God of War: Ragnarok is a sensational follow-up to the 2018 release of God of War. I want to say this right off the bat. God of War: Ragnarok was the satisfying experience I wished the 2018 God of War could have been. I mentioned in my review of the 2018 release of God of War that the developers made it too obvious that a sequel(s) was going to be made, and the game experience suffered because of it. The overall story of God of War: Ragnarok, with a definite beginning, middle, and end made the gaming experience worth it.
I think the story and narrative of God of War: Ragnarok is among the best I have ever experienced in a video game, outside of a game like The Last of Us. There are excellent vocal performances (particularly from Kratos and Atreus), an excellent cast of characters, and excellent dialogue which varies from serious to even light-hearted and hilarious. The father-son dynamic continues from the previous God of War, with Atreus now being a teenager and seemingly entering his 'rebel' phase of his life. Kratos must now manage his own emotions and break down the wall of stoicism he normally presents in order to understand his son. There are some touching moments between Kratos and Atreus that enhances the story even further.
The pacing of the story is solid, even with the occasional detours to other areas to complete side quests. The side quests are expertly woven into the main story and some of the side quests themselves feel as important as the main story. Because of this, God of War: Ragnarok feels tight and focused throughout my whole playthrough of the game.
One big praise I must give God of War: Ragnarok is that the overall game length is perfect. I tend to be a completionist when I play a game, and I 100% completed the game (main story and side content) in about 55 hours. With the relatively low game length, Ragnarok did not feel like a short game to me, but it did not overstay its welcome. There are many games that are bloated with pointless side quests or a main story that drags on for too long (as an example: I completed the main story of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and many of the side quests in about 110 hours; twice as long as Ragnarok), but God of War: Ragnarok is such a tight game that it did not need to be a 100+ hour game to be a satisfying experience.
Other random things about God of War: Ragnarok: The combat feels well-balanced and you can pull off some nifty combos without too much effort. The music is fine but could be better, there were some nice music moments but it was not enough. There was an effort to get more enemy variety (especially with the bosses) but I think the developers could have introduced some more variety. The graphics and visuals are unsurprisingly excellent with some outstanding levels of detail.
The last thing I want to talk about is whether I thought God of War: Ragnarok or Elden Ring was the better game in 2022. I appreciate a game like Elden Ring because that game was unlike any other game with its combination of a rich open world with a 'Souls-like' experience, even though Souls games are not my preference of the kinds of games I play. However, I liked playing God of War: Ragnarok more because of its focus on its story and combat, even though a game like this has been done many times before.
In short: God of War: Ragnarok is an amazing game and you should play it if you have not already.
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