Summary
2018’sGod of Warsoft reboot and its follow-upGod of War: Ragnarokare famous for dramatically reinventing the iconic hack-and-slash franchise. The changes are noticeable in the more intimate andintrospective take onGod of War’s narrativeand themes, but also in the slower and more methodical gameplay, which is built around features that never appeared in the older games.
The changes to combat and movement abilities connect directly to the narrative of these newGod of Wargames, as they feature an older, wiser, and less bloodthirsty Kratos, who would indeed favor practicality over his fiery ballet of the earlier entries. This intertwining of gameplay with narrative extends to how companions are used in these games: Kratos can command his allies to use ranged attacks and unique abilities during combat, which reflects his newfound willingness to work with others. Though this is an elegant and effective game design decision, it’s not very fleshed-out or engaging, and future games in the series should improve it.
How Future God of War Games Can Flesh Out Companion Mechanics
God of War Ragnarok Doesn’t Make Good Use of So Many Companions
Including the magical sword Ingrid, there areeight companions inGod of War: Ragnarok, across both Atreus' and Kratos' chapters. This is a major expansion from 2018’sGod of War, which only featured Artreus as a companion, and while this growth is welcome in many ways, it’s also a bit of a disappointment. Companions will have some unique abilities, but they are all mostly the same, and the novelty of fighting alongside characters like Thor or Freya, at least from a mechanical perspective, grows old rather quickly.
The nextGod of Wargame could remedy this issue by either having fewer, more distinct companions or by significantly building on their special abilities, giving them more depth. This would help since, as it stands, even some ofGod of War’s best companionscan be interchangeable when it comes to gameplay. Adding to the existing mechanical framework might help with this, but the series may be better off reinventing the companion system altogether.
The Next God of War Could Learn from the Companion Systems of Other Games
InGod of WarandRagnarok, companions essentially function as special abilities on a cooldown, their mechanical depth boiling down to a single button press, with things like timing and strategy not mattering so much. Since the nextGod of Wargame will probably have companions, the series should take the opportunity to learn from other games, mainly RPGs, when it comes to implementing useful companion-based gameplay.
Party-based action RPGs liketheMass Effectseries may provide a good framework for a revamped companion system in futureGod of Wargames. InMass Effect, players will spend most of their time running and gunning as Shepard, but they can also pause the fight to select specific moves from their companions and unleash them on their enemies. This system works in tandem with typical strength-and-weakness considerations to create an experience that can be both intense and tactical, and learning from it could takeGod of War’s combat to the next level. Alternatively,ifGod of Warincludes multiple playable protagonistsagain, it could take some notes from RPGs likeFinal Fantasy 7Remake, allowing players to switch between different characters during combat while still keeping one hero at the center of the narrative.
Of course, both of these options would require a good deal of work and could even adulterate the series' identity, but the risks could pay off in a combat and companion system that is a considerable improvement over the last two games. ModernGod of Wargames haven’t been afraid of experimentation or innovation, and this may be one area where some more radical thinking would be worth it.
