It seems like more of his Loki-like characteristics will come out, which will be challenging to juggle with the impending apocalyptic event.
A Talented Voice Cast
The talented voice cast for the upcoming game has also been revealed, with some familiar names coming back to play the roles of some of the most tragic characters in God of War. These include Danielle Bisutti as Freya and Christopher Judge as Kratos.
New members of the cast include Ben Prendergast as Tyr, Laya Hayes as Angrboda, and Ryan Hurst as Thor. These characters’ roles in the game have not been fully explained and fans will likely have to wait until they can play it to find out. It was said in the event, however, that Angrboda is the "last of the giants," which could mean that she might have some answers about Atreus' past and his mother Faye, Kratos' wife.
Freya Is The Main Antagonist Of The Game
One of the biggest unanswered questions about God of War: Ragnarök was whether Freya would become a villain after the events of the last game. Both the trailer and the blog post confirmed that the Queen of the Valkyries would become the main antagonist in the upcoming title, with Thor only serving as a secondary villain in the game.
It’s not surprising that Freya’s anger would lead her to hunt Kratos and Atreus down. She loved her son Baldur despite all his faults, after all. A more interesting question would be how she can become the antagonist, as fans may remember that Freya was cursed by Odin to never be able to leave Midgard. She may find a way to break the spell or attack the protagonists in other unpredictable ways.
Uniquely Expressive Combat
The blog post detailed how there will be “a healthy serving of visceral and spectacular combat” that’s expected in every GoW game. There will be new attack abilities, Runic Summons for Atreus, and of course, heavy use of Kratos’ legendary weapons like the Blades of Chaos.
The developers want players to have more freedom when it comes to their playstyle, promising to “push player choice in combat.” The combat mechanics in Ragnarök will be “uniquely expressive,” although it’s unclear exactly how the game designers will achieve this. Based on the trailer, more combos and new ways for the duo to fight together may appear in the upcoming sequel.
New Creatures Inspired By Norse Mythology
The GoW series has given players a slew of hard-to-beat bosses like Sigrun and Zeus, but has been criticized for its lack of variety for lower-level creatures like Draugr. It seems like the developers are addressing this issue in the next installment, with more interesting creatures to go with the game’s improved combat mechanics.
According to the blog post, the game will have “a whole host of new creatures from across Norse mythology” to test players’ skills. These include some already shown in the trailer such as the centaur-like Stalker and the Dreki, which looks like a mutated alligator.
All Nine Realms Will Be Accessible In The Game
The most important in-game teaser in the 2018 GoW game can be found in the room with Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life that allowed players to travel between realms. It showed all nine realms in the world, but players could only visit six of them in that game.
The blog post has confirmed that players will be able to access all nine realms in the upcoming sequel, allowing fans to venture into the “previously unreachable Vanaheim, Svartalfheim, and Asgard.” It will also include “new areas from locations featured in the last game.” Players will have to wait and see exactly what they’ll discover in these new locations in God of War Ragnarök.