In 2018, the fourth installment of the God of War series, the eponymously named God of War,

stunned fans. The game had an incredible story and incredible gameplay. It followed the series

protagonist Kratos, following God of War 3 after he destroyed the Greek pantheon, and his son

Atreus who travel through ancient Scandinavia to scatter the ashes of Kratos’s wife and Atreus

mother at the highest point of the realms. Along the way they encounter many beings and

antagonistic Norse gods like Baldur. The game was praised as an exceptionally wonderful

game, in a year of many other wonderful games like Red Dead Redemption and Spider Man. As

the game racked up awards, fans clamored for a sequel. Now, the sequel is here for a

November 9th release date, God of War: Ragnarök.

Despite multiple hindrances due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the game was completed by Santa

Monica Studios and they’ve been building up hype since its completion last year. The story is

set three years after the previous game, as Fimbulwinter (the winter that lasts three summers)

draws to a close, signaling the beginning of Ragnarök. In Norse mythology,Ragnarök is the

series of apocalyptic events and battles that will lead to the rebirth of the world. However, many

of the prophesied events of Ragnarök have been changed due to the events of the first game.

Now, as Kratos and Atreus look for answers after the reveal that Atreus is Loki at the end of the

previous game. They must also deal with new and vengeful enemies which include the Allfather

Odin, Thor, and Freya. They seek vengeance on Kratos and Atreus for the deaths of the gods

Baldur, Magni, and Modi.

Various new casting announcements of Norse gods were made including having Walking Dead

actor Ryan Hurst as Thor, Richard Schiff as Odin, and Ben Prendergas as Tyr. The developers

confirmed the designs of the Gods would be closer to how they are described in the ancient

texts rather than the designs popularized by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Trailers have

shown the scope of the world that the player will be in and the sheer scope of boss battles.

Reviews prior to wide release have praised the game. IGN gave it a 10/10. Review aggregator

Metacritic has it currently at 94/100. This game has been called the Most Anticipated Game of

2022 by multiple sites and it looks like it may even be the top contender for Game of the Year as

well.

God of War: Ragnarök releases on November 9th for the PS4 and PS5.