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[Rick Dangerous]

God of war Ragnarok is my 3rd game on my new ps5 pro (1st : house of ashes, enjoyed it a lot and 2nd : FFVII remake intergrade, which I enjoyed a lot too).
Before that : I had a PS4 pro and did not have a ps5, so globally haven't played anything between 2020 and now.
My taste : GOWIII is imho the pinnacle of the series and I mildly appreciated GOW 2018.

I posted some comments on another thread giving my impressions after 5 hours. Now I am at 20 hours, and my feeling evolved towards this game. For the better. I was too harsh and I came to enjoy it a lot.

Few elements
.GFX / performance/ IQ : state of the art. I sincerely think I don't need anything better. I game on a 75" miniled, and it's awesome. Draw distance, frame rate, effects are all top notch.

Art : this aspect grew on me. The locations are varied and some of them are truly unique and feel alive and gorgeous. Well some SSM artists !

Gameplay : the combat grew on me, and the mix of Atreus+ runic attacks + Spartan rage and some guard breakers make this a winner. Some sections are highly enjoyable. Such os the ones with the sledge . Awesome feeling. Also there are different varied sections, that add to the enjoyment.

Bestiary: up to now less than GOW3, but still appreciable. Will see how the rest of the game fares.

Bosses : up to now, subpar compared to GOW 3 and 2. ,I'll see how it evolved also. Nothing on the impact of Poseidon but it may change. I played before FFVII remake intergrade and bosses where much better / stylish. Hopefully it gets better.

Story : intriguing. I like the son (not so much the voice of Kratos, which is too grave and sounds too serious) and eager to see the story unfold.

Global feeling at 20+ hours : very good. Beautifully crafted, enjoyable, beautiful, interesting story. Up to now : 87/100. I need better bosses to cross 90/100. We'll see if it happens or not.

Note : don't post spoilers please, I'm quite sensitive to it.

 

[T-0800]

I fell off the game about halfway through but went back to it a few months later and ended up loving it.

 

[TexMex]

It just, wouldn't, fucking, end.

 

[Arachnid]

I greatly disliked it after the intro all the way to the end, but I hope it lands for you.

 

[R6Rider]

I enjoyed it a lot. Ended up getting the platinum which I don't normally go for.

 

[Jaybe]

I don’t want to ever row a boat in a game again

 

[VideoGameEnjoyer]

It’s a fantastic duology. Even if Ragnarok didn’t quite deliver on the spectacle that I wanted

 

[TropicanaTwista]

Great game, always surprised how many seem to dislike it. It was basically GoW 2018 all over again, for better or for worse. Just thought Ragnarok had slightly better gameplay and better boss fights, while it suffered a little more on pacing.

It also has great post story content, legit might have been the best part of the game for me

 

[bitbydeath]

I loved it, felt a lot more like the original games after the disaster that was GoW 2018.

 

[coachmcguirk91]

Great game, always surprised how many seem to dislike it. It was basically GoW 2018 all over again, for better or for worse. Just thought Ragnarok had slightly better gameplay and better boss fights, while it suffered a little more on pacing.

It also has great post story content, legit might have been the best part of the game for me

Yeah, it's still my favorite game of the past couple years. The story was pretty muddled and rushed, but the game did a great job improving upon 2018's combat and world. Really addicting gameplay loop with A+ production values

 

[RPS37]

I’m stuck on a part where I gotta literally fight two bosses at the same time.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

I’m stuck on a part where I gotta literally fight two bosses at the same time.

Not there yet. I'll see if it gives me trouble.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

Based on the responses in the thread I realise that GOW Ragnarok seems to be a title quite divisive among gaffers. I does not surprise me in fact because I hated it with a passion in the few openings hours, and had a turnaround that had me love it now.

 

[diffusionx]

The game is a 10/10 for the first 80-90% of it and the last bit is a 1/10 that will put a permanent bad taste in your mouth for God of War, Sony Santa Monica, Playstation, video games, and humanity.

The DLC redeems it somewhat though.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

The game is a 10/10 for the first 80-90% of it and the last bit is a 1/10 that will put a permanent bad taste in your mouth for God of War, Sony Santa Monica, Playstation, video games, and humanity.

The DLC redeems it somewhat though.

Omg. Up to now I'm at 57% so I'll see. Bad feeling about the end now. .

 

[Rick Dangerous]

Finished it (the main story).
It took me 37 hours so very long game, also considering that I have many quests remaining aside the main story.

My thoughts: I started it with a very bad impression and I finished it loving it.

