The bit that really sold this game for me is the side mission in Alfheim Atreus keeps telling Kratos that he doesn't need to go out of his way to do the mission but Mimir being the smart man he is simply says that Kratos wants to spend time with him. The game is just so well made.

The game so masterfully weaves childhood and parenthood. In the Lost Sanctuary, Atreus meets Angrboda for the first time. He experiences emotions that a teenager would: he flirts, he makes silly jokes, he tries to impress her, and just gets to be a teenage boy skipping rocks on the water. He never gets to do this stuff, so it's fun to see him enjoy these simple things in life. And in the next mission, you then play as Kratos with Freya and Mimir in Vanaheim. If you choose to do Freya's side quest here, it's got very mature themes of marriage, conflict, love, grief, and despair. It's all being discussed by adults who have been through the worst of it all. I was so impressed by how seamlessly the game switched between these two extremes of childlike joy in Atreus' section and very somber discussions of love with Kratos, Freya, and Mimir in the span of like two hours. Really loved it.

@tana3875

Жыл бұрын

That’s such a good analysis! Thank you for this comment as it made the game feel richer to me.

@AlexJ1

Жыл бұрын

Yes. The way Freya spoke about her domestic abuse was perfection. Not explicit. Not looking for sympathy. But you could *feel* the weight of it all. Ragnarok is maybe the most well written video game I've ever played. HBO level writing.

I was starting to feel that Angrboda section was dragging, but then, at the end when she talks about her grandmother, I genuinely felt sad and then immense joy when they started racing. I realized that they managed to create a fully fleshed out character and story in a section that usually would just be quickly glanced over.

@femto9886

Жыл бұрын

True but imma be sad when I replay the game and have to play as Atreus again :/

@Lerch916

Жыл бұрын

Indeed.

@benma1116

Жыл бұрын

Imo it’s just that the whole river section with the yam riding is too physically slow. If they only made the yam faster it would’ve dragged a lot less.

Very well written! I was so surprised when i started to play as Atreus. I honestly didn't think that I would like playing his character as much, but I was very wrong. His character was super fun to play with.

I loved playing as Atreus but I can’t help but feel like the rug has been pulled from under me only because we no longer can play as him once we finish the story. Going through the upgrade menu for him, it seemed like “Oh i can take my time upgrading Atreus because I’ll have more time with him later post story.” All my investments in him felt like they were for nothing. Hoping for a spin off.

@allandm

Жыл бұрын

I felt the same way, I wish there was a way to do a new game plus where u can play as at atreus. Or even let us use him in the fire realm challenges and or berserkers.

Stellar review! Your writing in this script is enrapturing, your explanations are very understandable, and you describe the game beautifully!

Damn, that's hella deep, so glad you released this spoiler video!

@NevetsTSmith

Жыл бұрын

Why hello, fellow Cockshott enjoyer.

@HxH2011DRA

Жыл бұрын

@@NevetsTSmith 🤝🏿🎩

@NevetsTSmith

Жыл бұрын

@@HxH2011DRA 🤜💥🤛

@tld7661

Жыл бұрын

I like your username man. Can I join the association? I haven't gotten past the "battle royale on the boat" arc because I think it fucking sucks but I love hxh otherwise lmao

Getting really excited to see more of this game, but I do have to say, I love the choice of the bow for Atreus and the way they light it. When I first saw your footage of him using it, I thought he had his own chain blades like his father, and I think that's both intentional from a narrative perspective and a mechanics one. If you haven't spotted the similarity yet, look at those animations again of his and put them alongside Kratos' with him doing chain blade attacks.

Loved learning that I would get to play as someone new - really helped distinguish this more from the first game and to sell the story!

Thanks for the vid

now makes me wonder what it would be like to play as the 3rd skilltree character

I think you may be going a bit far. I agree he may be just as effective even though that doesn't make allot of sense. But it's still much more fun throwing the axe and swinging the blades. If they give atreus a sword, I would buy a game about him grown up

@Klutch29

Жыл бұрын

but that's the point. Atreus is his own man. He doesn't need a sword/hammer/axe to legitimize him in anyone's eyes. Just like our children will be their own people regardless of what we found fulfilling in our own lives. I do think this analysis is going far in the sense that if Atreus was so goddam fantastic on his own, why is his damage so low when I play as Kratos.

