Spoiler alert: This article spoils parts of God of War Ragnarök.
God of War Ragnarök has been a success on arrival, with Sony Santa Monica even teasing the possibility of another game soon after its release. Although the story has been hyped as the end of the Nordic arc for Kratos and Atreus, there are always stories that can either take place in new mythological settings or continued to be explored in the same place.
The God of War series can choose to place Kratos in conflicts with mythological figures from Egyptian legend or take another creative turn by detailing his adventures as the new All-father in the Nordic landscape. There are several other options for the franchise which are worth checking out to see where Kratos and Atreus might show up next.
Return To Greek Mythology
Kratos hasn’t been to the Greek world ever since he pretty much killed everyone there in God of War III. Now, with a renewed outlook and a completely different personality, Kratos could return to his homeland to make things right by helping the Greeks.
The series can have him come back to Sparta to see the remnants of all he left behind, along with the impact of the release of the power of Hope. Mainly, though, Kratos’ return to the Greek world will set up the opportunity for fans to gain closure between him and Athena, which is a plot thread that’s still hanging.
Atreus' Journey Into The Open World
Rather than featuring a particular mythological backdrop, the next game can place Atreus into the vast open world. This would be an opportunity for the series to depict how the rest of the universe is supposed to look, along with shedding light on how Kratos got to the Norse lands.
Atreus has a clear objective of finding more Giants, who could be shown hiding in various parts of the world. The primary environment can be the ocean, with Atreus and Angrboda shown arriving in different places with their own mythological backgrounds. A fusion between different myths with new protagonists facing a diverse set of gods is just the reboot that God of War needs.
Egyptian Mythology
Since Kratos appears to be around the Viking Era at present, Egyptian mythology can come into play through means of time travel. There are several boss fights here that Kratos can go up against, ranging from the likes of Ra, Set, and Osiris, among others.
A possible angle the series could take is for Kratos to be challenged by Montu, the Egyptian God of War, as a way of staying true to the series title. Kratos’ presence in Egypt would be a completely different backdrop to find the character, which opens up a lot of potential for storylines.
Roman Mythology
Roman mythology has always been closely associated with Greek mythology, which would make it an easy environment for Kratos to be part of. The series can take a creative turn by showing the universal ramifications of their conflict, seeing as many gods have names like Jupiter and Pluto.
Much like Thor was Kratos’ counterpart in the Norse mythology, the protagonist can face off against Roman God of War, Mars. The Roman pantheon has the general outline that the Olympians did, so it would be like watching the changed Kratos take on new foes that have the same personality as the Greek gods seen before.
Persian Mythology
Persian mythology almost coincided with the Greek one in God of War: Chains of Olympus when Kratos faced off against the Persian King. But rather than using any time travel trickery, Kratos can be shown visiting places like Babylon around his time.
It would be interesting to see Kratos fight Verethragna, the warrior god of this mythology, along with the supreme god Ahura Mazda as a counterpart to Odin and Zeus. The Persian setting at a later date compared to Chains of Olympus will offer a twist on this mythology which has generally had a stereotypical presentation in other works.
Aztec Mythology
The series took a big time jump for Kratos to arrive in Norse mythology, which will be needed once more to explore Aztec mythology. It’s not outside the realm of possibility for the protagonist to spend centuries in the Nordic landscape before moving on and eventually arriving in the Aztec land.
Kratos would be up against the likes of Aztec mythology God of War Huitzilopochtli, with possible match-ups against powerful ones such as the serpent god Quetzalcoatl. It could also be a good way for the series to inch closer to modern times if it wants Kratos to go that far.
Celtic Mythology
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Considering that Mimir comes from the Celtic lands, there’s already a setup for God of War to enter those realms. The story can easily call for Mimir to return home and ask for Kratos to aid him on his mission – it can serve as the end to Mimir’s arc and for Kratos to arrive in a new land.
The Celtic mythology has Neit as the God of War, but other supernatural beings like Balor can also come into play. Since the dynamic between Mimir and Kratos can serve as the main angle, the Celtic mythology appears to be best placed for the series to enter.
Focus On The Fallout In Norse Mythology
There’s still the fact that God of War Ragnarök just has side quests for players to engage in after the main story, leaving a lot to speculate over what’s next. The series can simply choose to return to the Nordic setting in order to properly deal with the fallout from Ragnarök.
The story can deal with Kratos’ activities as the new All-father, which would involve rebuilding the Nine Realms. Gameplay will be different since there won’t be Atreus to accompany the protagonist, which brings the potential for the franchise to return to its hack-and-slash route or choose a different feature.