God of War: Ragnarök, Sony Santa Monica’s sequel to the 2018 God of War reboot, largely delivers an experience consistent with its predecessor, which is a testament to the original’s quality.
God of War 4 was effectively bypassed in favor of a reboot, despite Kratos retaining his Olympian backstory from the first, second, third and Ascension games. After settling in the Norse realms, Kratos sought peace, but the gods of this pantheon proved to have familiar flaws: selfishness, pettiness, and treachery. God of War: Ragnarök picks up directly after the first game (note: minor spoilers ahead for those unfamiliar with the previous installment). Atreus is now older, voiced with appropriate adolescent tones, and consumed by the search for truth regarding Tyr and the giants, as well as the implications of his “Loki” destiny. Kratos is attempting to manage Freya’s anger stemming from Baldur’s death – a consequence of Kratos’s intervention that initiated Fimbulwinter and the prelude to Ragnarök. Their relative peace is shattered by Thor and Odin, who arrive seeking answers regarding the deaths of their son and grandson, respectively. Players can expect significant conflict, intense action, and expansive exploration.
Eric Williams returns as director, having contributed to the series since the second installment. While Cory Barlog steered the previous game towards character-driven drama (punctuated by action and impressive environments), Williams appears to emphasize the series’ established action roots, delivering immediate and compelling entertainment. The game features streamlined loading times (or cleverly masked loading sequences), creating a seamless experience that encourages extended gameplay sessions, as players are drawn to discover what awaits them in the next area, portal, or mission.
God of War: Ragnarök is available on both Playstation 5 and Playstation 4, aligning with Sony’s strategy of supporting the older console. This review focuses on the Playstation 5 version’s technical implementation. As with many AAA titles from Sony’s premier studios, Ragnarök delivers exceptional audio-visual fidelity. Resolution, frame rate, lighting, and detail converge to create a compelling rendition of Norse mythology, reminiscent of the immersive world-building seen in James Cameron’s Pandora. Motion-capture animations are top-tier, and character models are convincing, though minor imperfections exist, such as occasional vacant expressions or slightly rough edges, particularly around Atreus. The game offers two primary graphics modes: “Favor Resolution,” which prioritizes resolution (dynamic scaling up to 4K) but appears to cap the frame rate at 30fps, and “Favor Performance,” which reduces resolution and detail to target 60fps. Furthermore, HFR (High Frame Rate) and VRR are supported to further optimize frame rate stability in both modes.
Prior to release, our testing reveals that both graphics modes offer compelling, albeit imperfect, experiences. “Resolution” mode provides visibly sharper and more detailed visuals on a high-quality 4K HDR TV, but the 30fps frame rate impacts responsiveness. “Performance” mode delivers smoother gameplay, frequently achieving 60fps (or 120Hz with HFR enabled), but experiences occasional frame drops, especially in complex environments with significant on-screen action. These fluctuations are most noticeable in the space between realms, where large, open environments with detailed celestial bodies can exhibit frame drops and texture pop-in. While not a critical issue, these elements suggest areas for further optimization.
The sound design is exceptional, encompassing the evocative soundtrack and immersive environmental effects, all enhanced by strong voice acting. Christopher Judge delivers a compelling performance as Kratos, and the creative direction provides interesting interpretations of iconic figures like Thor and Odin, respecting their established archetypes while introducing novel elements.
God of War: Ragnarök does not radically reinvent the established formula of the series. However, given the high quality of its predecessor, maintaining that standard while delivering enhanced action, more impactful set pieces, and increased emotional depth (on current-generation hardware) is a notable achievement. The game offers an interactive, cinematic spectacle that captivates and entertains. While the controls, particularly parrying, attacking, and item retrieval during combat, are not flawless, they remain functional. The new auto-pickup feature for bonuses, while convenient, may detract from the intended gameplay experience. Ultimately, Ragnarök succeeds in reigniting the passion for gaming by delivering a compelling and engrossing experience. Despite not being endlessly open, excessively long, or perfectly polished, its immersive gameplay makes it difficult to put down, a hallmark of a top-tier title.
While this installment may conclude the Norse mythology arc of the rebooted series, it is highly unlikely that this is the last we will see of Kratos’s universe.
Playstation provided a review copy for this assessment. The provision of review materials does not influence editorial objectivity.