@saniakshay12

Жыл бұрын

It's a magic bow. Who knows what upgrades Brok and Sindri made to it. That being said I'm one of the few people who likes the numbers and rpg systems of Kratos. Once it gets going it becomes glorious.

@maybebutwhatever

Жыл бұрын

That flying sword was awesome. Maybe he can get it back since Freyn doesn't need it anymore.

I haven't played this game or the last one, but man, boy looks pretty sick. Those animations are so fluid and stylish!

I can't say I'm surprised. That scene where kratos went into the light of alfheim and leaving Atreus alone for weeks kind of hinted at something like this being inevitable.

@HighonHon

Жыл бұрын

He left him for weeks? I thought it was hours

@marxist-leninist-protagonist

Жыл бұрын

@@HighonHon im pretty sure it was hours

YES THE TWIST OMG

I had so much fun with Atreus. I’m really hoping for a spin off now lol, he’s my favorite. The ending broke my heart and left me eager to know what Atreus / Loki will be up to in the future

I wish there was a new game plus mode that let you switch between Kratos and Atreus at will.

5:05 is that intended i feel like its intended

Ending spoilers, don't read any further if you don't want to be spoiled This is how you do a great ending, I was worried with this series being a duology, while yes the game is much larger than the og God of war games, most of that time is hearing side stories about the norse world, which is also great, but by the end of the first game I thought they had so much to do and show that one game wouldn't be enough I was wrong, this game is so polished, it tells a whole story, a complete one and it's amazing The ending, so I thought kratos had his character arc complete and that the story is more about atreus and the Norse world, I was wrong, kratos had a lot to grow, it was nice to see kratos develop into this supportive dad by the end of the game, he went from not letting atreus take action, to letting him take action while he had trust issues with him to finally trusting his son and admitting he was wrong, telling him he shouldn't close his heart to his problems but rather open it By the end of the game he could call his son loki, atreus is his child, the kid that depended on him and that part remains with kratos, however he realizes that his son has a role and that role is played by loki, he doesn't reprimand the use of that name but rather embraces it by the end of the story, it's amazing development For the future of the series, well, it's uncertain, there are three paths in my opinion, kratos stays in Midgard, building new Valhalla with Freya and finally finding peace and retiring as the God of war; we follow atreus in his quest of getting all the giant marbles and see how he intends to bring back his people or kratos departs to new lands, continuing the series and remaining the God of war This franchise is one of playstation's most popular, so I don't think this will be the end, I wouldn't mind a spin-off with atreus, however, I think there's potential for maybe a prequel, as kratos journeyed from Greece to the lands of Midgard, he could've passed through ancient Egypt, as he never opened up a lot about his past beside what happened in Greece I think it's possible to do this without creating a bunch of plot holes, besides, this would complete the plan for the original God of war 3 ending, which was the Gods of Norse and Egyptian mythology appearing in Greece to stop kratos, with an ancient Egypt saga we can complete these 3 pantheons

🔥🔥🔥

Oh yo, Angrboda! Nice. Haven't played the game yet; don't have the PS5 I I probably need to play it and not worry about my console exploding. So, it's fun to see that they've already introduced Atreus' future wife (in the myths as they've made it to us, she's the mother of 3 of Loki's children: Hel, Fenrir, and Jormungandr).

shoutout games that make other playable characters actually fun like dmc5 minus V

@aussieseal9979

Жыл бұрын

Wrong opinion lol. V Is a fun character your just bad. Also are you saying atreus isn't a good playable character?

@SaberRexZealot

Жыл бұрын

But I like playing V :(

@RougeMephilesClone

Жыл бұрын

V is a miraculous character who I appreciated even in my earliest, most frustrated moments with him. Puppet characters are hard enough to get right in a 2D fighting game where there's plenty of inspiration to draw from. What Capcom and Platinum have done in their recent 3D action games is incredibly impressive, even when it's slightly undercooked.

@knightstormbringer

Жыл бұрын

Skill issue

@saniakshay12

Жыл бұрын

@@aussieseal9979 v was easy for me to play as and definitely the more beginner friendly of the 3. Nero was the hardest to play as since I never fully grasped the different arms concept.

