A God of War Atreus Game Can't Make the Same NPC Mistake as Ragnarok (2024)

God of War Ragnarok brought a fascinating new chapter to life in the long-running franchise, as the Norse realm was explored even further. Not only did God of War Ragnarok dive deeper into Odin and his role in the titular event as the game's main antagonist, but there was a large variety of new characters brought to the forefront.

Atreus' adventures throughout the events of Ragnarok introduced some great characters, but it was arguably a lot to take in all at once. From Angrboda to Thrud and then to Heimdall, it seemed like every time a player turned around, another character was being introduced. If Atreus is to get his own spin-off series in the franchise, a series led by him should avoid Ragnarok's mistake of introducing too many characters in a second game.

An Atreus Spin-Off Should Establish Major Characters From the Start

Between 2018's God of War and Ragnarok, there are some characters that players have been able to bond with a lot more compared to others. Freya and Mimir are characters that have been in GoW's Norse saga from the get-go, and this arguably makes the attachment to the characters much stronger, since players have gotten two whole games to spend time with them.

Giving Players a Better Chance to Bond with Characters

There were some fascinating new characters in Ragnarok, but with the Norse era seemingly coming to an end and the new characters getting little screen time, there wasn't really any proper opportunity to get to know most of them. Of course, there was ample time spent with Angrboda and great moments spent with Thrud, but overall, both characters, in addition to the myriad of others, sometimes felt like they were being crammed into the narrative.

If most of these characters had originally been introduced in the first Norse God of War game, players could have gotten a better opportunity to bond, which would have likely made several story beats hit better. Freya's brother Freyr, for example, sacrifices himself in the battle of Ragnarok, which is a major moment in the game's story. However, if players were given the chance to know him longer, his death may have had more of an impact. The bond between Freya and Freyr was demonstrated as best as it could be in the short amount of time, but the death of Brok felt far more meaningful since the character had been with Kratos' group from the beginning.

Atreus' Personality Lends Itself to More Friends

Between Atreus and Kratos, Atreus is clearly the more approachable of the two. This could allow the character to quickly form some close bonds in an Atreus-led game. Atreus is far more open and friendly, and this leaves the door wide open for more friends to be introduced in his own story. Ragnarok was a great example of how quickly he can make friends with strangers, and if he leads his own spin-off series, major bonds shouldn't be saved for the second chapter.

Ragnarok was a thrilling ride, but there were some moments that felt as if the story was asking for emotional attachments without those attachments truly feeling earned. The status of the next God of War game is currently unknown, but wherever the story goes, major bonds need to be established upfront.

God of War: Ragnarok

Franchise

God of War

Platform(s)

PS4 , PS5

Released

November 9, 2022

Developer(s)

Santa Monica Studio

Publisher(s)

Sony

Genre(s)

Action , Adventure

ESRB

M For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

How Long To Beat

26 Hours

Metascore

94

PS Plus Availability

N/A

See at Playstation Store