Santa Monica Studio took a massive gamble back in 2018. They didn't just change the combat or the camera; they fundamentally rewired who Kratos was by introducing his son, Atreus. Some old-school fans hated it at first. They wanted the rage-fueled monster from the Greek era, not a bearded dad teaching a kid how to hunt deer in the woods. But looking back at the journey through God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök, it’s clear that the "Boy!" era isn't just a gimmick. It is the most sophisticated character development we’ve seen in triple-A gaming in a decade.
The game and son relationship isn't just a narrative layer. It’s the engine of the entire experience.
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The Brutal Honesty of a Distant Father
Kratos is a terrible communicator. Honestly, it’s painful to watch sometimes. In the early hours of the 2018 reboot, the tension is thick enough to cut with a Leviathan Axe. You have this legendary god-slayer who is clearly terrified of his own child—not because Atreus is a threat, but because Kratos doesn't know how to be human. He’s spent centuries as a weapon of war.
Director Cory Barlog has often spoken about how his own experiences with fatherhood influenced this shift. It shows. When Atreus misses a shot or gets over-excited, Kratos’s instinct is to bark orders. He treats the kid like a soldier. Why? Because that’s the only language he knows. It’s authentic. It’s also deeply uncomfortable.
The brilliance of the gameplay is how this reflects in the "Atreus button" (Square). At the start, the kid is a distraction. He’s weak. He gets grabbed by Draugr and you have to bail him out. But as the bond grows, the synergy becomes seamless. You aren't just playing as a guy with a kid tagging along; you are playing as a unit. This mirrors the emotional arc perfectly. By the time you’re hitting Ragnarök, Atreus is an absolute beast with a bow, and you find yourself relying on him as much as he relies on you.
Why Atreus Had to Be "Loki"
The big twist at the end of the 2018 game changed everything. Learning that Atreus is Loki wasn't just a "gotcha" moment for mythology nerds. It set the stage for the massive conflict of identity in Ragnarök.
Think about it. Kratos wants his son to be better than he was. He wants to "break the cycle." But Atreus is a teenager. Teenagers want to know who they are, and in this world, that involves prophecy, giants, and a very messy destiny. This creates a fascinating rift. Kratos is trying to keep the boy safe by keeping him small, while Atreus is trying to grow into a role that might eventually lead to his father’s death.
It’s messy. It's loud. It feels like a real family argument, just with more world-ending stakes and giant wolves.
The Nuance of Voice Acting and Mocap
We have to talk about Christopher Judge and Sunny Suljic. Their chemistry is the heartbeat of these games. In the behind-the-scenes "Raising Kratos" documentary, you can see how much of their real-world mentor-student relationship bled into the performance.
Judge brings this heavy, resonant sadness to Kratos. When he finally calls Atreus "son" instead of "boy," it feels earned. It’s a tiny linguistic shift that carries the weight of forty hours of gameplay. Suljic, meanwhile, manages to play a kid who is simultaneously annoying, curious, and incredibly brave without ever feeling like a trope.
Combat Synergy and the Growth of the "Companion"
Mechanically, many games try the "escort mission" vibe and fail. The Last of Us succeeded by making Ellie invisible to enemies, which broke immersion slightly but kept the flow. God of War took a different route.
- Atreus is an active participant in the skill tree.
- He has his own armor sets and runic summons.
- His dialogue changes based on how you fight—he’ll call out flanks or tell you when your health is low.
This creates a psychological loop. You start the game feeling like a protector. You end the game feeling like a partner. In Ragnarök, when you finally play as Atreus during certain chapters, the shift in scale is jarring. Suddenly, you aren't the heavy-hitting tank. You're faster, squishier, and more reliant on magic. It forces the player to empathize with the son’s perspective. You realize how intimidating Kratos must look from the outside.
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Breaking the Cycle of Violence
The overarching theme of the Norse saga is "be better." It’s a simple phrase, but it’s the hardest thing for Kratos to do. His history is written in blood. He killed his first family. He killed his father. He killed an entire pantheon.
When Atreus looks at him with those wide eyes, Kratos sees his own failures staring back. The game and son dynamic works because it’s a redemption story where the protagonist isn't just seeking forgiveness from the world, but from the next generation.
One specific scene in Ragnarök stands out: Kratos tells Atreus a story to help him sleep. It’s a clumsy, poorly told story about a woodcutter. It’s a far cry from the epic tragedies of Greece. But it’s the most "fatherly" Kratos has ever been. He’s trying. And in the eyes of a child, trying is often enough.
The Reality of the Ending
Without spoiling the fine details for the three people who haven't finished Ragnarök, the conclusion of their journey is bittersweet. It avoids the easy cliché of them staying together forever. Instead, it acknowledges a hard truth about parenting: if you do your job right, your children eventually leave you.
They become their own people. They go on their own journeys.
Kratos has to learn to let go. For a man who has lost everything by force, choosing to give up his son for the boy's own good is the ultimate act of growth. It’s a quiet, devastatingly human ending for a series that started with a man jumping off a cliff in despair.
How to Get the Most Out of the Experience
If you're revisiting the games or jumping in for the first time, don't just rush the main story. The real "meat" of the relationship is in the "boat stories."
- Listen to the Mimir stories: Some of the best character beats happen while you're just rowing around the Lake of Nine.
- Pay attention to the journal: Atreus writes the journal entries in the first game. His perspective on his father changes significantly as you progress.
- Don't ignore the side quests (Favors): Many of these missions involve Atreus asking questions about morality that Kratos is forced to answer. They aren't just fetch quests; they are ethical debates.
The "Game and Son" era of God of War redefined what an action game can be. It proved that you can have visceral, gory combat and a heart-wrenching story about the struggle to be a decent parent. It’s not just a game about killing gods. It’s a game about a father trying to make sure his son never has to become a god-killer.
To truly appreciate the depth of this transition, start by playing the 2018 title on a higher difficulty. It forces you to rely on Atreus's arrows for crowd control immediately, cementing the "team" mindset from the first encounter. Then, as you move into the sequel, observe how the power dynamic shifts as Atreus begins to take the lead in conversations and combat alike. This isn't just a story being told to you—it's a relationship you're actively building through every button press.