11:11 vid length🙌

👋 hi

first?

@boyblob

Жыл бұрын

yes

Maybe I'm in the minority but I hated playing as Atreus, I just wanted to get back to playing as Kratos.

Just yet another copy of the the first last of us game...whereas the transition to ellie worked playing as "the boy" isn't that great or entertaining...it's called god of war and I don't know about anyone else but I came to play as kratos not the annoying, arrogant, ignorant and rebellious child with a borrowed mythical name. To be honest this sequel is kinda overrated in the gameplay department...they've essentially recycled and reset everything or worse cut stuff up piecemeal to justify levelling up and upgrading all over again...for example instead of one round shield that does everything we've got a bunch of different shaped shields that have one restrictive gimmick...there's very little new here...rather than upping the ante so to speak and building on the previous games skill tree or allowing the player to modify and customise their abilities in a meaningful way. It's great to have more enemy variety, mini bosses and vast realms to explore, along with the different companions...there's some simple tweaks, adjustments and quality of life improvements...but all in all this game feels more like an expansion or substantial DLC rather than a true sequel. There's no new game plus mode...you'd think after the players all collectively begging and pleading for that in the first game they'd have remembered that feature for the sequel...but apparently not.

@aussieseal9979

Жыл бұрын

This is like the worst take on the game. You took all the things that are better and called them bad

@b1thearchitect401

Жыл бұрын

There's very little new here is objectively not true. & new game plus mode will definitely be added. There's a shit ton of content in here already as well as the best storytelling in any Sony game. Having complaints or even not liking it is one thing, saying it's like a DLC is absurd, this is a 50 hour beast of a game loaded with new areas, characters. bosses. realms & content in general. Stop whining

@Shamelesscritique1

Жыл бұрын

@@b1thearchitect401 Not a single point I made refuted...like I said in my comment "in terms of gameplay there is very little new here"...I also said I liked the new enemies, areas and characters etc...along with the quality of life stuff...but the gameplay hasn't "evolved" or changed at all. But ya right calling it DLC or an expansion was a little harsh...it's more like a couple of DLC's or a really big expansion to the base game lol

@Shamelesscritique1

Жыл бұрын

@@aussieseal9979 I didn't say anything was bad...I said playing as "boy" isn't as amazing as this guy in his video makes out, it's not exactly a revolutionary or profound new game design and frankly he's not a character I like never mind why I'd play "god of war" he is an annoying sidekick.

@TheCloudeGraves

Жыл бұрын

@@Shamelesscritique1 Why would you even want to play a game centering around a character you hate? Lmao

Bro, the whole time you were talking about Atreus feels better and faster to fight as than Kratos? My brother in christ thats literally diet Kratos gameplay from the old games, you ever played the original games? Santa Monica is out of their mind, this game is revoltingly disrespectful to what made the series good and i cant understand how people can praise it tbh.

@dunderman4288

Жыл бұрын

@@SheanWalsh46 i mean yeah it is my opinion, qnd i too played all the original games. I find it extremely disrespectful considering they took such a nice formula and turned into yet another bloated narrative, light RPG mess instead of revisiting it with more modern technology. The story overall can be good and to see Kratos mellow out with time was expected but this insane over-written mess where every scene needs to have a billion characters that are talking and interacting at all times is so antithetical to what the old games were about. Im tired of these weirdo writers wanting to worm their way into and steal IPs since they couldn't land a spot writing some dogass Netflix show. All the characters speak like a fucking metropolitan 2020 is so tiring, the grandiose that was the pantheon and fantasy presentation in the old games is reduced to some mediocre looking gods being sassy and some really bland monster designs. The only redeeming moment was the initial fight with Thor, that stuff felt almost like the original games I dont think i need to go on about the whole stats and equipment system, no one in their right mind could ever think that is good in a God of War game If i were to blame anything it would have to be The Last of Us and its disastrous success making AAA devs think every game has to be some slowcrawl dont-show-just-tell tv show structured narrative with gameplay as an afterthought

@h20poseidon33

Жыл бұрын

​@@dunderman4288 I can agree with everything else except for the monster designs you must've been on drugs or something when saying that mate