God of War Ragnarok will end Kratos’ Norse arc, as it should
God of State of war Ragnarok will stop Kratos' Norse arc, equally it should
God of State of war Ragnarok was one of the highlights of the PlayStation Showcase 2021, and every mean solar day brings united states closer and closer to its 2022 release window. At that place'southward never been a bad God of State of war game, so we have high hopes for Ragnarok — especially since, as we at present know, this game volition finish Kratos' Norse myth arc. Whatsoever happens with the God of War series in the future, Ragnarok won't get a direct sequel. And that'south fine, considering based on past series entries, it probably doesn't need 1.
Judging by the positive response on social media, gamers are perfectly happy to let the story stop in Ragnarok. Maybe it'southward considering they've been burned by trilogies earlier — and the God of State of war trilogy in particular. Frankly, a lot of stories work meliorate as duologies than trilogies, and Kratos' Norse adventures may be just one more example. If you're satisfied with Sony'south decision, read on to find out why your feelings are justified. And if yous were hoping for a trilogy, read on to detect out why you might be better off embracing a shorter story format.
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(Significant spoilers for the existing God of War games follow.)
The trouble with trilogies
While I'm inappreciably the first person to point this out, it'south actually hard to end a trilogy. Call back about the great trilogies in pop culture: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Christopher Nolan's Batman, The Godfather and so forth. Which of these had a truly standout third installment? To exist brutally honest, which of them had a tertiary installment that wasn't considerably worse than the showtime 2?
Even gaming trilogies tend to run out of steam by the last entry. Mass Effect, Nighttime Souls, Assassin'due south Creed, Tomb Raider, Batman: Arkham and Age of Empires, among other series, tended to have stronger first and 2nd entries. (Granted, some trilogies, such as Metallic Gear Solid, The Witcher and Max Payne improved with time. Video games tend to handle trilogies meliorate than books and movies; the "why" could probably exist a whole separate article.)
God of War on the PS2/PS3 was no exception. The trilogy kicked off in style, with a barbarous adventure that turned Greek myth on its head, and pioneered a gainsay formula that action/hazard games still employ today. God of War II had even stronger gameplay, and an fifty-fifty bigger scope for the story. In the 2d game, perpetually irate antihero Kratos faced off against Zeus, his father and the king of the Greek gods.
But then, God of War III concluded with Kratos falling from the meridian of Mt. Olympus and having to climb it all over again. While he faced off against a few different gods this time, the game's structure, villain and stakes were virtually identical to its predecessor. There's a lot to like nigh God of War III from a gameplay perspective, but stretching the story for an additional game sapped a lot of its strength and immediacy.
A dwindling pantheon
Cartoon out God of War'south Norse arc into a trilogy presents some other potential issue: Kratos has already killed a lot of our favorite Norse gods, and he's (presumably) going to kill a lot more of them in Ragnarok. In the kickoff game, he tore his way through the Valkyries, a host of trolls, the king of the dark elves, Thor's sons, and the cute Baldur himself.
In Ragnarok, Kratos will almost certainly face off against Thor and Tyr. Freya and Angrboda will probably play big roles in the story, and the traditional Ragnarok myth doesn't end well for either i. And, of course, God of War (2018) spent a lot of fourth dimension foreshadowing Odin as a cruel and belligerent king. If I were a betting man, I might put a piddling money on Ragnarok ending with Kratos and Odin violent each other to metaphorical (and mayhap literal) pieces.
In other words: in one case Ragnarok is washed, there won't be all that many Norse gods left to kill.
Granted, if Sony wanted to stretch out the Norse myth arc, it could repeat what it did in God of State of war II and Three, by dividing the pantheon upwardly between ii games. But the downside of that approach was that we had to spend a lot of fourth dimension fighting relatively minor deities forth the fashion. I don't think fans were absolutely dying for showdowns with Theseus, Perseus, Icarus, or Helios. (I could go either way on Hercules.)
Keeping the Norse myth arc focused on the most recognizable parts of the pantheon could also help avert some of the issues the God of War Greek myth spinoffs ran into. Fighting Ares, Zeus and Gaia was a thrill; fighting Persephone, Thanatos and Alecto didn't feel quite every bit epic.
Mythic possibilities
God of State of war (2018)'s director Cory Barlog explained that the current God of War story wouldn't be a trilogy, primarily because Sony doesn't want to make fans wait xv years for a full story arc. If the Norse story wraps up in Ragnarok, that could hateful one of two things. Either Kratos volition complete his story arc by dying (for real, this time), or he'll motility on to another pantheon in the next game.
Alert God of War fans are aware that the serial has already foreshadowed other pantheons, including the gods of Celtic myth, Egyptian myth, Japanese myth and Christianity. Egypt seems like the next logical location in which Kratos could commit deicide, but either manner, the fact is that in that location are a lot of other pantheons to explore. The more than time Kratos spends in the Norselands, the less time he spends elsewhere. If Sony'due south ultimate objective is to bring Kratos all effectually the aboriginal world and encounter all the fascinating creatures and gods along the way, he can't spend besides long in one location.
(For what information technology's worth: I'one thousand positive that Kratos could square off against Horus without ruffling too many falcon feathers. I'm less certain that Sony would really pit him against Jesus, for both reasons both theological and pragmatic. A grueling fight to the terminate against a deity who calls himself "The Prince of Peace" seems unlikely.)
No matter what happens to Kratos in God of State of war Ragnarok, we should expect the series to go in a very dissimilar direction afterward. Whether that ways retiring Kratos, shifting the focus to Atreus or simply changing the location is anyone's judge. In the meantime, it might be a adept thought to beginning brushing up on your Egyptian mythology.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/god-of-war-ragnarok-duology
Posted by: medinainviand.blogspot.com
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