Finally here we are, four years after its predecessor, the time has come to analyze God of War Ragnarok in this review
To make it more in line with what is believed to be human nature
What does it mean to “humanize”? We find a technical definition by slightly raising our gaze. There is a passage, however, of this definition, which is complex to understand and it is that doubt inherent in the passage itself that gives value and weight to the whole. “What is believed to be…“, these words offer us an extraordinary insight interpretation in relation to the concept of humanization. What is it that makes us human? How is human nature defined?
Perhaps, to make us human (and we emphasize the “maybe”), it is that full of emotions, positive and negative that each of us carries within, sometimes silently and sometimes screaming them out to the whole world and, perhaps (again), what makes us human is the relationship that is created between those emotions and our interpersonal relationships. In God of War Ragnarokfollowing in the wake of its excellent predecessor, the key is all here, it’s all in the humanization of the Gods and, in this review, we will try to dissect this concept both from a philosophical point of view (pass us the term) and, in more practical and mainly videogames.
No spoiler
Our narrative journey within God of War Ragnarok (and within our review) begins with the direct continuation of what we saw in the previous chapter. Indeed, the plot of the game perfectly follows the tracks traced in the now distant 2018. Before proceeding we want to clarify that within this review there will be no spoilersneither from a narrative point of view nor from a gameplay point of view.
We do not hide that it will be difficult to write about this title avoiding any type of anticipation but, in our opinion, it is absolutely necessary as well as respectful towards the game and the users, to make this effort as the quality of everything you will see and of all which you will experience in God of War Ragnarok borders on excellence (and in some cases achieves it).
From Father to Son – God of War Ragnarok Review
Considering what was said in the previous paragraph of our review we will proceed with the analysis of what is the narrative management within God of War Ragnarok. Everything is based on one eternal dualism, an eternal dialogue that translates into clashes and encounters, in lost relationships, in recovered relationships and seasoned with sprinkles, here and there, of anger, resentment and depth that each character manages to acquire. A stage full of Gods who will slowly strip off their divine clothes to get as close as possible to a human dimension.
Obviously, the main dualism that we will find ourselves experiencing will be the one that will see the protagonists Kratos and Atreus. A father and son who grow and evolve together. Atreus will not be the Atreus of the previous title, just as Kratos will be a different Kratos. All this will catch the eye from the very first minutes of the game and this, in our opinion, is absolutely a real element of prestige which elevates this title, from a narrative point of view, to the level of the highest exponents of the category, even surpassing its excellent prequel.
Each dialogue fits perfectly with what is happening and with what we see on the screen and, above all, this narrative quality emerges during the cut-sceneswhich enjoy a rare direction for the videogame genre and which dip your feet in the sea of cinematography. Each cut-scene will hit, surprise and keep you glued to the screen. All this despite some imperceptible indecision on the facial animations of some characters.
There is no backing down – God of War Ragnarok review
God of War (2018) was a real revolution for the brand. For the change of playful setting, the new management of the room, of exploration, etc… in one aspect, however, the series has remained faithful and always on track. Of course, even this last aspect has “suffered” the effects of the change (only benefits as far as we are concerned) but the most aggressive element of the series has remained alive and will also be in Ragnarok.
How is it that they say: “When it comes to fighting Kratos does not hold back!” Ok, maybe it wasn’t quite like that, but you get the idea. There will be a lot to fight, a lot and every single fight will leave you an extreme sense of satisfaction and contentmentthanks to excellent feedback and thanks to an exceptional variety of war situations made possible by various unlockable skills and from the use of different weapons, with the possibility of switching during the fight. All with the addition of the skills of our allies, also unlockable and decided by us.
Furthermore, certain skills can be further enhanced thanks to the use of tokens mod which will modify the impact of that ability, changing what may be the type of damage inflicted. The management of the parades and the parry windows are also excellent. Furthermore, the different levels of difficulty are well suited to the needs of each user and the title will never be frustrating or excessively easy. In line, therefore, with what was done with the previous chapter.