Gfx : on my ps5 pro, with my new 75" miniled, this game is a looker.
- Textures are awesome with some of the best materials ever rendered
- snow, omg, this snow. Awesome
- smooth FPS, so smooth. Love that.
- crisp and good resolution.

Sound : good sounds, music and atmosphere. Quite perfect honestly.

Story : quite tortuous with many sub stories that I found attaching.

Art
Those environments ! The artists outdid themselves. They are beautiful, diverse, surely the best I've ever seen I. A videogame.
Armors : so well drawn.

Bestiary: some diversity but I wish I could encounter even more variety.

Bosses : some very good bosses and mini bosses. Not as epic as the bosses in FFVII remake that I just finished (more memorable) but still very good.

Gameplay : many may possibilities. Rage os Sparta is overpowered imho but that's fine. With rune summons, some spells, the tree of competence, many ways to do a combat.

Globally, a sense of awe, good connection with some characters, good story, awesome production values and at the end a very good game. Glad I bought it and played it. Well done SSM. Highly recommended.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

I loved it, felt a lot more like the original games after the disaster that was GoW 2018.

Cap.

If it was like old God of War Kratos would've smashed Thor's wife on the low before he killed him.

 

[Insanemaelstrom]

I loved god of war 2018 but initially didn't gel with Ragnarok. Played till half way point and want feeling it. Took a break for a week or two, came back and played through entirety, got a 100, did a 100% completion and loved every second I spent playing it. Simply an excellent game, especially the post game. The combat is great and feel amazing, good enemy design, the dlc was amazing as well.

Hope you also enjoy it as well OP. Personally, I can't wait for the next SSM game.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I have a PS4 and PS5... But I'm not interested in the game... This is due to the forced inclusion that they have put in.

 

[HogIsland]

God of war Ragnarok is my 3rd game on my new ps5 pro (1st : house of ashes, enjoyed it a lot and 2nd : FFVII remake intergrade, which I enjoyed a lot too).
Before that : I had a PS4 pro and did not have a ps5, so globally haven't played anything between 2020 and now.
My taste : GOWIII is imho the pinnacle of the series and I mildly appreciated GOW 2018.

I posted some comments on another thread giving my impressions after 5 hours. Now I am at 20 hours, and my feeling evolved towards this game. For the better. I was too harsh and I came to enjoy it a lot.

Few elements
.GFX / performance/ IQ : state of the art. I sincerely think I don't need anything better. I game on a 75" miniled, and it's awesome. Draw distance, frame rate, effects are all top notch.

Art : this aspect grew on me. The locations are varied and some of them are truly unique and feel alive and gorgeous. Well some SSM artists !

Gameplay : the combat grew on me, and the mix of Atreus+ runic attacks + Spartan rage and some guard breakers make this a winner. Some sections are highly enjoyable. Such os the ones with the sledge . Awesome feeling. Also there are different varied sections, that add to the enjoyment.

Bestiary: up to now less than GOW3, but still appreciable. Will see how the rest of the game fares.

Bosses : up to now, subpar compared to GOW 3 and 2. ,I'll see how it evolved also. Nothing on the impact of Poseidon but it may change. I played before FFVII remake intergrade and bosses where much better / stylish. Hopefully it gets better.

Story : intriguing. I like the son (not so much the voice of Kratos, which is too grave and sounds too serious) and eager to see the story unfold.

Global feeling at 20+ hours : very good. Beautifully crafted, enjoyable, beautiful, interesting story. Up to now : 87/100. I need better bosses to cross 90/100. We'll see if it happens or not.

Note : don't post spoilers please, I'm quite sensitive to it.

I loved it. The 2nd half is crazy

 

[Roufianos]

It's just so much worse than the original from a pacing and story perspective. Not a bad game by any means though.

 

[WX3]

I fell off the game about halfway through but went back to it a few months later and ended up loving it.

I really hope that happens with me. I put about twelve hours into it and it became rough to continue. Always have it installed on the PS5 though as it is one of the many reasons I bought that system. I like to throw money away so I almost always buy the PC release if one comes for a Sony exclusive, and this game remains one that I haven't picked up yet. The first game was the same way with me though, so I did expect it, but it just seemed tougher on me to continue.

 

[SweetTooth]

I agree with all your input. Game is pure fun but my issue with it is mainly about the story ending and pace.

GoW2018 is way better in that regard.

Both are excellent games, also LOVED the amazing DLC for it.

 

[ElFenomeno]

The worst game in the entire series. Actually, the only bad game of the series.
Dropped it after 4-5 hours. Combat feels awful, enemies are boring, Atreus is on the same level as the Intergalactic protagonist .e.g an unlikable, smug little cunt.
Had to replay the Greek saga to wash away this awful game.

