Anyone can enjoy the game’s stunning graphics and thoughtful puzzles — and anyone who can enjoy violence will enjoy its combat. The story, however, will require a little review of ancient history. Players of previous games may need some reminding about key plot details before diving into the new blockbuster, and those new to the franchise should definitely know the 411 before diving into the deluge of God of War: Ragnarok. God of War: Ragnarok is great, but trust me, it’s dense. (Read our God of War: Ragnarok review here.)
Kratos was from ancient Greece, right?
It certainly was. Although God of War: Ragnarok takes place in the Norse kingdoms, Kratos’ early adventures were all rooted in Greek mythology. He started out as a normal Greek warrior, but, faced with near death in a brutal battle, he called upon Ares, the god of war, with an offering. Give him power and the State will forever be in the debt of Mars. It turns out that selling your soul to the god of war is a short-sighted move. Kratos, Blades of Chaos gathered around his wrists, is at work — and by work I mean “relentlessly pillaging villages.” Ares considered Kratos a good but not great super soldier, so a plan was hatched: If Kratos killed his wife and daughter, he would be free of ties to the mortal world and become the coldest of assassins. So Ares tricked Kratos into murdering his family. Pretty awful boss, that Ares — luckily labor laws have come a long way since ancient Greece. Sony Mars’ plan works, for a while. Kratos has served the gods dutifully for a decade, but is haunted by nightmares of his family’s death. He asks Athena, the goddess of wisdom, to take away his nightmares and she makes him an offer. If Kratos kills Ares, who has been ruthless for the past few years, it will clear Kratos’ brain of his nightmarish past. Thus begins Kratos’ theophonous ways. During the original God of War trilogy, Kratos kills Ares and takes his place as god of war, is betrayed by Zeus and sent to the underworld, murders Hades to get out, learns that Zeus is in actually his dad (!), demolishes the entire Greek pantheon and finally kills Zeus. God of War 3 ends with a view of a chaotic, godless horizon. Pretty heavy stuff. Kratos kills Zeus, his father, in God of War 3. Sony
How did Kratos get to Midgard?
Short answer: He walked and sailed. About 100 years separate God of War 3 and 2018’s God of War — more than enough time to get to a new land the old-fashioned way. Having created chaos and killed so many people, Kratos wanted a new life. As revealed in the Dark Horse God of War comics, Kratos left Greece after the events of God of War 3 and wandered into the foreign Land of the Pharaohs — Egypt isn’t that far from Greece after all. Kratos repeatedly tried to get rid of his Blades of Chaos, but every time he slept, he would wake up and find them again. Kratos wants to leave his old ways behind, but is tormented by the unwavering Blades of Chaos. He meets an old man who tells Kratos that he is the answer to the locals’ prayers: They have been threatened by two Chaos Beasts, and fate has sent Kratos there to slay the demons. Kratos is still a huge downer at this point and says he just wants to be left alone. He is confronted by the Chaos Beasts, but refuses to use the Blades of Chaos. He manages to kill one, but the other, older one, knocks him unconscious. The old man reveals himself to be Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom. Between Thoth and Athena, who has a habit of appearing to Kratos in visions, Kratos is convinced that he will not escape his fate. He wakes up, grabs his Blades of Chaos and kills the beast. This allows him to advance beyond the Land of the Pharaohs. After his detour to Egypt, Kratos walks and walks and walks. It is located in the northern lands of Scandinavia. He lives in solitude for 75 years, according to the comics, during which time he deals with his anger issues, trying to cleanse himself of the memories that still haunt him. After this time, he meets a woman named Faye. She teaches him to open his heart and the two have a boy together. Kratos names him Atreus, after a Spartan soldier Kratos fought alongside him many years ago. Sony
Where does God of War 2018 start?
A bit further. We never get to know Faye as she dies shortly before God of War 2018 begins. This is what speeds up Kratos’ mission in the game. Faye’s last request was to spread her ashes from the highest peak in the nine realms. Simple, right? The mission is immediately complicated when a strange man knocks on Kratos’ door. He confronts Kratos and the two argue. But the fellow is immune to pain, though Kratos is able to make him disappear temporarily by snapping his neck and rolling him off a cliff. We soon discover that the man is Baldur, the son of Odin. Odin is the pan-father of the Norse gods, the Jupiter of these lands, making Baldur a god as well. Baldur, son of Odin. Sony So, Kratos and Atreus set off in search of the highest peak on earth, but with Baldur following them for reasons unknown. Kratos is worried that his son will join him — Atreus has a strange disease that often leaves him weak — but allows it anyway. The Blades of Chaos are conspicuously absent, as Kratos wields the Leviathan Axe, a weapon given to him by Faye. They soon meet the Forest Witch, a kind lady who feeds the local wildlife. He helps guide them through the black mist that prevents the ascent to the top of Midgard. When they get there, they find Modi and Magni, sons of Thor and grandsons of Odin, interrogating a one-eyed man stuck in a tree. After disappearing, Kratos and Atreus converse with the captive tree. He is Mimir, the so-called smartest man alive and Odin’s former right-hand man. Mimir reveals that where they stand is not the highest peak in the nine realms. The highest peak is actually in Jotunheim, the land of the giants. These giants, having faced genocide at the hands of Thor and Odin, prevented all travel there. Typical. Mimir, Odin’s former advisor. Sony
Wait, why was Mimir stuck in a tree?
As noted, Mimir was Odin’s advisor and ambassador to other realms. However, Odin proved to be a tough guy to work with. The Giants prophesied that Ragnarok would see Odin killed, which made him a paranoid father. Odin had Thor go on a giant-killing spree, which is why there are no Giants walking. Mimir got on well with the Giants, so much so that they removed one of his eyes and replaced it with a Bifrost that allowed him to travel between realms with ease. Seeing Mimir’s close relations with the Giants, Odin began to suspect treachery. Imprison Mimir in the tree atop Midgard for all eternity — until Kratos and Atreus arrive on the scene. The World Serpent. Sony
How do Kratos and Atreus get into the Land of Giants?
Mimir says he knows a way in, but that his body is trapped. He suggests an obvious solution, having Kratos behead him. From there, Mimir’s head hangs from Kratos’ waist as he provides all kinds of backstory and exposition about the Norse kingdoms. With Mimir’s help, Kratos and Atreus gather the necessary equipment to rebuild the portal to Jotunheim. Unfortunately, just as they are building the gate, Baldur reappears and crashes the party. Another fight breaks out and the gate is destroyed. Large. Mimir has another solution, but requires them to retrieve his other eye, which is actually a Bifrost that allows interworld travel. To obtain it, Kratos and Atreus travel into the belly of the last giant, the world serpent Jormungandr. They manage to pull it off and are able to reopen the portal to the Land of the Giants. A bunch of crazy stuff happens in between all of this, and you should know about it all. Freya after Kratos kills Baldur. Sony
What crazy things are we talking about?
Mimir reveals that the Forest Witch is actually Freya, a goddess. We find out that Freya is Odin’s ex-wife and Baldur’s mother. Baldur is invincible because Freya, having seen a prophecy that Baldur would one day die for no reason, cast a spell on him that makes him impervious to pain or any other sensation. Meanwhile, Freya revealed that Atreus is sick because he is a god who thinks he is mortal. The solution is to stop Kratos from hiding his godhood from Atreus, but Kratos doesn’t heed the warning. Kratos and Atreus battle Magni and Modi, a confrontation that leaves Magni dead. In the fight, Atreus faints and remains lifeless….
