God of War Ragnarok review: The sequel doesn't break new ground but it's still an explosive experience on PS5 and PS4

God of War Ragnarok is very similar to its predecessor, but that's not a bad thing. Fantastic gameplay and a heartfelt story make it a must-play.

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• God of War Ragnarok hits the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on November 9.
• It's the sequel to the critically acclaimed God of War (2018) and the ninth entry in the franchise.
• Ragnarok doesn't stray much from its predecessor, but its touching story and fun gameplay are top-notch.

Back in 2018, Sony Santa Monica released one of the most anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive games: God of War. The game introduced new mechanics to the franchise and was critically acclaimed for its story, which focused on the relationship between the series' protagonist, Kratos, and his son, Atreus. 

The gameplay was exemplary and featured dynamic third-person combat where Kratos could switch between different weapons and abilities while Atreus was controlled by the game's AI. And now, four years later, Sony aims to build on God of War's success with a sequel that continues this father/son dynamic. 

Titled God of War Ragnarok, this new game is built for the PS4 and, for the first time, the more powerful PlayStation 5. But, while 2018's God of War was a big leap for the series, Ragnarok mostly sticks to the core mechanics of its predecessor. Rather than offering completely new gameplay systems, it plays more like a continuation of the 2018 game with incremental improvements. 

However, that's not a bad thing at all. After playing through the game on PS5, Ragnarok is still incredibly fun and wraps up the franchise's Norse storyline well. Here's why the new title should more than satisfy fans looking for more God of War action.

The father and son dynamic is still at the core of the game's story

As the game's title implies, the plot deals heavily with the concept of Ragnarok, a series of events prophesied to bring about the death of several Norse gods. With the end nearing, both Kratos and Atreus want to avoid the apocalyptic event at all costs. 

Without going into spoiler territory, God of War Ragnarok tests Kratos and Atreus' trust in each other. They both harbor secrets, and that creates a rift between them.

Kratos, once a murderous god-killing machine, doesn't want Atreus to go down the same path. This makes Kratos very strict and dismissive of his son's curiosities, thus pushing him away. And without his father's guidance, Atreus is rash and impulsive, as shown multiple times when he defies orders and visits other realms on his own.

Throughout Ragnarok, they both have to learn that they have each other's best interests at heart. It's touching to see how they evolve over the course of the game, from bickering to placing their faith in one another.

However, the story is also where the game's biggest issue lies, particularly in its pacing. Some segments simply drag on for too long. There are instances where characters have too much exposition and the pacing slows down to a crawl when you just want to power through to the next enemy encounter. Thankfully, the combat is more than fun enough to reward your patience.

The gameplay is just as exciting as ever and there's so much to do in the semi-open world

God of War Ragnarok iterates on its predecessor's already excellent action gameplay by adding a few more bells and whistles. From the beginning, Kratos already has his Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos, which allow him to switch combat styles and keep fights from getting stale. 

He also gets some additional gameplay mechanics such as new weapons and ways to utilize his Spartan rage, which originally only allowed him to pummel foes with his bare fists. Now, he can heal himself with Spartan Valor or concentrate his power into single devastating bursts with Spartan Wrath. These new mechanics offer more diversity in ways to approach enemies and help to improve on an already solid combat system. 

The semi-open world is back as well, along with side quests and hidden areas for Kratos to discover. There are a variety of favors to take on from other characters and they often have interesting story tidbits attached to them.

Completing these favors also grants Kratos with rewards such as experience points to learn new skills, or items that can help upgrade his weapons. The structure surrounding favors is largely unchanged from the previous game. Players are still able to track them within the game's map system to help guide themselves through the side quests.

The main story takes about 20-25 hours to finish. Factoring in side quests and finding collectibles will most likely run you 40-plus hours, which is similar to the previous game.

PS5 players get a boost in graphical options and controller features

Though built for the PS5 in addition to the PS4 this time around, God of War Ragnarok still feels more like a game that could've been released at the end of the PlayStation 4's lifecycle. However, compared to 2018's God of War, Ragnarok does have larger-scale environments and the attention to detail here is much more impressive.

Gamers have several graphical options to choose from, and PS5 owners have substantially more choices compared to PS4 gamers. On PS5, those who prefer higher resolution can play at settings that go up to native 4K at a locked 30 frames per second. If you favor performance, you can play at 60 frames per second while taking a bit of a hit on the resolution. 

PS5 gamers who own 4K TVs that can support HDMI 2.1 also have the choice to play the game targeting up to 120 frames per second in Performance Mode, or still play with 4K graphics at an increased 40 frames per second in Quality Mode. 

Outside of visual options, the biggest differentiator between the PS4 and PS5 versions comes down to the latter's DualSense controller. It provides haptic feedback to make you feel immersed in the game. When charging weapons to throw or shoot, you can feel the energy pulsing through the controller as it subtly shakes when you hold down the trigger. 

It doesn't feel as sophisticated or realistic as a similar mechanic used for Aloy's bow in Horizon Forbidden West, but the haptic feedback in God of War Ragnarok still gets the job done.

God of War Ragnarok is much more accessible than its predecessor

Sony has been at the forefront of accessibility in the games industry, with titles like The Last of Us Part II and Horizon Forbidden West having options to help players tailor their own experiences.

For example, players can not only increase the size of subtitles but turn on arrow indicators to show the direction in which a character is speaking from. There are also options for players to automatically vault over obstacles and jump across ledges without additional button input. The high contrast display options allow for more visual accommodations such as making certain objects, like enemies, hazards, and interactive items, different colors.

The list is quite exhaustive and every single option is meticulously explained along with picture examples. It's accessibility that's done right and it's a shining example of what the games industry standard should be.

Should you play God of War Ragnarok?

God of War Ragnarok doesn't reinvent the series, but it's still a must-play for any gamer who likes narrative-focused, action-adventure games. Though there are some pacing issues, Ragnarok's stellar gameplay, heartfelt story, and phenomenal cast of characters will likely make it a top contender for many of 2022's Best Games of the Year lists.

You can preorder God of War Ragnarok now on the PS5 for $70, or PS4 for $60. The game officially launches on November 9.