 

[Malcolm9]

Great game, currently playing the end game stuff after finishing the story.

Really liked how it played out following on from GoW 2018. I don't get the hate for it personally, you don't have to do all side content, so you can alter the game length to your liking.

 

[DanielG165]

Ragnarok was just okay for me, ultimately. It started incredibly strong, trailed off in the middle, and by the time the game ended, I was ready for it to be over a few hours ago. It also didn’t personally give me the sheer grandness that is supposed to be Ragnarok, the end of the Norse world; things felt rather… Normal. I feel as though the one take camera didn’t really help with that, and wish the devs had used a more “traditional camera” with cuts instead. The former worked brilliantly with 2018’s smaller and more intimate story, but not for Ragnarok imo.

2018 is still the superior game across for me, with it having now seen multiple play throughs across PS4 and PC on my behalf. I can’t see myself returning to the sequel anytime soon. But, I will definitely agree that God of War 3 is the “goat” for the franchise.

 

[mitch1971]

Give me back old GOW games. Imagine the sense of scale we could get these days going back to old school GOW.

 

[Wolves hunt in packs]

Gameplay is still fun, story doesn't make too sense to me, and i didn't like the direction they took regarding the characters, including Kratos. But there's still hope for next game:

Spoiler: God of War Egypt

Atreus is kidnapped by egyptian gods, Kratos is back with vengeance.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Honestly? I still remember when i reached that level where you have this huge ass sandbox to explore...and all was optional. That was peak GOW from these past 2 games.

That said i had one issues with it. I felt the game was written by 2 different teams that never spoke to each other (Atreus parts and Kratos parts) and then for a game this long, the end was...too fast.

Had huge peaks but lower lows than 2018 GOW. Still a great game and Valhalla was great!

 

[Zimmy68]

I dropped it after 4-5 hours when it came out. Started back up when I got my PS5 Pro.
It is fun and looks amazing but it suffers from what I call upgrade bloat (like AC Valhalla).
Too many options, skills, upgrade material types, buffs, etc.
As a causal player I have no idea if I have the proper material to do a great build or what to upgrade first.
So I probably end up playing most of the game under powered.

 

[Wandering Leopard]

• Main issue with it was pacing, if they cut approx 25% off the core game it would've been better,
• the side content is optional and good eg. The huge area after you follow the dog
• Atreus sections felt shallow, the bow didn't feel as good as any of Kratos' weapons
• Way too much handholding, if people need help with puzzles it should be done via a contextual button prompt, and should be turned off if playing on any difficulties after normal

Ultimately, I think the devs made it harder on themselves by trying to include too much.

 

[Fbh]

Honestly? I still remember when i reached that level where you have this huge ass sandbox to explore...and all was optional. That was peak GOW from these past 2 games.

That said i had one issues with it. I felt the game was written by 2 different teams that never spoke to each other (Atreus parts and Kratos parts) and then for a game this long, the end was...too fast.

Had huge peaks but lower lows than 2018 GOW. Still a great game and Valhalla was great!

The part that's called "The Crater"?
Yeah that's by far the best part of the game, where you can actually spend a few hours fighting and exploring and experiencing the gameplay without being constantly interrupted by cutscenes or slow and linear story sequences.
If the game had been primarily like that it would have been an easy 9/10 to me

 

[Exentryk]

Started this as well, but not really feeling it after a few hours. I loved GoW 2018, but this one just seems less interesting and the combat also feels boring hack and slash.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

The part that's called "The Crater"?
Yeah that's by far the best part of the game, where you can actually spend a few hours fighting and exploring and experiencing the gameplay without being constantly interrupted by cutscenes or slow and linear story sequences.
If the game had been primarily like that it would have been an easy 9/10 to me

Exactly that part. Lost so many hours in there. The gameplay loop is so good that i wouldn’t mind an entire game like that.

 

[Skifi28]

I also played it very late, a couple of months ago, and after reading all the complaints on GAF I was prepared for an awful woke experience with terrible writting, but I really enjoyed it in the end. Some sections overstayed their welcome for sure and there was a bit too much Atreus gameplay, but other than that I have few complaints. My biggest issues with the first game were the repetitive bosses and small enemy and environment variety and they were all addressed beatifully. The "expansion" was also lovely and I spent easily another 10-15 hours there. I generally dislike rogue-lites, but the story elements made it really cool.

 

[HogIsland]

Odin and Thor are incredible. There's a Thor sequence in a tavern that stands out as one of the greatest action sequences in any game.

 

[stn]

I enjoyed it but wish they would have cut some of the main story sections. It could have been even better with some of the filler removed.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

It just, wouldn't, fucking, end.

