The wait has ended! Fans of God of War can finally witness the end of the Norse saga on their computers thanks to the release of God of War: Ragnarok on Steam. The first game of this saga depicted Kratos as a different man from his previous trilogy. He and his son, Atreus, went on a quest to spread Atreus’ mother’s ashes over her home. What was meant to be a simple hike for the father and son duo evolved into an epic mission spanning the different realms of Norse mythology.
You Will Always Be A Monster
Fans of the original trilogy would be shocked to see how Kratos has matured and become a good father. Of course, the title of “good father” is a loose term seeing as though Kratos isn’t perfect. However, the big change between him from the original trilogy and this saga sets him apart from other protagonists. It’s a shift in personality that people didn’t expect from the Ghost of Sparta, but it makes perfect sense. After his carnage through the Greek pantheon, Kratos somehow found himself in the Norse pantheon. The old Kratos would have seen these Gods and itched to curb-stomp each of them. But this isn’t the old Kratos, he’s older and wiser now. He’s balancing his trauma and history to be reborn as someone new. He takes a wife and has a child, hiding his Godhood from his son because he doesn’t want Atreus to go down the same path that he did.
God of War: Ragnarok has aged Atreus to the loving and understanding teenage years. I’m sure anyone who’s spent time with teenagers understands that raising a teenager might be the toughest thing Kratos has ever done. This game wraps up the Norse saga, so it’s safe to assume Kratos will finally duke it out with Thor. Gamers will recall that Kratos and Atreus killed Thor’s brothers and royally pissed off Odin. For those unaware, Odin is the All-Father. Essentially, the Zeus of this mythology. But fans of the original trilogy know how Zeus’ story ended when he tried to kill Kratos.
But I Am Your Monster No Longer
With the success of Kratos’ new saga, it’s not a question of when the next game will be released but instead, the question is where the new game, or games, will take place. In the 2018 version of God of War, there are hints of other mythologies Kratos might find himself stumbling into. To avoid going into much detail, there are plenty of directions that this story could take with the end of God of War: Ragnarok. The future of this franchise is hard to theorize as there are many different possibilities for the game’s future.
Drum up that Spartan Rage, chain those Blades of Chaos to your arm, and strap in for some new weapons to combo some Norse baddies into the dirt. God of War: Ragnarok drops on Steam soon, and it’s time to wrap up the next stage of Kratos’ story.
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