God of War Ragnarok shows improvements in unexpected ways Sony Santa MonicaAfter a few hours with God of War Ragnarok, I\u2019m impressed at how well it adds depth to its narrative and characters, and can\u2019t wait to see how it grows from here. How do you follow a game like God of War? The 2018 revival of a franchise many thought had run its course went on to become a Game of the Year winner, and arguably the PlayStation 4\u2019s most well-received title by both critics and fans alike. Those are some hefty Spartan boots to fill, and from God of War: Ragnarok\u2019s early hours it\u2019s not always obvious to see what\u2019s changed \u2013 but if it ain\u2019t broke, did it need fixing? Note: We\u2019ll keep this preview spoiler-free, both out of duty to Sony\u2019s own preview embargo (naturally), but also in the interest of anyone looking to go into Kratos and Atreus\u2019 latest adventure without any potential spoilers. That said, there may be elements that you consider spoilers (including the basic narrative setup) \u2013 if in doubt, we\u2019d recommend turning back. We have, however, only used the screens Sony provided from the start of the game. From humble beginnings Our story picks up with Kratos and the now-adolescent Atreus in the midsts of Fimbulwinter \u2013 the prophecized \u201cdoomsday blizzard\u201d that was bought on by the death of Baldur in the last game. The dynamic deity duo is living in a small camp, surrounded by snow, and laying low while training for the fight ahead. Complicating things is the return of Freya, with the magic-wielder seemingly a constant threat and keeping our heroes guarded as she fights for revenge after Baldur\u2019s death. It\u2019s this conflict that presents a heart-pounding action sequence within the game\u2019s opening minutes, as Kratos and Atreus attempt to make it back to camp while defending themselves against the shapeshifting Freya. It\u2019s a set piece that\u2019s smaller in scale than what we saw in 2018, but no less stunning \u2013 the PS5 has been tested plenty since launch, between Demon\u2019s Souls, Elden Ring, and more, but God of War Ragnarok is a stunning showpiece for the console, as well as the Dualsense controller. Kratos\u2019 weighty steps can be felt with the pad, and if you thought it felt good to hurl the Leviathan axe through the air on a DualShock 4, then you\u2019ll be blown away by it on the PS5\u2019s haptic-filled controller. Axe you a question That brings us nicely to combat, and Kratos\u2019 attacks, at least in these early stages, are much the same as you\u2019ll remember from his last jaunt through the realms. There are light and heavy attacks, as well as the return of the Spartan shield for blocking and parrying. It\u2019s just as brutal as you\u2019d expect from a franchise that once had our hero shoving his thumbs in the eye sockets of gods, and using the Leviathan Axe to cleave enemy heads in two still sends a shiver down my spine just thinking about it. One new trick this time around is the addition of a new mechanic that can freeze the Leviathan Axe by holding triangle. While you could throw a frozen axe before, this new ability lets Kratos power up both melee and ranged attacks. It takes a second to charge, but pairing it with a light attack at just the right angle can be ideal for crowd control in a confined space. In this early section, it\u2019s clear that the game\u2019s combat puzzles have taken inspiration from the finely tuned Valkyrie battles of the 2018 reboot. Whether it was a boss fight or a group of standard enemies laid out in a challenging formation, combat feels more challenging than the prior game, even on the standard difficulty. That\u2019s a good thing, and after so many hours spent in Elden Ring this year, it definitely took some time to require my brain a little to God of War\u2019s still deliberate, but slightly faster pace. Oh, and Spartan Rage returns, and it\u2019s just as enjoyable to start clobbering enemies like a supercharged boxer with fists the size of giant hams. A wider world The biggest step up in God of War Ragnarok, at least in these early stages, is in its exploration of themes. \u201cDad of War\u201d introduced a paternal side of Kratos with an almost reluctance to be better, but Ragnarok stretches those themes into metaphorical threads that stretch far beyond and into increasingly interesting places. Of course, Atreus and Kratos remain at the center of the tale, but their interactions now feel like they spread to the world and characters around them, which then makes the world more interesting in turn. New and returning characters alike feel complex, and I can\u2019t wait to see how the narrative dominos fall in the coming hours. I\u2019m also looking forward to seeing what Sony Santa Monica can achieve with the PS5\u2019s power when the snow clears \u2013 God of War 2018\u2019s realms felt like real places, and I\u2019m excited to explore more. Final thoughts In these early stages, it\u2019s clear that God of War Ragnarok is a reunion of sorts. If there was one thing I was desperate for after the last game, it was more time to spend with these characters. In 2022, that wish has finally come true, and while this journey is just beginning, it\u2019s immediately obvious that God of War Ragnarok is poised to be in the game of the year conversation yet again this year. Stay tuned for Dexerto\u2019s God of War Ragnarok review on Thursday, November 3 at 9:00AM PDT \/ 12:00PM EDT \/ 4:00PM GMT \/ 5:00PM CEST.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
God of War Ragnarok shows improvements in unexpected ways Sony Santa MonicaAfter a few hours with God of War Ragnarok, I\u2019m impressed at how well it adds depth to its narrative and characters, and can\u2019t wait to see how it grows from here. How do you follow a game like God of War? The 2018 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81135\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}