Major spoilers ahead for 2018’s God of War. Rejoice and ready yourselves, because the sequel to 2018’s highly-acclaimed God of War just got a new trailer, and to put it simply, it looks good. Really good. The sequel has been officially titled God of War: Ragnarok as fans have suspected for months.
After the emotional rollercoaster that was the first game, fans (including this giddy writer) have been chomping at the bit for another chance to enter Midgard as the dad of war himself; especially since the last game ended with a cliffhanger for the ages. God of War left off with Kratos and Atreus returning home to prepare for Ragnarok: the Norse Apocalypse, but there were more than a few big questions left unanswered that the sequel plans to answer. Namely, what does it mean for the father-son duo now that Baldur is dead and Atreus has been revealed as the Norse god Loki? Knowing this franchise, it probably all spells one thing: War.
The trailer shows off Kratos and an older Atreus revisiting a frozen Lake of the Nine and seeing some new, more populated environments to explore, which will be a welcome change from the 2018 game populated entirely by angry zombies, angry ogres, and plenty of other angry wildlife. Beyond the story, it looks like Kratos and Atreus will both have plenty of new moves to unleash upon Norse mythology, including a grappling skill for the Blades of Chaos, confirming once again that all games are better with grappling hooks.
As Kotaku reports, post-trailer interview confirmed that Cory Balrog will not be directing Ragnarok, but has instead passed the torch to Eric Williams as tradition in the God of War franchise from game to game. Santa Monica Studios confirmed earlier this year that God of War: Ragnarok is slated for a 2022 release, but the covid-19 pandemic could still result in further delays. In a tweet from Sony Santa Monica, the studio stated that they “remain focused on delivering a top-quality game while maintaining the safety and wellbeing of our team, creative partners, and families.” If their final product is half the masterpiece God of War was, then we’ve all got quite the experience to look forward to. You can watch the gameplay trailer below.