God of War: Ragnarok" is out today! Enjoy the story of Kratos and his family's battle to stop Ragnarok and their big adventure across nine worlds!

I had the opportunity to play the PS4 version of the game prior to its release, and here is my review after 20 hours of play. We have avoided important parts as much as possible, but some of the storyline development and descriptions are mentioned, so please understand that it contains a certain amount of spoilers.

Akiba Research Institute also published a review of the PC version of the previous title ( *# ). If you are interested in the contents of "God of War," please take a look.

A story of parents and their children who are at crossroads with their destinies

The story takes place in the world of Norse mythology. In the previous work, Kratos and Atreus defeated Balder in a mortal battle, but as a result, they were noticed by the main god Odin and the "Winter of Fimbrile" came. The Winter of Fimbul is the harbinger of Ragnarok, a battle that will destroy the world of Norse mythology. In search of a way to stop Ragnarok, Kratos and Atreus venture through the nine worlds.

Baldor's mother, Freya, stalks him to kill her avenger, Kratos.

It's hard to say how much time has passed since the last game, but Atreus in God of War Ragnarok has grown into his early teens or maybe a bit older. In the event scene right after the game begins, Atreus is shown walking with a hunted deer on his back, and during the gameplay, we see Atreus growing in many ways, such as his ability to climb cliffs on his own, which he used to rely on his father to do.

The Fuldra brothers helped Kratos and his son in various ways in the previous game. Compared to his older brother Brock, we can see how much Atreus has grown. He used to be about the same height as Brock.

Nevertheless, the feud between Kratos and Atreus, which had been depicted before, has not been settled in this film, but has become more complicated. Kratos, who privately acknowledges that his son has grown in strength, rarely praises him because he is angry and does not want him to feel the same way he did when he made a big mistake. Since he is a quiet person to begin with, he is overwhelmingly short on words, and his communication with Atreus is not very good. This was the story in the previous film, and it is not much different in this one.

Atreus has not only grown up over the years, but he also knows where he comes from. He knows that he was born of a god named Kratos and a race of giants named the Fey. He also believes that he can help to stop Ragnarok because he is Loki. Atreus' desire to stop Ragnarok is so strong that he often has conflicts with Kratos over how to do so.

Unlike the previous film, in which Atreus blames his father for hiding things from him, in this film, Atreus is driven by his power and confronts the calm Kratos, a development that is only possible because Atreus has grown up. In the scene where he locks himself in his room saying that he has lost his appetite and finally calls Kratos a "shit father," Atreus is a rebellious boy. The film depicts such a realistic relationship between father and son so well that I myself felt bittersweet as I recalled the old days.

The portrayal of Atreus is even more intense than in the previous game, and in some parts of the story, the player takes control of Atreus himself.

Whereas in the past we were only able to infer Atreus' feelings through Kratos, in this film we are able to hear his monologue and other details directly from him. The son tends to be reserved in front of his great father, but in his father's absence, he expresses his thoughts clearly, and in some scenes, he talks openly with people he meets along the way, which makes the contrast between father and son easier to understand. Some people may dislike Atreus, who has grown up but is still very young, but if you think so, then he is well portrayed as a life-size person in this film. I will not discuss his adventures in this paper, as they are an important part of the story.

In addition, the in-game text is also essential in unraveling the story. In the "Knowledge" section of the main menu, you can read descriptions of the people and enemies you meet along the way, but this text is written by Kratos and his companion Mimir. In other words, it reflects the writer's subjectivity, and it is a rare opportunity to read Kratos' true feelings toward Atreus, Freya, and others. The text increases with the progress of the adventure and the items found, so you should check it often when playing this work.

A father's feelings toward his son. Kratos is a brusque and quiet man, but he loves Atreus with all his heart.

Incidentally, the story of the previous work can be easily reviewed from the main menu of this work. However, the content is quite simplified and it is difficult to grasp the main points of the story. On the official website of "God of War Ragnarok," you can watch a video that also looks back at the story of the previous game, but this one goes into the main points in reasonable detail. If you want to know more about the previous adventure, you might want to watch that as well. Below is the trailer for it, so if you're interested, you should definitely check it out.

