Kratos shouldn't be here. By all accounts, the God of War game series should have died in 2013 after God of War: Ascension left fans feeling a bit cold and, honestly, just tired of the constant screaming. We’ve all seen franchises overstay their welcome. They become parodies of themselves. For a long time, Kratos was just a ball of rage with no depth beyond his next kill. If you’d told a fan back in the PS2 era that the "Ghost of Sparta" would eventually become a weary father-figure contemplating the philosophy of violence in the woods of Scandinavia, they’d have laughed you out of the room.
It worked.
The transition from Greek mythology to Norse lore wasn't just a change of scenery; it was a total mechanical and narrative overhaul that risked alienating everyone who liked the original hack-and-slash style. It's weird to think about now, but the internal "vertical slice" shown to Sony executives during the development of the 2018 game was met with a lot of skepticism. There was no jump button. The camera was glued to his shoulder. It felt slow. But that shift is exactly why we are still talking about this series over a decade later.
From Button-Mashing to Emotional Weight
The original trilogy was built on spectacle. You played it to see how many limbs you could rip off a Centaur or how many buildings you could collapse. Santa Monica Studio, led by David Jaffe in the early days, tapped into a very specific 2005 energy: hyper-violence, quick-time events, and a protagonist who was essentially a villain. Kratos was a terrible person. He murdered innocent people just because they were in the way of a door he needed to open.
But that kind of character has a shelf life.
By the time Cory Barlog returned to direct the 2018 reimagining, the team realized that the God of War game series needed a soul. They didn't just add a kid for the sake of a "protector" mission; they used Atreus as a mirror. Kratos couldn't just be angry anymore because he had someone looking at him, someone he didn't want to become like him. This created a tension that the previous games lacked. Every swing of the Leviathan Axe felt heavier—not just because of the haptic feedback or the sound design, but because the stakes were finally personal rather than just apocalyptic.
The Technical Wizardry of the "No-Cut" Camera
One thing people often overlook is the sheer technical nightmare of the 2018 game and God of War Ragnarök. The "one-shot" camera. There are no loading screens. No cuts to black. No cinematic transitions that pull you out of the world. From the moment you press start to the moment the credits roll, the camera never blinks.
Think about the complexity of that.
The developers had to hide every single load behind a crawl-space or a slow-walking dialogue section. It’s a trick, sure. But it’s a trick that creates a level of immersion that most RPGs or action games can’t touch. It makes the journey feel like a singular, exhausting trek. When Kratos and Atreus are rowing a boat in Lake of Nine, listening to Mimir tell stories, that’s not a cutscene. It’s the game. This design choice forced the writers to make the dialogue top-tier because you couldn't just skip it to get to the next "level."
Why the Combat Feels "Chunky"
The shift from the Blades of Chaos to the Leviathan Axe was a massive gamble. The blades were wide, sweeping, and chaotic. The axe is surgical.
- It’s about the "thunk."
- The recall mechanic, which was inspired by Mjolnir, is probably the most satisfying button press in modern gaming.
- The combat moved from "how many enemies can I hit" to "how do I manage this specific space."
If you go back and play God of War III, the scale is massive. You’re fighting on the back of a Titan the size of a mountain. In the newer games, the scale is often smaller, but the impact is higher. You feel every hit. You feel the exhaustion. It’s a more grounded take on a demi-god, which is a weird thing to say about a guy who fights a giant world-serpent.
The Misconceptions About Norse Kratos
There’s this idea that Kratos "got soft." I hear it in forums all the time. People miss the "Old Kratos" who would headbutt a god into a pulp. But if you actually look at the combat data and the move sets in Ragnarök, he’s more lethal than he ever was. He’s just disciplined now. The God of War game series evolved from a teenager’s power fantasy into a meditation on what it means to live with a violent past.
Honestly, the most impressive part of the writing is how they handled the Greek references. They didn't just ignore the old games. They used them as trauma. When Kratos finally retrieves the Blades of Chaos from under his floorboards in the 2018 game, it’s not a "cool weapon unlock" moment. It’s a moment of mourning. He’s forced to pick up the tools of his greatest shame to save his son. That’s high-level storytelling you just don't see in most triple-A franchises.
Breaking Down the "Ragnarök" Expansion: Valhalla
We have to talk about the Valhalla DLC because it was a masterclass in how to do fan service correctly. Most companies would have charged $30 for that. Sony gave it away for free.
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It turned the game into a rogue-lite. But more importantly, it forced Kratos to literally confront his younger self. Seeing the 2022-era Kratos sit on a throne and talk to a vision of the 2005-era Kratos was the closure the fans didn't know they needed. It bridged the gap between the "angry guy" and the "father." It proved that the developers didn't hate the old games; they just wanted Kratos to grow up alongside the people who played them.
The Legacy and What Comes Next
Where does the God of War game series go from here? The Norse saga is officially over. We know that. The ending of Ragnarök left things in a very specific place: Atreus is off on his own journey to find the remaining Giants, and Kratos has finally found a path to being a "God of Hope" rather than a God of War.
There are rumors, obviously. Egypt? Japan? Mayan mythology?
The setting almost doesn't matter as much as the internal struggle. The series has proven it can survive a change in pantheon. What it can't survive is going back to being shallow. The fans expect a certain level of emotional complexity now. They expect Mimir’s wit. They expect a world that reacts to Kratos’ presence.
Actionable Insights for Players
If you’re looking to dive into the series or revisit it, don't just rush the main story. You’ll miss the best parts.
- Listen to the boat stories. In both 2018 and Ragnarök, the dialogue that happens while you're just traveling is where 40% of the world-building happens. If you dock too early, you lose the conversation.
- Do the "Favors" (Side Quests). Unlike many open-world games where side quests are fetch-and-carry garbage, the favors in this series usually involve significant boss fights or lore drops that change how you view the main characters.
- Learn the parry timing. You can’t just dodge-roll your way through the higher difficulties like Give Me God of War. The game is designed around the shield. If you aren't parrying, you aren't playing the game the way it was balanced.
- Experiment with Runic attacks. Don't just stick to the first ones you find. Some have high stagger, others are for crowd control. Swapping these out based on the boss you're fighting is the difference between winning in two minutes or dying ten times.
The God of War game series is a rare example of a franchise that looked in the mirror, realized it was becoming a caricature, and had the guts to change everything. It's a miracle it worked. Usually, when a series tries to "grow up," it loses what made it fun. Somehow, Santa Monica Studio kept the blood-pumping action but added a heart that actually beats.
Whether Kratos heads to the sands of Egypt or the jungles of South America next, the blueprint is set. Focus on the man, not just the myth. Keep the camera close. And never, ever underestimate the power of a grumpy man and his "Head" sidekick.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Check out the "Raising Kratos" documentary on YouTube; it’s a free, full-length look at the five-year struggle to make the 2018 game. It shows just how close the game came to being a disaster.
- If you've only played the Norse games, find a way to play God of War III Remastered. It provides the necessary context for why Kratos is so terrified of his own shadow in the newer titles.
- Focus on completing the Muspelheim trials early in Ragnarök to unlock the best armor sets before the endgame—it makes the final boss encounters significantly more manageable without lowering the difficulty.