Did you discover what number of of God of War’s massive reveals have been hiding in plain sight?
God of War is a recreation of many triumphs. It has satisfying fight, and a world sufficiently big to encourage exploration that someway by no means overstays its welcome. It’s additionally a recreation keen on hiding one thing worthwhile round each nook, pushing you to scour each cranny if it means spending extra time in its beautiful world.
Underlining all of it is a coherent story with a transparent starting, center, and finish. God of War’s story is comparatively easy, even when the sport spends time teasing a lot greater stakes that don’t ever come into play.
But one factor you might not discover in your first playthrough is how a lot foreshadowing there may be of main plot factors. Many voice traces you sweep off, and plenty of encounters and quotes you by no means suppose twice about find yourself having extra which means than you initially realise.
Make it to the top, and also you’re rewarded with context. As I sat again taking the ending in, I made a decision to look at the opening minutes once more. My first time by means of the sport, a number of explicit traces caught out, however I shortly forgot about them because the story picked up.
Now that God of War’s provided all of the solutions, I believed a second viewing can be value it. And what a worthwhile endeavour it turned out to be, as a result of it lead me to understand one other side of God of War’s writing I hadn’t thought-about earlier than.
We’re going to SPOIL a lot of God of War’s story past this level, together with the ending and different main reveals. It’s finest to expertise these by yourself, so flip again now for those who haven’t.
After a quick introduction to the brand new Kratos and his boy, Atreus, the sport throws you right into a 30-minute tutorial: a hunt for some meat. This deer hunt additionally helps set up our two principal heroes, however the recreation’s first “real” second – the second the journey is about to start – is if you meet Baldur.
For a good chunk of the sport, Baldur is known as The Stranger. Both your self and Kratos are clueless as to his identification. Baldur seems a bit off-kilter, and also you’re anticipated to not take every thing he says at face worth. Go again and re-watch that scene, and also you’ll realise how lots of the recreation’s story beats and twists have been hiding in that dialog.
The first phrases out of his mouth are, “There’s no use hiding anymore. I do know who you might be – extra importantly, I do know what you might be.” You’re meant to suppose he’s speaking about Kratos’ previous in Greece and his divinity. Even Kratos believes that’s what Baldur is referring to.
The story later reveals that Baldur was despatched by Odin to trace down a specific Giant whom the Allfather was having no luck discovering on his personal. That Giant, Faye, is Atreus’ mom, and he or she’s been hiding in a cabin away from the eyes of Odin. In this primary encounter, Baldur makes clear who he was on the lookout for, he simply didn’t know she’s already lifeless.
Upon laying eyes on Kratos, Bladur remarks, “I thought you’d be bigger”, and “long way from home, aren’t you?” – goading him to struggle. These traces make sense for those who’re speaking to somebody you’ve been led to imagine is a Giant hiding amongst males. He even expects Kratos, mistakenly pondering he’s the Giant he was despatched after, to know what he’s speaking about.
A Giant would know, clearly, so when Kratos denies it, Baldur replies that he “thought your kind was supposed to enlightened, so much better than us, so much smarter.” This is one other purple herring, as you’ll routinely suppose it’s a reference to historical Greece’s tradition, when actually Baldur is speaking concerning the Giants.
Earlier within the scene, when Kratos asks Atreus to cover within the cellar, the boy is stunned, saying that he thought he wasn’t presupposed to go there. This trade doesn’t imply a lot at first, because the motive for it might be something. When you come back to the home to take out the Blades of Chaos for the primary time, Atreus’ reply within the opening mission will make full sense.
Kratos clearly doesn’t need his child discovering out about his previous, and since that’s the place a part of his previous is hidden, he undoubtedly doesn’t need him stumbling upon it.
This first struggle even drops a number of different hints about Baldur, like the very fact nothing can damage him. This is one other twist that left me in awe of how effectively it was executed.
Freya mentions mistletoe being a really harmful weapon if you return to her house someday after Atreus is given mistletoe arrows by one of many dwarves. If you’re unfamiliar with Norse mythology, this irrational aversion to mistletoe gained’t imply something to you. If you might be, nonetheless, you’ll immediately make the connection that Baldur have to be her son, given her response to mistletoe of all issues.
In the extra frequent readings of North mythology, Baldur is a god whom nothing can damage, besides mistletoe. (Loki pranks him by asking somebody to throw a mistletoe at him, killing Baldur and beginning a series of occasions that may finally result in Ragnarok).
It’s exhausting to not join these dots if even a little bit about these characters, however right here’s how God of War will get round that. If you’re unaware of the importance of those folks, you’ll simply belief in Freya’s knowledge that the arrows are harmful, simply as Kratos does when he tells Atreus to do as she says.
God of War establishes early on that it’s not following identified tales of Norse mythology rigidly, and that it’s glad to play quick and unfastened with those it borrows, so the scene is quickly forgotten.
I too deserted the thought, till God of War determined to verify this suspicion with that scene in Helheim, and with The Stranger’s vulnerability to mistletoe being key within the ultimate struggle – wrapping all of it again round. Cory Barlog and the writing staff are most likely smiling about this someplace.
The World Serpent, mighty Jörmungandr, even will get to drop a tease of its personal when it tells Mimir that Atreus’ voice sounds acquainted. At one level, Mimir tells Kratos and Atreus of a specific prophecy about Ragnarok.
In it, Thor hits the serpent so exhausting it travels again in time, which Mimir says would clarify why it’s already acquainted with Atreus (Loki)’s voice, as Loki is the daddy of Jörmungandr within the myths.
Future God of War video games will doubtless alter this origin story to show the serpent into Loki’s pet or one thing, because the considered an individual fathering a snake can be too on the market for a online game – even one in which you’ll be able to kick a dragon within the face.
As you ascend the mountain within the ultimate mission, one of many largest reveals made after you uncover the murals is admittedly a little bit absurd, however undoubtedly meant.
All the yellow/golden paint telling Kratos and Boy the place to climb, marking the best way all through the sport, was all of the work of Atreus’ mom to make sure they observe a set path and fulfil the prophecy.
It’s shocking to see the staff go this far to provide context to one thing very grounded in gameplay mechanics, nevertheless it was nice to see. This second additionally confirms the sport does certainly borrow a part of Laufey‘s Norse mythology origins, enhancing its impact.
All of that stuff is finished extremely effectively, by no means as soon as revealing an excessive amount of that it ruins a twist. When it does tease a number of issues early, they’re rigorously hidden that I don’t imagine it’s doable to guess the entire plot in your first time by means of.
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