God of War Ragnarök: first information – gameplay, story & a new director

Sony shows the first gameplay scenes for God of War Ragnarök. In the course of the PS5 showcase, the publisher gave a first look at the new action adventure around Kratos and Atreus. With Freya and Thor, the developers also present two of the most important antagonists from the new God of War. We summarize the most important details. God of War Ragnarök is due to appear on PS5 and PlayStation 4 in 2022.

Sony confirms God of War Ragnarök – and with it previous rumors about the subtitle for the new action adventure. As part of the current PS5 showcase, the developers even showed the first gameplay: fans get their first glimpses of what is happening in the game a few years after the events of God of War (2018). Freezing winds blow in Midgard, making Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir’s survival in the Nordic wilds very difficult. “Father and son must decide together which path they will go. How they decide will affect the fate of people when it comes to Ragnarök,” writes community manager Grace Orlady in a recent entry on the PlayStation blog.

The developers introduce Freya and Thor, two of the most important antagonists of God of War Ragnarök. Freya swore revenge for the death of her son Baldur. “We want to remind the players that Freya is not only a terrifyingly powerful user of Vanir Magie, but also an impressive warrior,” writes Orlady. Thor is also full of anger – and directs his anger against Kratos and Atreus because of the loss of his sons and his half-brother. “We don’t want to reveal too much now, of course. We believe, however, that Mjölnir in the light of lightning gives you an indication that Thor will be an impressive opponent,” it said on the PlayStation blog.

More options in battle

In the gameplay trailer you can take a look at a selection of the new attack abilities in God of War Ragnarök. There is also a new rune summoning for Atreus and some of the legendary weapons of Kratos. The developers promise to want to improve the fight. This should result in more opportunities to heat up the opponents powerfully. You have powerful combos and defensive tactics at your disposal. Those who master the elements can also play a clear advantage in combat. The developers promise that you will face a whole range of creatures from Norse mythology.

“If you’ve played the predecessor, you know that you’ve been able to visit six of the Nine Realms so far. In God of War Ragnarök, you can visit all of them,” Orlady added. The adventure takes you to the areas of Vanaheim, Svartalfheim and Asgard. There are also new scenes from places from the previous one. A visually varied map is promised: green jungles, underground mining networks, mysterious towns and more await you.

New creative director

Incidentally, there is a change in the position of Creative Director at God of War Ragnarök: Cory Barlog, who headed the development of God of War (2018) and God of War 2, is not returning to this position for Ragnarök. Instead, Eric Williams takes on the job as creative director. Williams previously worked as a designer for all of the series’ main games. It is now a tradition at Sony Santa Monica to change direction between games in order to bring in a breath of fresh air and different perspectives. God of War Ragnarök is slated for PS5 and PS4 in 2022. If you pick up the PS4 version and want to continue your adventure on PS5 later, you can get an upgrade option for 10 US dollars.