God of War 4 was one of the best critically acclaimed games that graced the screens in the last generation. The visuals are still ever so crisp, and the storytelling is remarkable that it does indeed stand the test of time, but the series isn’t stopping right there as Santa Monica Studios has teased another installment to the franchise by the name of God of War: Ragnarok. There have been a fair number of changes from the first game and the newest one. So here are the biggest changes from the prequel of God of War!
A Change in Directors
God of War underwent a significant transformation with its fourth installment, thanks to lead director Cory Barlog. However, for Ragnarok, Barlog steps aside, and Eric Williams takes the helm as the director.
Barlog, now involved in smaller projects within the game’s development, is succeeded by Williams, a veteran at SIE Santa Monica Studio since 2004. Williams brings extensive experience in designing artwork, video game assets, and character models, having played diverse roles across the mainline games in the series. Despite the change, the capable hands of Eric Williams suggest God of War Ragnarok is in good hands, given his formidable resume.
The Story So Far
Young Atreus has entered puberty, exhibiting a curiosity that clashes with Kratos’ reluctance to change. In the frozen aftermath of Fimbulwinter, Midgard is in chaos, and the duo navigates survival expertly.
- As Fimbulwinter nears its end, Atreus seeks answers while Kratos clings to the wilderness.
- The impending Ragnarok looms, and their opposing views intensify.
- Kratos prioritizes protection, but Atreus, maturing and demanding answers, hints at the possibility of war.
Atreus urges Kratos to think strategically, triggering memories of Kratos’ past mistakes. The narrative explores their strained bond, a departure from the strong connection in the prequel, promising a poignant journey as players navigate the duo’s attempts to avert Ragnarok.
There Will be No Trilogy
Santa Monica Studios won’t be developing a third edition of God of War: Ragnarok. The studio, fatigued from working on the latest installment, aims to deliver a compelling conclusion to the Norse Saga. While the future mythology realms remain uncertain, it’s confirmed that the Nordic storyline concludes with the second installment.
Ragnarok serves as the definitive end to the God of War Norse Saga, aligning with the conclusion of Norse Mythology itself. Despite this closure, anticipation is high for an exceptional gaming experience. Eric Williams assures players that Ragnarok is indeed happening in God of War Ragnarok, marking the end of the Norse Saga with a noteworthy finale.
Characters
The character roster for God of War: Ragnarok promises a memorable journey. Kratos and Atreus return with their distinctive father-son dialogues, joined by the insightful Mimir, now headless. Familiar faces include dwarven brothers Brok and Sindri, diligently crafting armor, and a mysterious new character with an octopus or squid attached to his arm.
Freya reappears, fueled by a quest for revenge against Kratos for her son’s demise. The duo, in pursuit of the presumed-dead Norse God of War, Tyr, discovers he is alive and sought after by Odin. The narrative hints at the potential appearance of Thor, the God of Thunder, and features Odin, the King of Asgard, and Angarboda, the Last Giant. The cast promises a rich and diverse array of characters.
Traversal System
The traversal system is one of the biggest changes in God of War from its prequel, and it’s all because of Fimbulwinter. Gone are the days of rowing your boats gently through the waters while Father and Son have a quick chat and share a story or two. This time, traversal is going to be faster than before as all the waters and lakes in Midgard are frozen solid, so what’s the only option left to navigate Midgard and the Nine Realms? Sleds and wild creatures.
Locations
It looks like players can access all of the 9 realms in the new installment of God of War. It seems that God of War: Ragnorak will leave no stone unturned when it comes to the density and diversity of the geographic locations on the map. You could only visit about 6 of the 9 realms back in the prequel, but now you’ll be able to visit all 9 of them.
Meaning that the realms of Vanaheim, Asgard, and Svartalfheim will finally be accessible as the story progresses in Ragnarok. But that’s not to say that they’re scrapping old locations. You’ll still be able to explore them, and hopefully, a lot more content and side quests will be added this time around to captivate the players all the more.
Gameplay
God of War 4 achieved acclaim for its precise and gratifying gameplay mechanics, offering a challenging yet balanced experience. Now, Santa Monica Studios aims to surpass their previous title by overhauling combat in God of War: Ragnarok. They plan to rebuild the combat system, introducing enhanced weapons, assets, movements, combos, and move sets, providing players with the opportunity for exhilarating combo frenzies.
The game will reintroduce verticality reminiscent of the original God of War games, allowing players to launch enemies and themselves into the air. This addition promises to bring a fresh and dynamic element to the combat experience in Ragnarok.
Enemy Variety
God of War did a lot of things right, but it was lacking in one aspect that bothered many players; the variety of enemies that you got to fight in the prequel of the game. It got pretty tiring fighting hordes of repetitive enemies and using the same old tactics to defeat them.
Despite the amazing combat system, it just kind of got stale halfway into the game simply due to repetition. We’re sure you must’ve found it tedious to take on Draugrs over and over again!
But luckily, there is going to be a big change in the prequel from the previous God of War! It seems like a lot of the enemy types that didn’t make it into the original cut of the prequel are going to make their debut in the new game.
PS4 and PS5 Ports
We know for sure that God of War Ragnarok is supposed to be a PlayStation 5 exclusive title. That’s all fine and dandy because that’s been a long tradition with console-exclusive titles. I know that the game will be running at a solid, smooth 60 FPS at 4k with all the settings cranked up to the max for the PS5.
Optimization will be spot on for sure, but there’s still one question lingering around that I can’t seem to answer. Will it come to the PS4? I hope Sony doesn’t start leaving out its older consoles as they did with the PS2-PS3 era with terrible and distinctively different ports. But weI think there’s a silver lining to behold as the PlayStation Studios blog finally confirmed that the game will, in fact, come to the PS4, albeit with a few noticeable downgrades in terms of the character models, textures, framerate, and the resolution.
PC Port?
Okay, Ragnarok are getting a PS4 port. That was pretty much expected, but what about a PC port of God of War? It’s a really debatable question, considering players got a PC port for the 2018 God of War nearly 4 years after it was released, which is a really long time. Many players had already finished the game on the PS4 by then, so there was no use for the PC Port except for the amazing graphics.
It’s clear that a release date for Ragnarok hasn’t been confirmed for either the PS5 or PC. It just might happen, considering Sony has big plans for the PC Gaming space in the near future.
And those are all the biggest changes God of War changes from the prequel that I know of so far! From different locations and enemies to a new director! There certainly are quite the changes. But the game is looking promising, and I can only hope that these changes will be for the best!
Next: God of War Ragnarok Release Date Announcement Delayed
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