I thought it got better and better. Oh well.

 

[Imtjnotu]

I loved it, felt a lot more like the original games after the disaster that was GoW 2018.

 

[R6Rider]

I dropped it after 4-5 hours when it came out. Started back up when I got my PS5 Pro.
It is fun and looks amazing but it suffers from what I call upgrade bloat (like AC Valhalla).
Too many options, skills, upgrade material types, buffs, etc.
As a causal player I have no idea if I have the proper material to do a great build or what to upgrade first.
So I probably end up playing most of the game under powered.

I agree with this overall.

It has the upgrade problem that many games struggle with. You keep Leveling up and getting "upgrades" but you never really feel any stronger. It really feels like you're just slightly changing your stats to better match enemies as they get stronger.

There are at least different "builds" you can go for, but it doesn't really change too much.

 

[elhav]

Compared to gow (2018): Combat was better with more varied enemies, the bosses were better and plentiful, and the game had better side quests.

The writing, pacing and plot structure took a severe nose dive. The previous game had some padding issues, but the intimate relationship between Kraros and Boy were good enough to fill the empty/padded moments, and while the writing was sometimes flashy, it was subtle enough to be plenty enjoyable. The character performances were great too.

Ragnarok threw away the intimate nature of the first game, and introduced more of everything, it's louder, it has an endless supply of quips, bad jokes and out of character moments. The story is a hot mess. It sometimes moves slow as a snail, and can drag for hours and hours, yet when it gets interesting it usually gets cut too short. There are more issues, but those are the main ones.

Three things would make Ragnarok far better:
1. Better writing
2. Less padding, better pacing
3. Being part 2 of a trilogy, with enough time being given to important plot points and character development

 

[Chuck Berry]

Funny Im in the middle of my first replay now since it initially released. I mentioned it in the "Whatcha Playin" thread but yeah it's basically my "Did I really dislike this as much as I did?" run

And I gotta say I forgot how strong those first 2-3 hours are. Between the heartbreaking scene of losing Fenrir, to watching the bear cubs all sad over their dead mom, to that side involving unchaining the Lyngbakr, the game really frontloads a ton of emotion and darkness (to me) while trying to balance out its early Marvel-isms (even though I think that first meet with Thor and Odin is masterclass).

The first meeting with Durlin is good too



And now Im approaching the mines and it's all starting to come back to me. Like the poor pacing starts right around this part. Shit gets way, way too drawn out.

Also forgot how much Im not a fan of the equipment menus

 

[EverydayBeast]

A lot of people root for Viking Kratos vs the electric Spartan Kratos, I wanted to see Kratos kill every god in the originals, I think Viking Kratos is a dinged up old man who internet nerds rave over. 2018 GoW seemed odd but it’s a nice little reboot.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

Doing content post story.
My god, I did the fight with 2 berserkers. I died so many times, it was frustrating. The camera, my god !! The CAMERA ! Was fighting against it all the time, it was really painful.

 

[Rick Dangerous]

I agree with this overall.

It has the upgrade problem that many games struggle with. You keep Leveling up and getting "upgrades" but you never really feel any stronger. It really feels like you're just slightly changing your stats to better match enemies as they get stronger.

There are at least different "builds" you can go for, but it doesn't really change too much.

Nailed it.
I remember GOWIII when you got Hades weapon or the gloves. It felt wonderful.

 

[Rea]

The highest difficulty on this game is fucked tup. Elden ring is easier than this.

 

[SpearHea.:D]

What a boring game. Uninstalled after 4-5 hours. Even aecension was more fun than this.

And this comes from a fan of this series. Please remake I-III collection

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Sensational game that most people loved but has a vocal minority of people that dislike it.

There's some pacing issues, and we all know the giant world comes to mind, but I did not find it THAT egregious. People talk about poor pacing but then love Metaphor Refantazio or Persona Games which are 100x worse. Endless hours of nothing but scrolling, repetitive text.

Combat, worlds, enemy variety, bosses, and side content are all fantastic. I found the story and enemy cast of characters to be generally strong as well, with a really gut wrenching moment at the end that hits hard.

 

[Three]

The highest difficulty on this game is fucked tup. Elden ring is easier than this.

I said the same thing when I first started my GMGOW NG+ run of GOW 2018. I was getting slaughtered after playing on normal to completion. Then I kept trying and trying until the game sort of just clicked and I was a lot better with crowd control and stringing combos together. Completed the game on GMGOW and beat Sigrun too. It's frustrating on the highest difficulty but don't give up and keep practicing.

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

I found it to be an underwhelming sequel. Felt very god of war 1.5 to me.