2022 has been an excellent year for gaming. Valve’s new gaming console, the Steamdeck, released trailers for the new Super Mario Bros. Movie has everyone excited, and we saw Elden Ring become one of the most exciting games to play. But one game released in 2022 that required some thought is God of War: Ragnarök. Throughout the year, the gaming community talked about the better game that would win Game of the Year; GOW or Eldin Ring. Even though Eldin Ring won, everyone wants to know how close was Ragnarök to getting the crown. Luckily, this review can describe all of its successes and failures in the game.
What Are We Talking About?
God of War: Ragnarök is a sequel game to 2018’s God of War developed by Santa Monica Studio and made exclusively for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Kratos, the spartan god of war, and his son Atreus are looking for answers that fate may have in store for them. All the while, Ragnarök is getting closer, and war in the Norse realms, and all seems inevitable.
So, What’s Good?
First, I have to talk about combat. If you played the previous entry, the gameplay would be very familiar, which was incredible. The gameplay is what made God of War 2018 Game of the Year. Its sequel improved the fighting variety thanks to Kratos’ weapon and shield variations, but new skill trees were remade for Kratos, Atreus, and Freya. As a bonus, Atreus is playable throughout the story. Usually, when the player goes between two characters, the first half of the game is focused on one character, and the second half goes to the other. However, Kratos and Atreus go back and forth, so there is no lousy half to speak.
Another point for this game is the world. In GOW 2018, the player only had access to six realms: Midgard, Alfheim, Helheim, Niflheim, Muspelheim, and Jötunheim. The sequel gave access to all nine and let the player explore Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, and Asgard. All the realms were unique in several ways, with some acting uniquely from Kratos and Atreus’ previous visits. It’s a good thing, too, cause where could the developers keep this enormous amount of content?
My final point is the abundant amount of fun side missions and tasks. When I say “abundant amount,” I don’t mean in terms of story. I mean, there are a lot of gear, armor, items, chests, and challenges located all over the nine realms. Side Quests also cover the map to investigate more characters’ histories. If the player wants to collect everything, I recommend looking for these side quests. As a small tip, while in Vanaheim, be on the lookout for a side quest related to a pig at Freyr’s Camp. You’re welcome.
Then, What’s Bad?
The first negative I have to give would be the puzzles. Although there is a heavy amount of content, there’s an equally heavy number of puzzles. The puzzles in a game don’t hurt the experience, but whenever I found one, one of three things would happen: The AI tries to help after I think for ten seconds and don’t even offer helpful advice, I could never find the missing piece due to lighting or contrast, or I don’t have the skills to complete the said puzzle.
The story’s first and final hours were incredible in the beginning and end, but the middle felt a little muddy. The biggest fault would be the poor execution of the plot twist in the story. Spoiler for an eight-year-old game; An example of a sour plot twist would be Jason Todd’s unmasking in Batman: Arkham Knight. The plot twist wasn’t good because the player had too many clues to figure out who he was before the big reveal. GOW: R suffers the exact opposite. The plot twist was surprising, but the fact that there were no clues made it feel flat to me. The only reason I think of having it was either for shock value or the writers cut out part of that story.
Final Thots
Here’s the long-story-short version of my review:
| Pros | Cons |
| Combat has improved | Puzzles are Overwhelming |
| The World is Beautiful | Story Middle Parts are Stale |
| Post-Game is Abundant |
God of War: Ragnarök was a delightful game. Seeing Atreus and Kratos’ growth was always so charming, and seeing their Norse adventures end with this game made it all the better. It’s also why this game was my game of 2022. I’m glad I could explore every end of this game, and I can’t wait to see what Santa Monica Studios have next for the God of War franchise. Thank you for reading this article. Make to read my other game reviews after liking and commenting. Don’t forget to subscribe and follow me on Twitter @UrgeGaming_ for updates on the newest posts. Have an excellent rest of your day.
Release Date: November 9, 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Price (Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target): 59.99 USD (PS4), 69.99 USD (PS5)
Recommendation: Worth A Buy At Full Price