Ragnarok wouldn’t have had this effect on me had it not been for how its predecessor painted the relationship between Kratos and Atreus. God of War Ragnarok made me laugh, smile, and cry – the latter was especially true when I encountered two game-breaking bugs during my playthrough (which Sony has since addressed in a chunky pre-launch patch). Unfortunately, running along the path between the realms remains irritating as it slows the game’s pace and almost feels like a hidden loading screen – not even the chit chats between characters can make it more tolerable.

I just wish that traveling between realms had been given the same treatment. Every player is given the same weapons, but it’s the enchantments, runes, and accessories that hold the nuance.

That really seems to be the purpose of these evolutions: to carve out your Kratos and Atreus. Atreus doesn’t get access to these runes, and his armor choice is solely cosmetic, but he does have his own buffs in the form of accessories, which allow you to hone his playstyle more to your own. All weapons and armor can still be upgraded by the dwarves Brok and Sindri, and you can add an attachment to each weapon as well as separate runes for a light and heavy runic attack – all of which are upgradeable, too. This doesn’t mean that weapon runes have been disposed of. This seemingly replaces the armor runes feature from the previous game, which is no longer available but is quickly forgotten thanks to the new system With so many slots, you can construct starkly different builds to fit your combat style. While some improve the Spartan's runic abilities, others may improve stats like vitality, it’s up to you what you slot in. Sequels can often become overwhelmed with new systems and features, but God of War Ragnarok’s feel like an organic evolution of what came before.įor example, Ragnarok introduces the Amulet of Yggdrasil to Kratos’ arsenal, which can hold up to nine different enchantments, each offering a different type of buff. The removal of the shield skill tree is an example of Sony Santa Monica elegantly streamlining God of War’s systems. Likewise, Kratos' skill trees for his Blades of Chaos and Leviathan Axe have been expanded, though there is no longer a skill tree available for his shield. The demi-god teenager no longer feels like an add-on, he has a wide range of skills at his disposal. If you’re lucky, the long-horned goat will stun an enemy, allowing you to unleash a devastating attack that sees you tear off one of their limbs.īoth Atreus and Kratos have a range of new abilities, and their skill trees feel thoroughly fleshed out.

In battle, while Atreus will get stuck into Draugrs and Hel-Walkers by himself, you can also command him to shoot arrows at specific enemies and even have him unleash animal-related special abilities, such as summoning a rampaging Ibex to thrash through enemies. Kratos will require him to shoot a runic arrow at a particularly dense bush concealing a chest, for example, so that the Spartan can then sink his Blades of Chaos into the runic-enhancing purple ring it leaves, burning away the troublesome foliage. Throughout their journey, Atreus’ input is critical. In Ragnarok, the father and son are partners. It’s not simply in the narrative that Kratos and Atreus’ relationship is reflected, it’s in the gameplay and combat too.

New god of war