God of War Ragnarok doesn't unseat the pantheon because it doesn't have to

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2018’s God of War wasn’t just a reboot of a popular series, it was a fresh reinvention that turned a rough-and-tumble brawler into a story with emotional resonance and established Sony’s first party as the creative force to beat in the world of blockbuster gaming.

God of War Ragnarok doesn’t have the luxury of being able to come out swinging on PS5 with a new look, new perspective (both gameplay and story-wise), and new world to establish. But while it is remarkably similar to the last game, given its undoubted brilliance that’s hardly a bad thing, is it?

I was a bit worried at the start of God of War Ragnarok. Before it’s really had any time to re-establish its characters, setting and scenario, it’s already not so much pulling on the heart-strings but yanking on your arteries with the Chains of Olympus. If the whole game laid it on this thick then we’d be straying into the nine realms of melodrama, but thankfully Ragnarok quickly finds its feet and settles into the tonal ping-pong of a contemplative coming-of-age story that explores interpersonal relationships with a sombre edge that also takes regular breaks to wallop monsters with a giant axe until their heads fall off. Such is video games.

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