God of War Ragnarok will end Kratos’ Norse arc, as it should
God of State of war Ragnarok will end Kratos' Norse arc, equally it should
God of War Ragnarok was one of the highlights of the PlayStation Showcase 2021, and every day brings us closer and closer to its 2022 release window. At that place'southward never been a bad God of War game, so we accept loftier hopes for Ragnarok — peculiarly since, as we now know, this game will end Kratos' Norse myth arc. Whatever happens with the God of War series in the future, Ragnarok won't get a direct sequel. And that'south fine, because based on past series entries, information technology probably doesn't need one.
Judging by the positive response on social media, gamers are perfectly happy to allow the story end in Ragnarok. Maybe it'south because they've been burned by trilogies earlier — and the God of War trilogy in particular. Frankly, a lot of stories work improve equally duologies than trilogies, and Kratos' Norse adventures may be just one more example. If you lot're satisfied with Sony's decision, read on to observe out why your feelings are justified. And if you were hoping for a trilogy, read on to find out why you lot might exist better off embracing a shorter story format.
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(Significant spoilers for the existing God of State of war games follow.)
The problem with trilogies
While I'm hardly the kickoff person to betoken this out, it'southward really hard to cease a trilogy. Call up about the great trilogies in popular civilization: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Christopher Nolan'due south Batman, The Godfather and so forth. Which of these had a truly standout third installment? To be brutally honest, which of them had a tertiary installment that wasn't considerably worse than the first ii?
Fifty-fifty gaming trilogies tend to run out of steam by the last entry. Mass Effect, Dark Souls, Assassin's Creed, Tomb Raider, Batman: Arkham and Age of Empires, among other series, tended to take stronger first and second entries. (Granted, some trilogies, such as Metal Gear Solid, The Witcher and Max Payne improved with time. Video games tend to handle trilogies better than books and movies; the "why" could probably be a whole split up article.)
God of War on the PS2/PS3 was no exception. The trilogy kicked off in style, with a brutal adventure that turned Greek myth on its caput, and pioneered a gainsay formula that action/adventure games withal employ today. God of War II had even stronger gameplay, and an even bigger scope for the story. In the second game, perpetually irate antihero Kratos faced off confronting Zeus, his father and the king of the Greek gods.
But then, God of War Iii concluded with Kratos falling from the meridian of Mt. Olympus and having to climb it all over over again. While he faced off against a few different gods this time, the game's structure, villain and stakes were almost identical to its predecessor. At that place's a lot to like almost God of War III from a gameplay perspective, merely stretching the story for an additional game sapped a lot of its strength and immediacy.
A dwindling pantheon
Drawing out God of War's Norse arc into a trilogy presents another potential consequence: Kratos has already killed a lot of our favorite Norse gods, and he's (presumably) going to kill a lot more than of them in Ragnarok. In the first game, he tore his way through the Valkyries, a host of trolls, the king of the dark elves, Thor's sons, and the cute Baldur himself.
In Ragnarok, Kratos will nearly certainly confront off against Thor and Tyr. Freya and Angrboda will probably play big roles in the story, and the traditional Ragnarok myth doesn't finish well for either one. And, of course, God of War (2018) spent a lot of time foreshadowing Odin as a cruel and belligerent king. If I were a betting man, I might put a little money on Ragnarok ending with Kratos and Odin trigger-happy each other to metaphorical (and maybe literal) pieces.
In other words: once Ragnarok is washed, there won't be all that many Norse gods left to kill.
Granted, if Sony wanted to stretch out the Norse myth arc, it could repeat what information technology did in God of State of war 2 and III, by dividing the pantheon upward between two games. But the downside of that approach was that we had to spend a lot of time fighting relatively pocket-sized deities along the way. I don't call back fans were absolutely dying for showdowns with Theseus, Perseus, Icarus, or Helios. (I could become either mode on Hercules.)
Keeping the Norse myth arc focused on the most recognizable parts of the pantheon could also assist avert some of the bug the God of War Greek myth spinoffs ran into. Fighting Ares, Zeus and Gaia was a thrill; fighting Persephone, Thanatos and Alecto didn't feel quite equally epic.
Mythic possibilities
God of State of war (2018)'s director Cory Barlog explained that the current God of War story wouldn't be a trilogy, primarily considering Sony doesn't want to make fans wait 15 years for a total story arc. If the Norse story wraps up in Ragnarok, that could hateful one of two things. Either Kratos will complete his story arc by dying (for real, this time), or he'll move on to another pantheon in the adjacent game.
Alarm God of State of war fans are aware that the series has already foreshadowed other pantheons, including the gods of Celtic myth, Egyptian myth, Japanese myth and Christianity. Egypt seems like the next logical location in which Kratos could commit deicide, but either style, the fact is that at that place are a lot of other pantheons to explore. The more time Kratos spends in the Norselands, the less time he spends elsewhere. If Sony's ultimate objective is to bring Kratos all around the ancient earth and meet all the fascinating creatures and gods along the way, he can't spend too long in one location.
(For what information technology'south worth: I'thou positive that Kratos could square off confronting Horus without ruffling too many falcon feathers. I'm less certain that Sony would really pit him confronting Jesus, for both reasons both theological and pragmatic. A grueling fight to the finish confronting a deity who calls himself "The Prince of Peace" seems unlikely.)
No affair what happens to Kratos in God of State of war Ragnarok, we should look the series to go in a very different direction afterward. Whether that means retiring Kratos, shifting the focus to Atreus or merely irresolute the location is anyone'southward guess. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to start brushing up on your Egyptian mythology.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/god-of-war-ragnarok-duology
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