God of War Laufey Redeems One Of The Worst Features From Ragnarok

God of War Laufey is the first spin-off in the new reboot series, and it has already garnered its fair share of controversy. It sports a new female protagonist, alongside a plethora of slightly quirky companions, both of which appear, at least at first glance, to fly in the face of what has previously been established. Even the original creator of God of War has weighed in, giving a rather negative opinion about the game, despite having little to do with the series anymore.

However, despite all the negativity circling online, God of War Laufey has already proven that it is getting a lot right. Namely, Laufey appears to be redeeming a crucial flaw with its predecessor, Ragnarök, although in a way that may upset fans who are more excited for the next mainline God of War title than this spin-off. It is a move that I strongly believe will work extremely well in Laufey’s favor and make it a distinct and charming experience in its own right while still living up to the strong foundations established by its predecessor.

God Of War Laufey Embraces The Weird

God of War has always been an inherently weird series, even with the older titles. While its extremely gritty, violent, and later emotional narratives are as grounded as stories about killing mythological gods can be, there’s plenty of whimsy, silly moments, and downright comical mechanics to be found (who can forget the infamous sex minigames). However, God of War Laufey appears to be embracing the bizarre and surreal far more than its predecessors ever dared, namely with its setting and cast of characters.

God of War Laufey’s characters appear, at least from initial impressions, a little less grounded than even the reboot series’ comic relief duo, Brok and Sindri. We’ve got a talking sentient gelatinous cosmic cube named Phranque (pronounced Frank), played by famous funny man Jack Quaid, and a similarly sentient ribbon. Both characters bring with them a frenetic energy that many have unfavorably compared to the Marvel movies, but I personally see it as tapping into God of War Laufey’s more fantastical elements.

After all, unlike God of War and Ragnarök, Laufey’s Everywhen plays host to a range of mythological figures. There’s potential for any number of famous faces to appear, both as serious as Ragnarök’s Odin and as goofy as the Japanese Kappa. God of War Laufey’s protagonist, Faye, is also a far more lighthearted protagonist, which facilitates the use of whimsical elements. Brok and Sindri work because they play off of Kratos’ gruff nature. As Faye has a far greater tolerance for fun, she needs to be paired with characters that far exceed even the aforementioned duo’s level of wackiness.

God of War Laufey Is Finally Paying Off Ragnarök’s Endless Talking

Sony Santa Monica Studio

More importantly, God of War Laufey is finally making up for that aforementioned issue in Ragnarök: Atreus’ endless chattering. Even fans of that game will admit that Atreus talking to himself during his solo excursions could get a little tedious, especially as there was little explanation for why he felt a need to talk aloud beyond being for the player’s benefit. However, considering Faye is also like that, we can assume that Atreus merely adopted it from his mother.

Of course, that means that players can also expect Faye to talk aloud while alone, something she does at the start of the game, as evidenced by God of War Laufey’s lengthy gameplay trailer. I’d hazard a guess that Faye likely won’t be alone for much of the game, especially considering Rue, the aforementioned sentient ribbon, is attached to the sword she uses. However, one can assume that Santa Monica has learned from the criticisms of Ragnarök and opted for a slightly quieter protagonist, even if she does occasionally work through her feelings aloud.

Frankly, I don’t have an enormous problem with it. It made sense to me that Atreus would talk aloud when he was on his own, considering just how much he spoke when with Kratos and the fact that he’s a child alone in a harsh and deadly environment. I also think that we’ve had more than enough of God of War’s grumpy protagonist dealing with the emotional disconnect with his son, especially as his conclusion at the end of Ragnarök was so beautifully handled. Perhaps it is time for a bit of whimsy and a whole lot more talking.

God of War Laufey’s Whimsy Is The Right Direction

I understand the desire to rush back to the mainline series’ dour atmosphere. However, God of War Laufey’s lighthearted tone feels far better suited to its more fantastical world and its status as a spin-off title. Laufey isn’t meant to be a copy of God of War or Ragnarök; it is very much its own thing, a unique experience exploring a new world and cast of characters, each with their own ambitions, personalities, and goals. Were Faye to be the same as Kratos, or indeed Kratos merely planted into this experience, we’d be in for a far less interesting time.

Faye brings a unique perspective to the wonder and whimsy in the Everywhen that Kratos simply wouldn’t. As much as trudging around desolate snowy environments haunted by the past, as a grumpy old man dealing with his being a terrible dad is fun, I can’t imagine that would translate well when supplanted into a colorful, god-infested world of cosmic cubes and adorable Pixar-esque creatures. Kratos would want to destroy all of that, and that isn’t really the point of God of War Laufey.

Of course, God of War Laufey very much features all the horror and violence of its predecessors, with its central villains proving to be suitably evil and aggressive. However, there’s beauty and wonder to be found in all this mythology that the God of War series hasn’t really explored yet, and I think that’s where Laufey will succeed. The lack of a desire to kill literally everything in sight allows Laufey to explore the gods and mythology in a way that the other God of War titles simply don’t.

That’s not to say that God of War Laufey will be entirely Marvel-style quips and colorful environments, but I do think that it will utilize its more lighthearted tone to explore elements of this series lore that would otherwise fall flat with Kratos. Of course, all of this remains to be seen, and we’ll have to wait for God of War Laufey’s release date to find out. However, it seems like God of War Laufey is making up for the mistakes of its predecessor and pushing the series forward in interesting ways, and frankly, that’s what a spin-off should do.

Developer(s)

Santa Monica Studio

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Prequel(s)

God of War, God of War Ragnarok

Number of Players

Single-player