Kratos and Atreus, two exhilarating battles to control

In this work, you basically control Kratos. He fights with two melee weapons, the axe Leviathan and the twin blades Blaze of Chaos. The only control buttons needed for attacks are R1 and R2, and most of the rest are techniques that are derived from specific conditions, such as "Tame" and "After Evading. There are no complicated command inputs, and just repeatedly pressing R1 is enough to fight reasonably well.

Leviathan has a narrow attack range, but many of its techniques have high offensive power. Leviathan can also throw itself, making it possible to attack at long range. Blaze of Chaos, on the other hand, has a very wide range of normal attacks and is especially effective in group battles. The Leviathan is designed for single combat, while the Blaze of Chaos is designed for group battles. However, as more skills are acquired and more techniques are used, the distinction between the two becomes less clear, and both weapons eventually become more useful.

Shield defense and parry are also essential in battle.

Enemies have a "stun gauge" in addition to their HP, and when this gauge is full, you can approach the target and press the R3 button to unleash a powerful one-hit-kill move. Most of these moves, such as beheading or cutting the enemy's torso in half, are both bold and extreme, and can only be performed by Kratos, who was once the god of war. He fights with melee weapons with flair, and if an enemy is stunned, he uses his special moves to dispose of them. The high tempo of the action game-like battles makes for an exhilarating experience.

Leviathan and Blaze of Chaos each have two types of moves, the "Normal Rune Attack" and the "Heavy Rune Attack," and their contents change depending on the runes that are set. Although it takes time before they can be reused, they are powerful enough to engulf a wide range of enemies or strike a powerful blow. These techniques can be performed with L1 + R1 for Normal Rune Attacks and L1 + R2 for Heavy Rune Attacks. The combination of R1 and R2 for normal attacks and L1 for defense is easy to get used to, and it is also easy to use as an extension of a combo.

During combat, Atreus can be told when to take cover. Bow attacks are easy to hit flying enemies and raise the stun gauge when they hit, making them different from Kratos' attacks.

When controlled by the player, Atreus mainly attacks with a bow. In addition to long-range attacks with arrows, he can also attack nearby enemies by swinging the bow itself. In contrast to Kratos, who generally delivers heavy blows, Atreus' movements are speedy. He can also use his shield to defend himself, and he can apply the same elements that he learned when he was controlling Kratos.

The "Bow Ability," a powerful bow technique, and the "Rune Summoning," which summons various animals with runes, make the game comparable to Kratos. Although he is indeed inferior to Kratos in close combat, his bow and rune-centered approach is unique to Atreus, and I enjoyed it with a fresh feeling, different from that of Kratos, who wields overwhelming power.

Atreus, who until now had been a support player, became the main player. In this work, other characters such as Brock and Sindri also play supporting roles.

While the player can use a variety of techniques to kick the crap out of his enemies, he can also be easily beaten because of the high attack power of the enemies. In this preview, I chose the "Balance" difficulty level to enjoy both the story and the action, but even weak enemies quickly die if you are too aggressive. You can revive yourself once by using a "revive stone," but it costs a lot of money to make one, so you can't use it too often. It is important to use shields for defense, parry, and avoidance with an awareness of timing, rather than just attacking.

However, your friends, such as Atreus and Mimir, will tell you the position of enemies and the timing of their attacks, so you can basically avoid being attacked as long as you respond each time. Since it is difficult to see behind you in this game, which is played from an over-the-shoulder perspective, you will want to make good use of this advice.

In addition, there are a variety of new elements in this title. Shields can now be equipped with accessories, and some of the skills learned will unlock "mods" that can be used to add additional effects such as enhanced attack power and enhanced attributes. Kratos' armor can be equipped with up to nine "amulets," which can extend his status and activate exclusive skills. The effects of "Spartan Rage," which can be activated when the "Rage Gauge" is full, can now be selected, greatly expanding the range of battle styles compared to the previous work. The enjoyment of battles is also greater than in the previous title.

