God of War Ragnarök review: A scattered but strong sequel

Enlarge / Just bear with me for a second, Kratos...

It's been four years now since Sony reimagined the remorseless god of war Kratos as a meme-worthy single father struggling to connect with his son. A few years have also passed between the events of that game and those of God of War: Ragnarök, a less focused game that still serves as a worthy sequel that slots easily into the same groove as that reboot.

In Ragnarök, the young and eager Atreus of the last God of War has been replaced with a headstrong pre-teen who is constantly pushing against his father’s headstrong attitudes. As the title implies, father and son both find themselves struggling through the realm-scarring Fimbulwinter, a prelude to the world-ending battle of Ragnarök.

Yet even the prospect of the end of the world isn't enough to re-ignite Kratos' lust for war. He's eager to avoid the battle, seeing that as the best way to fulfill his monomaniacal desire to protect his son at all costs. Atreus, meanwhile, sees his dad as too cautious and struggles to convince Kratos to trust his more active (and risky) plans to avoid an outcome that is literally fated.