God of War Ragnarok review

God of War Ragnarok review: God of War, which was released in 2018 and which PC players had the chance to play last January, was indeed a special game (God of War PC review). We can say that it is one of the best examples showing how a series should change.

This story, where Kratos left his vengeful past behind, showed us that peaceful days were far away with a hard knock on his door. After this moment, we entered into a big action. This is the journey we embarked on with our son Atreus, literally without rest, and continues from where it left off in God of War Ragnarok. After the first game in which we opened a brand new door, we are sailing on a new adventure that extends to Ragnarok.

God of War Ragnarok review / PS5

Although the first game was based on action and Nordic themes, there was actually a father-son relationship at the center of the story. God of War Ragnarok takes this relationship one step further and tackles the characters’ attempts to break their own stereotypes. Atreus shows that with the rebellious behavior of growing up, he is getting stronger and able to stand on his own feet. Of course, the rebellious behaviors brought by adolescence drag the story to breaking moments from time to time. Kratos, who is now even older, is proud of his son’s growth, but is not comfortable enough to give up his guard. Although his search for peace is emphasized from time to time, he does not hesitate to take responsibility when necessary. Now that hard look that penetrates into his facial features, he sells pickles again and continues to grumble.

Fimbulwinter is coming!

The story is about the triggering of Ragnarok, one of the biggest events in Nordic mythology after Baldur’s death. We witness how the Fimbulwinter winter has affected the realm, marking the coming of this great event. Although the story is generally driven on this theme, there are also very important stories and exits. The game, in which brand new mysteries preoccupy us, has managed to keep the story alive with this method. You are constantly wondering about the next step you will take and inhaling the details of this story, which is kneaded with mythology.

In other words, that detail mania that we got used to from the first game has preserved its place in this game as well and is kneaded with brand new stories. Even if they are not related to the main story, the new stories frequently told by characters such as Kratos and Mimir both prevent you from leaving the game and reveal very nice details. At this point, besides the main story, I would like to talk about the side quest system in advance.

OK, but how many hours does it take?

In the first game, we were encountering side quests in terms of finding more items or side bosses. God of War Ragnarok has taken this event a few steps higher. In fact, I must say that one of my favorite details in terms of development lies in the side quests. Of course, there are similar types of side missions, but especially character and mini-story-oriented side missions have increased the research and navigation of the game to a more successful level.

Of course, you can finish the game without doing these missions, but such big side missions are presented to the player in detail as if they are related to the main story. It both increases the duration of the game and manages to stand out from similar productions that we have been chasing for side missions. By the way, I can say that the game will take around 30 – 35 hours with the main story and these big side missions. If you want to get into mini-missions, I can say that around 50 hours of gameplay awaits you.

Is the horse running after us?

After the first game, where the story is almost rushed, God of War Ragnarok is in trouble of being a little more solid as a story presentation. Throughout the story, we take frequent breaks, digest events, sleep, and witness the characters plan. Frankly, I can say that I quite liked this process of storytelling. On the action side, of course, the same intensity has kept its place, but the feeling that the events happened in a few hours has left its place to a more settled story with this method.

Before moving on to the gameplay details in our God of War Ragnarok review content, one more issue should be clarified. God of War Ragnarok sticks closely to the first game, both in terms of storytelling and gameplay. In a way that I can’t understand, there were players who expected a big change from this game, if you expect such a change, the game may upset you. Just as God of War and God of War 2, released in the 2000s, are two games of the same series, there is a similar situation in this new series. We have a game developed around that skeletal structure in the gameplay part and adding new flavors.

In other words, although Kratos is the main focus of the game dynamics, Atreus, who is next to him, is also very important. Atreus, who is far from that child profile, who develops himself in talent and whose hand trembles while shooting arrows, gets into the action moments more.

God of War Ragnarok is a production that progresses vertically in terms of playground. that is to say, apart from the wars we waged on a single plane, environmental elements are now more prominent. You can jump across the chain and continue the fight there, or you can fly from a height and crash into the opponent’s bow below. Sometimes it is possible to throw logs and rock pieces in the playground towards the enemy. This structure made the sedate combat system richer and more fluid.

Of course, let’s not forget that the Leviathan ax and Chaos knives, which we can call the relics of Kratos, are in our hands from the very first minute. It is very enjoyable to use both weapons. Moreover, with the new abilities unlocked, there is a considerable variety in the combo system. The triangle key, which we call our axe, is used more effectively in the fighting system in this game. Of course, we call the ax with this key again, but we also use it in different combinations in special attacks. For example, when you press and hold the Chaos Blades, Kratos shakes the blades like a rosary and can cause the tip to catch fire.