Field exploration full of riddles to solve and elements to collect

In their journey to stop Ragnarok, Kratos and his friends travel to various worlds in Norse mythology. Starting with Mizgals, where Kratos and Atreus live, to Svartalfheim, where dwarves live, and Muspelheim, where scorching hot lava erupts everywhere, each world has a different topography and landscape, making it fun just to walk around.

Although it is easy to misunderstand the game because it is so large, this is basically a one-road game. The size of the field is as large as that of an open world, but you are not free to go wherever you want. However, it is still very large. It takes several hours to complete the main story of one world, and you can play more if you take side trips. The game also allows you to explore worlds such as Vanaheim and Svartalfheim, which you couldn't visit in the previous game.

When the Leviathan hits a device with a round plate, the device below it moves, creating a foothold where there was none before and allowing the player to cross to a treasure chest beyond it. Burning thorns with the flames of Blaze of Chaos will open the treasure chest, which was supposed to be sealed. Like this, riddles using the abilities of weapons are scattered throughout this work.

The balance of these riddles is troubling, and while they are not full-blown riddles, they are a bit time-consuming to solve right off the bat. I wondered whether I should ignore it or not, but in the end, I was attracted by the reward and solved the riddle. And as you repeat the process, the time goes by quickly. The time flies by as you repeat the process, even more so when you add the sub-quests to the mix. Of the 20 hours I spent playing the game, I think I spent at least half of it in exploration.

However, when you are solving puzzles in succession, there is inevitably a gap in your travel time. It is tedious to keep going in silence, but there, other companions and Mimir, the "knowledge giant," will tell you small stories. Not only can they supplement your knowledge of the story and the world, but they can also tell you trivia about the places you visit, which is interesting just by listening to them. I also appreciated the fact that the conversation would be interrupted when the boat landed and the ship went into battle with the enemy, but if you went back, it would resume from the middle of the story. Conversation during the journey is an element that was present in the previous work, and it is as voluminous in this work as in the previous one. It will be interesting to see how much variation there is in the voices, including the pattern of resuming interrupted conversations.

Whether it is the riddles that are interspersed, or the small stories that are interspersed while moving around, this work is designed in such a way that it does not interrupt the player's sense of immersion. The game is centered around a profound main scenario, from which the player can solve riddles as a challenging and collectible element. The interspersed riddles draw the player's interest from one to the next, and small stories fill in the blanks until the player arrives at the riddle. The flow of this work is continuous from the moment you start playing to the moment you stop. This makes it difficult to know when to stop, but as a gamer, I can say that this is a happy scream.

In addition to the story of Kratos and Atreus as they are challenged by Ragnarok and the dynamic and exhilarating battles typical of the "God of War" series, this title is even better than its predecessor, released in 2018, with its single-story structure and the sheer volume of puzzles laid out all over the place. The game is also a great example of a game that is gaining popularity as a global action game. We hope you will experience for yourself the latest installment in a series that has gained popularity as a world-class action game.

（The game is a must-own for anyone who wants to experience the latest installment in the world-famous action game series.)

• Title Information
• God of War Ragnarok Standard Edition
• Genre: Action-adventure
• Compatibility: PS5/PS4
• Scheduled release date: November 9, 2022 (Wednesday)
• Sales form: Package / Download
• Price:
• PS5 package/download version: 8,690 yen (including tax)
• PS4 package/download version: 7,590 yen (including tax)
• CERO: Z (for ages 18 and up only)
• Developer: Santa Monica Studio
• Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
• God of War Ragnarok" Digital Deluxe Edition
• Compatibility: PS5/PS4
• Price: 9,790 yen (tax included)

God of War is a registered trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC and related companies in the U.S. and other countries. God of War is a registered trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC and related companies in the U.S. and other countries.