Verso Asgard! – Review of God of War Ragnarok
In God of War Ragnarok we will find ourselves acting in several maps of different sizes. We believe a paragraph on map management and exploration is due. This is because, if on the one hand the storytelling represents the beating heart of the entire work, on the other hand we feel we can affirm that everything that surrounds what is the “main street” represents that plus which do the difference. Exploring every single corner of the maps and of the various kingdoms will not be an action moved only by the needs of completionism but will offer more variations to the gameplay; represented by the presence of different enemies, environmental puzzles, platforming stages, side quests, sleigh or boat rides and lore elements to discover.
Lore well managed and sipped to the right point that manages to perfectly bind the extraordinary creation of the worlds, their history and the desire to enjoy landscapes and backgrounds that they ooze fantasy and mythology from every leaf, blade of grass or creature you encounter. A fantasy and a mythology that will capture even the less accustomed to these themes. Exploration, however, in our opinion, suffers from one in some cases minor pathology that during our hours of play, made us turn up our noses more than once and that, honestly, we didn’t expect. We didn’t expect it both for the extreme quality of the title and in view of an evolution (difficult, we recognize it) of the series.
The pathology in question is that of the so-called “invisible walls”. We have often come across areas in which some areas, although easily visible and although easily accessible, on balance they turned out to be inaccessible. And this, from Santa Monica and from God of War Ragnarokwith everything that this title brings with it on its back, surprised us in the negative and we couldn’t help but point it out in the review.
Pleasure you were and pleasure you remain – God of War Ragnarok Review
God of War (2018) was a real landmark, From a technical point of view, for the previous generation of consoles. Ragnarok aligns, perfectly, with the visual pleasure that its predecessor caused in anyone who started it. Extraordinary models, varied settings and that visually mirror what happens from a narrative point of view. In Ragnarok we are in full swing Fibulwinter which, according to Norse mythology is the long winter preceding the arrival of the Ragnarok, the so-called “final battle”. Noting how every world and every area “suffers” from the arrival of Fibulwinter is extremely fascinating and triggers yet another applause for the development team in the attention to detail created. One consideration, however, must be made.
No fear, no harsh criticism but simply one awareness. If God of War (2018) was, as mentioned a few lines above, a point of reference from a technical point of view, we do not feel like saying that Ragnarok will be for the new generation of consoles (also thanks to its cross-country nature). gen) but, at the same time, we certainly know that it represents some solid foundations (as it was in the case of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and in the case of Horizon Forbidden West, for example) for all future projects and especially for future exclusives, also in the management of DualSense (positive in this title) .
On a performative level, the game is what can be defined in purely technical jargon: a rock. Just as, to be extremely impactful, is the audio sector, with a perfect soundtrack for every occasion, sounds that amplify the positivity of the feedback and a very very high level Italian dubbing.
And now the two of us… Kratos!
Our review of God of War Ragnarok it’s now in the final stages and, as always, trying to reshuffle what was said, with the fear of having missed something and with the uncertainty of not having been able to express everything you wanted, is really complicated. God of War Ragnarok amazes right away and it is strange how it is able to do it even if, fundamentally, one can expect what one is getting into, at least from the point of view of the rustic and playful structure. Perhaps, however, it is just that emotional involvement and that push towards the previously mentioned humanization, which is immediately felt, that makes the difference. We get gassed, sad and feel a strong empathy for each character and, in a certain sense, one comes pervaded from all those emotions of which the title is imbued.
You try anger to every single blow of the ax of Kratosyou try ambition and curiosity at every beat of Atreusand reflects after every word spoken by Mimir and there yes feels guilty whenever you focus on the face withered, resentful, aching but extremely beautiful and charming of Freya. God of War Ragnarok involves and does it like few of its “colleagues”. We are faced, in our opinion, with the umpteenth masterpiece of the series and a real Must Have for every owner of a PlayStation console, especially for every owner of a PlayStation 5.
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Still alongside Kratos and Atreus!
Plus points
- Narratively outstanding
- Cinematic cut-scenes
- Excellent Combat System
- Varied and beautiful environments to explore
- Technically very solid
- The pad will be a bridge between our emotions and those of the characters
Points against
- A few too many invisible walls