A few hours separate us from the release of God of War: Ragnarök, the latest adventure of our beloved Kratos, straight out of Santa Monica studios. We take stock of the essential information, such as its release time for example.
[Mis à jour le 7 novembre 2022 à 10h56] Four years of waiting come to an end this Wednesday with the release of God of War: Ragnarök. The new adventure of our deicidal and grumpy Spartan is simply shaping up to be a masterpiece if we are to believe the press reviews, an epic fresco to discover directly on Playstation 4 and Playstation 5 consoles. Once again, it seems that Sony Santa Monica has worked hard for this second installment of the new adventures of Kratos, allowing us to travel the Seven Kingdoms up and down and across while taking your eyes and ears aplenty. Release date and time, press tests, latest pre-orders… We take stock of all the essential information about God of War: Ragnarök.
God of War: Ragnarök will be released on November 9, 2022 at midnight sharp (according to Playstation’s usual release times) directly on Playstation 5 and Playstation 4. If the performance of the PS5 makes absolutely no one doubt its ability to run the game correctly, attention is focused on the Playstation 4. console is not far from celebrating its eight years and now technically seems to be lagging behind its youngest, and this quite logically. It remains to be seen how Sony Santa Monica adapted the game to Sony’s most venerable and active console.
This article aims to give you an overview of the reviews of the game. We encourage you to read the reviews of the newspapers cited here to deepen your opinion.
The return of our balding Spartan with a shaggy beard was one of the most anticipated events of 2022, perhaps just below the release of From Software’s latest title, Elden Ring. You will understand the mention of the Japanese game here since it seems that God of War: Ragnarök is almost as successful as it is, accumulating no less than 94/100 overall score on Metacritic, from an impressive total of 113 reviews. A rating that places it de facto second among the most popular games of 2022 (Elden Ring peaks at 96/100, unheard of for some time) but also in the category of undisputed masterpieces of the last ten years.
Ragnarök therefore equals its elder God of War (2018), and is definitely defined as a masterpiece, confirming the talent of the Sony Santa Monica teams, and also making it possible to raise the average of a generally very mediocre year 2022 on the plan for new releases. Note also that out of 113 reviews published, no less than 40 give it the maximum score. Like the famous newspaper IGN who attributes to him 10/10 : “God of War is a powerful accomplishment that makes its fellow human beings look like mere mortals.”
On the side of the other star newspapers of the medium, we can also notice the criticism of Destructoid who offers him 9/10. The title undoubtedly convinced Chris Carter: “God of War: Ragnarök is an exceptional showcase of what the series has to offer, a shining example of the breath it has left. Although not everything fits with the first episode from a story point of view, the heart is preserved, with new twists on the way. We’re totally on board with what Sony Santa Monica has in store for us next.”
On the French editorial side, the criticism is no less brilliant. At the house of JVCwe do not go far from the perfect note with a very good 19/20 : “ This new episode contains a moving, epic, generous and extremely dense epic. Santa Monica does at least very well in every aspect of its game and promises to make you feel a string of emotions, enough to dismiss its few weaknesses out of hand.“Among the weaknesses mentioned, we note some problems with the rhythm in the plot, the complexity of the RPG aspects, and a camera that is not always cooperative.
At the other French-language star newspaper, gamekultwe offer him 8/10 : “More intense, richer and above all longer, God of War: Ragnarök walks in the footsteps of his elder as Atreus in those of his father. At a time when the slightest success gives rise to a trilogy, Sony Santa Monica will be satisfied with this dyptich all in control, not to say in the form of a mirror, which admirably continues the odyssey of 2018 while putting the original back in perspective.“As rare negative points, the journal notes gameplay that is sometimes too repetitive, which the diversity of enemies fails to make less long, boss fights that are sometimes too sluggish, as well as certain interface and readability problems.
to be clear, I was expressing my frustration in the first tweet. not advocating for that at all. not the future i want as a gamer or dev.
just so beyond frustrated. feel terrible for the team.
this whole ordeal is incredibly stressful for us all.
mental health break time.
— cory barlog (@corybarlog) October 30, 2022
It’s been a long and complicated week for Sony Santa Monica employees. To their surprise earlier this week, various gameplay footage and images from the game spilled onto social media, forcing many players to view content that was still under embargo. In addition to the dimension of spoil which can seriously disturb the gaming experience of the fans, it is also the work of the developers which finds itself disclosed in the public square, for their greatest dismay. Cory Balrog, Creative Director at Sony Santa Monica spoke about these dishonest reseller practices:
“A retailer that sells God of War Ragnarok almost two weeks before release… It’s really disappointing... Sorry to anyone who has to avoid spoilers and wants to play the game. It’s fucking stupid to have to do this. This is not at all how we wanted things to happen at SMS (Sony Santa Monica Studio). To be clear, I was expressing my frustration in the first tweet. I am not advocating for this situation at all. This is not the future I wish for gamers or developers. I am more than frustrated. I feel bad for the team. This whole ordeal is incredibly stressful for all of us. We need a break for the sake of our sanity.”
God of War: Ragnarök will be sold in no less than four different editions. Besides the two editions collector and Jotnar, which both include exclusive accessories and collectibles such as a replica of Mjölnir, wooden figures, dice and a box, already out of stock, there are of course the more classic editions, namely Launch and Digital Deluxe. These two versions of the game include different in-game cosmetics, with a slight advantage for the Digital Deluxe edition offered at a higher price (89.99 vs. €79.99)
If Sony’s announcements about the release date of God of War: Ragnarök do not mention the PC as a game medium, nothing is carved in stone regarding the future of this Playstation exclusive. Indeed, although the game is reserved for Playstation 4 and Playstation 5 consoles, it could well arrive on PC in a few months or even a few years. Sony’s policy regarding its exclusives is changing, and the video game juggernaut intends to transport the exclusives that have made the success and identity of its keyboard and mouse consoles. This is particularly the case for the previous Horizon: Zero Dawn and God of War which appeared on Steam a little over two years after their release on Playstation 4. The PC market is indeed too huge to be ignored by console manufacturers. .