Review of ‘God of War Ragnarok’ – Lightning Strikes Twice

God of War Ragnarok, unlike its predecessor, is not a completely transformative installment in the series. It couldn’t possibly be, at least not in the same way.

The transition from the original God of War games to a totally new format with the release of the blockbuster remake in 2018 proved impossible to reproduce precisely. So Ragnarok will have to settle for being an amazing sequel to arguably one of the best games of the previous generation. And that should suffice for everyone.

The 2018 relaunch of the long-running PlayStation action franchise God of War as a more contemplative, open-world adventure raised some questions at first, but the astounding quality of the finished game dispelled any doubts. God of War Ragnarok, the sequel, is not the revelation that the original was, but “more of the same” is a nice treat when “the same” is so very, very excellent.

Following are spoilers for God of War (2018) and the first two hours of this game. If you haven’t played the first, stop right now, take a sick day, and begin!

The original game ended on an emotionally high note and with an intriguing cliffhanger, with Kratos and son Atreus ultimately scattering the ashes of wife and mother Faye in Jotunheim while also learning that Atreus was known to the now-disappeared Giants as Loki.

This isn’t “DLC,” which was a popular criticism directed at Ragnarok in early previews by some, citing similar zones and animations. This game is just as broad and massive as the original, even if the previous game does offer it certain old realms and soaring Leviathan axe moves. My usual “Give Me Balance” hard playing lasted slightly over 30 hours, which includes a lot of exploration rather than focusing on the main story. But, because I reserved some sidequests, optional monsters, and challenges for the end, I was able to complete practically everything in 37 hours or less. A hundred percent the game would take a few minutes longer than that (there are so many dang Odin ravens to discover), and all of this would take much, much longer on higher levels.

I’ve put in around 18 hours so far, and while I’m thoroughly enjoying Ragnarok, I haven’t been as regularly shocked by the landscape, combat, or cutscenes as I was in the first game. To be sure, there have been fantastic moments and breathtaking landscapes, but I wasn’t gawking at the screen like I was when I first saw Jormungandr or Freya’s turtle house. Of course, fewer surprises are to be expected in a direct sequel, but God of War’s expanding scale from its humble beginnings, as well as the diversity of the realms you explored, was a significant part of its allure.

The good news is that as you leave the initial handful of regions, things start to differentiate, so if you think of them as a “coming up to speed” thing rather than the first actual set of pieces, you’ll have a better experience. Ragnarok has its own identity, but it takes some time to emerge.

It’s still incredibly fantastic in terms of story, concepts, and acting, yet there’s a sense of “what am I doing here exactly” that bugs me while I play, which was never really the case previously. Taking Faye’s ashes to the highest peak in the realms was a convenient movable goalpost, but everything was still in service to it – as Kratos was constantly emphasizing to Atreus, they didn’t even want to get involved in the gods’ affairs.

God of War Ragnarok does not exceed the high water mark set by its predecessor in 2018, but it also does not fall below it. And what begins as more of the (great) same eventually diversifies and addresses some of the first game’s few flaws. This stunning and innovative game is easy to suggest to any PlayStation owner (I played on PS5), and no doubt it will be among the best-selling titles this year as it makes its way into varied holiday plans.

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