God of War Ragnarök
Review

God of War Ragnarök (2022), the sequel to 2018's God of War, is a hard-hitting fighting narrative game where you traverse the world to battle Norse creatures and gods to prevent Ragnarök, the prophesied end of the world. It continues the first game's story, following Kratos as he desperately tries to shield his son from conflict in the hope of changing his destiny. With wide enemy variety and deep and demanding combat, a thoughtful, heartfelt narrative, and a rich and detailed world to explore, it presents a new, exacting and exciting challenge.

You play Kratos, the Greek god of strength, three years after the end of the previous instalment in the series. After a three-year-long winter finally ends, fulfilling a prophecy that Ragnarök, the end of the world, is coming, you and your son Atreus set out on an epic quest to prevent disaster. As you fight fell monsters and legendary gods, you try and prevent Atreus from following in your footsteps and embracing the path of violence, and wrestle with your responsibility and love for him as you play.

The gameplay focuses on fast-paced and frenetic fights, where you use your mythical axe and double-chained blades to defeat an assortment of monsters and enemies. You also use your shield to block incoming attacks and can even time your actions perfectly so that you cancel their attack and deal damage simultaneously, but doing so risks taking enormous damage should you miss the perfect timing. You can upgrade your weapons and abilities, imbuing your weapons with magical powers that allow you to solve puzzles that let you deal damage in unusual ways or find secret paths forward. As you progress, you can find hidden secrets and treasures which give you an advantage, so keeping a lookout at all times pays off.

The result is a demanding and challenging yet also engaging and fun game that requires precise timings and lightning-fast reflexes to beat. Overcoming the myriad challenges the game has to offer is hugely rewarding, as is watching the grand narrative unfold before you.

Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked God of War Ragnarök 13 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 7 months ago.