Of course, the main reason we do this is to take advantage of elemental damage. So when you dive into an icy enemy like this, you do more damage. or likewise, when you use this ability on your axe, you freeze the tip and make your opponents freeze. Likewise, when you quickly switch to frozen opponents and dive with Chaos Blades, your damage naturally increases.

This costume fits me perfectly.

Speaking of abilities, many of the features we are already familiar with have been further developed and added to Ragnarok. We find armor pieces and we can update them. A feature that I like on the armor side has been added to the game. If you wish, you can continue to use an armor that you like by transferring other armor stats. It is pleasing that this Transmog-like system that we see in MMO games is in the game.

In addition, we can also make changes on factors such as Runic attacks, talismans, attack, defense, cooldown luck. You unlock new combos by updating the weapons we have in the skill system, of course. There are brand new features here, but one thing I don’t like is that we have to re-open skills we already know. I can understand this on major abilities, but re-activating smaller-based abilities that Kratos had his ax around was a bit annoying.

What I like about the skill system is that the experience points you collect are now separated. So you see Kratos and Atreus collect separate experience points. Thus, you are allowed to update the skill tree as you wish. There is no such thing as “No points left for Atreus”. In the gameplay and weapons section, there are a few more details that we do not want to spoil the surprise of, and let’s leave the experience part to you, saying that these details contribute significantly to the gameplay.

One of my favorite aspects of the first game, “one shot”, that is, the technique of shooting with a single camera, has preserved its place in this game as well. Moreover, this time we have a slightly more complicated story before us. Despite this, some of the transitions used in the story presentation fully kept up with the technique. This method, which is used when talking about how it will be, has made an already well-functioning dynamic much more enjoyable.

The most criticized aspects of the first game were the inadequate boss fights and puzzles. Obviously, this time the boss fight has gone a little further. Apart from the boss fights, there is a noticeable increase in the variety of creatures and enemies in the game. However, I looked for those huge boss fights of God of War in this game. On the puzzle side, I think the game couldn’t put much on the first one. There are some innovations, but in general they are not very detailed.

Let’s talk a little bit about the technical side. God of War Ragnarok is not exactly a new generation game as you know. Since the PS4 version was also released, a hybrid structure was used, especially the section designs. The spaces built on the first one are wider this time. A much freer structure was used in the spaces we saw directly. So much so that there is a region that exists only for side stories, and this is one of the largest areas of the game.

The character details remain magnificent, especially in the main characters. You can see even the smallest embroidery on Kratos in detail. Moreover, despite the changing armor system, the preservation of this detail has also shown how sensitive the team is working. I tested both PS4 and PS5 versions of the game. Both versions have nice touches in terms of detail. The difference is mostly seen in reflections and lighting.

On the other hand, you can feel the touch of mythology at every moment, as the game’s section designs are full of details on their own. I also encountered some minor errors in the graphics, but they are not large enough to affect the game. Since we started to experience the game very early anyway, it has also received a few updates during this time. I think these minor bugs will be fixed with the release.

This love opens us up

With the new reinforcements in the voice-over, the team has kept its place. Names like Christopher Judge, Sunny Suljic and Danielle Bisuitti once again performed well. Other than that, I loved the character of Thor. Both the character’s place in the game and the voice acting are really great. Leaving aside such dignified names, my favorite is still Brok. He literally brings joy to the environment with his character jokes brought to life with the voice of Robert Craighead.

Finally, let’s not forget the accessibility options. Sony usually does not skip this issue in its own games and does an admirable job. God of War Ragnarok game also includes a wide setting menu. There are many customizations, including sound details, on-screen user interface adjustments. We even see that color choices are included for the main character, side characters, enemies and bosses. The team offered a wide range of use to all players, both auditory and visual.

Conclusion

As a result, the new God of War Ragnarok comes out as a quality production that follows the footsteps of the first game and that players will love in every sense. Although the story has very minor descents, it is decorated with details that you will play with excitement from start to finish and will attract your curiosity. Apart from the father-son relationship, it is really enjoyable to see details similar to Odin’s tirades about being a god, which we have already seen in the trailer. Of course, we should not forget the pleasure of reading all these details in Turkish and watching them with subtitles.