God Of War Ragnarok Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs (No Spoilers)

1. Taking A Creative Risk

There are parts of Ragnarok Sony Santa Monica know will go down well: Kratos and Atreus, combat, quick-time events that lead to gory executions of once-annoying bosses.

However, the real core of Ragnarok's reputation will be hung on the way its first half rolls out. How the game intentionally makes you feel a certain way; to yearn for a certain thing, and then executes on it in the best way possible.

I mentioned earlier that we're talking about 15ish-hour buildup to when things really "kick in", and while some players will simply never get to the scenes and change of pace I love so much, it's worth championing that when done holistically, such a creative risk elevates every aspect of production tenfold.

To that end, it's worth championing just how much God of War Ragnarok carries forward the "video game storytelling" baton first really set in motion by Red Dead Redemption 2, or The Last of Us 2. Big, thematically heavy video games that aren't afraid to intentionally evoke off-putting emotions or headspaces; to subvert expectations, with a greater whole or facet of storytelling coming later.