We couldn’t be more excitedhereat Santa Monica Studio to finally share our firstreal look at God of War Ragnarökwith all the fans who have been very patiently waiting for an update!
As you can see in the trailer, we’re picking up a few years after the events of God of War (2018). The freezing winds ofFimbulwinterhave come to Midgard,making survivalforKratos, Atreus, andMimirin the Norse wilds even more challenging than before.
While the last game built an enormous amount of trust and understanding between father and son,there is still a great deal of complexity in their interactions – especially after the revelation of Atreus’ Giant heritageand the hidden prophecy onlyKratossaw.
Atreus is desperately curious. Likemostyoung people,he wants to understandwhohe is more than anything. In this case, he wants to understand who hecouldbe. The mystery of Loki’s role in the upcoming conflict is something that Atreus cannot let go of. He wants to keep his family safe, but Atreus also doesn’t want to stand by and do nothing while conflict consumes the Nine Realms.
Kratos,still bearingthe knowledge of his past mistakes,wants to spare Atreus the bloody lessons he learnedfrom hisconflictwith gods. He wants to keep his son safe,above all,and their confrontation with Baldur has vindicatedthe belief that onlytragedywillcomefromfurther entanglements with theAesir.
Together,Kratosand Atreus will have to make a choice about which path they will take. Whatever they choose will define the fate of all those living in the Nine Realms as Ragnarök approaches.
Agony and Vengeance
We show a brief look at two of the main antagonists you’ll face in God of War Ragnarök: Freya and Thor.
Because ofKratos’ actionsat the end of the previous game, theonce-ally-turned-enemyFreya has sworn vengeance for the death ofher son,Baldur.
We wanted to remind players that Freya isn’t just a terrifyingly powerful user of Vanir magic,but also thatshe’sa formidable warrior in her own right.Enraged byKratos’ evasion of justice by her hand, Freya will turn every weapon at her disposal towards her son’s killer.
Also suffering the loss of his sons and half-brother, Thor’s legendary bloodlust and wrathwill beaimed atKratosand Atreus.
Referred to disparagingly byMimirasthe“Biggest Butchering Bastard in the Nine Realms,”Thor earned his title as one of the most powerfulAesirgods bywiping out nearly all the Giants at Odin’s command.
While we don’t want to give too much away right now, we thinkevenapeek atMjölnirwreathed in lightning will give you a hint at just how formidableThorwill be as anadversary.
You Have My Axe
It would not be God of War without a healthy serving of visceral and spectacular combat.You’ve been able to see just a hint of new attack abilities, a new Runic Summon for Atreus, and of course, the return ofKratos’ legendary weapons.
As a team we’ve worked hard to take our learnings from God of War (2018) and improve upon combat to feel fresh, yet familiar. With God of War Ragnarök, one of our main goals was to push player choice incombat. Whether it’s through hard hitting combos, a mastery of elements, or clever defensive tactics–you will find plenty of opportunity to fight alongside our duo in a way that feelsuniquely expressive.
Whatever your choice of combat strategy, the enemies that await in God of War Ragnarök will be ready. The realms have grown harsher, and a whole host of new creatures from across Norse mythology will test your skills. From the trailer you can see what happens whenKratosfinds himself under the hooves of the Stalker or grabbed between the jaws ofaDreki, and that’s just the beginning.
With an expanded cast ofadversaries, we aim to keep each combat encounter memorable from the smallest brawls to the big show-stopper bosses! We can’t wait to show you more as we get closer to release.
Onward toAsgard
Fans who played the last game knowthey were able tovisit six of the Nine Realms duringtheirjourney.In God of War Ragnarök, you will be able to visit all nine!
God of War Ragnarök willtake you to the previously unreachableVanaheim,Svartalfheim, andAsgard– as well as to new areas from locations featured in the last game.Exploring the realms will take you everywhere from verdant, otherworldly jungles to intricate subterranean mining networks.
This next installment in the series will bring you a more diverse, beautiful, and mysterious variety of locations than in any other God of War game.
See YouNext Year!
We’re so happy to finally be able to share a small taste of what we’ve been working on over at Santa Monica Studio since the release of God of Warin2018.
As always, we’re fans of our fans. We can’t wait to see all the discussion, art, videos, and cosplay that you create. Make sure you tag us on social or use #GodOfWarRagnarok so we can see (and share) your amazing work!
Your support for the series and our studio has been a pillar of strength for us during every moment of development on this title.Thank youtoeveryone in the God of War community for continuing to believe in this project and our team.We can’t wait to share more as we get closer to the 2022 release of God of War Ragnarök on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
