I promise with all my heart that I didn’t give a penny for December 2023. Okay, we had the GTA 6 trailer and The Game Awards, but in terms of releases there was nothing notable except Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora… and for me introduction I’m sure you can tell that I don’t have much interest in playing Smurfs’ Far Cry (with love).
I had accepted that I was going to end the year alternating between Destiny 2 and PowerWash Simulator. Next Saturday I will tell you about the latter. I was completely wrong because Santa Monica Studio had plans: they announced the release of the God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla DLC for December 12.
I already told you in the analysis of the DLC that it was a very special experience, but I couldn’t go into detail because I wanted to avoid spoilers. You are warned from now on that This post contains spoilers. of history and spoils some surprises. I need to tell you everything I think without restrictions.
The God of War story that deserved a DLC
The fans of God of War, those of us who see beyond the gore and excessive violence, have been waiting (without knowing it) for this DLC for 13 years. The end of God of War III It marked the end of an era and God of War (2018) began a new one, as it represented a huge (and very successful) change for the franchise with the new Norse setting and its pantheon of gods.
On the other hand, Kratos was very changed: older, wise, married and with a son, Atreus. The clash of gods was inevitable, but the Spartan showed that he is not the same man. In the end, the Spartan was involved in a fight that made him the shield of Atreus and finally the champion to fight in Ragnarök itself. Once again, he won… although this time without repeating what happened in Greece.
The story so far has been great and epic, but it’s always bothered me that it tiptoed into Kratos’ past. God of War III It was very far from closing the era of the Greek World and many issues remained unresolved, which have ended up being open scars in the mind of the Ghost of Sparta.
Now, Kratos is invited to Valhalla (more like a little corner of it) to face his past and thus be able to build a prosperous future. It turns out that Freya herself wants him on the council of gods as the God of War and that Tyr, the Norse god of war, has been the one who has anonymously invited him to guide her in facing his past actions.
Although the roguelite style matches perfectly with the test that soldiers must overcome in Valhalla to enter Odin’s Hall, I admit that it is a game mode that I don’t like. It seems heavy and makes me feel very lazy. However, Santa Monica Studio has focused a lot on the narrative, so the practical roguelite mechanics are secondary.
Screams, tears and a lot of violence: return to the past
Valhalla perfectly complies with the first law of roguelites: offering a first race as a tutorial in which you are going to bite the dust no matter what. It is something similar to the Dark Souls tutorial bosses. After dying, Freya and the Valkyries appear and help Kratos enter Valhalla without penalties. The first races are quite calm and with many blocked roads.
Things get very interesting when I come across the throne where Kratos sat as God of War after killing Ares. Like the rest of Valhalla, it is a projection of the memories of him. All dialogues revolve around his past, including the ones he has with Freya. I love seeing both gods together because it is clear that there is something between them. I’m not saying it’s romantic love, but their bond is powerful and goes beyond mere friendship.
The first climatic moment occurs after entering Valhalla with the support of Freya and the Valkyries. I manage to ascend through the realms to the upper areas and there I come across an image that makes me let go of the controller and jump in the chair. You can see it in the following image. And in case you don’t recognize the structure, I encourage you to check out the covers of God of War 1 and 2.
The Greek World is the deepest or highest area of Kratos’ personal Valhalla. And it is not a mere facade, because it is loaded with enemies that we have seen throughout the original trilogy: minonaturs, mermaids, undead soldiers, cyclops… and even Mimir becomes Helios. I can’t believe my eyes and I begin to feel the warmth of nostalgia. To quote Chris Gardner (Will Sm ith, The Pursuit of Happyness): “This part of my life, this little part, is called happiness.”
Although this panorama was nothing compared to the scene that comes a little later: a recreation of the soldier burning to overcome an obstacle. And right at the end of this one, I’m introduced to the new Spartan Wrath called Legacy. When activated, Kratos summons the Sword of Olympus, brought back from God of War III and reworked, to destroy all enemies that appear before the furnace.
I can’t take it anymore: tears come to my eyes from pure nostalgia and emotion. It had been 13 years since I had held that glorious sword! And there I am: destroying undead soldiers with tears on my face and a smile the size of Jörmungander. If you complete the challenges and the mode, it is unlocked for New Game+. I would like to say that it is the only time I have cried while playing Valhalla, but I would lie to you.
Kratos’ three key moments
The story of the DLC covers three canonical moments from Kratos’ past: his pact with Ares, the murder of Helios, and the story of Pandora and her box. At the end of each race, Tyr waits for Kratos to fight and teach him a new lesson about his past.
Tyr shows Kratos that he has only known one perspective (his own) of his actions in Greece so far and that he has never had any other opinions on the matter. He makes him see something that very few of us have seen throughout these years: although his actions have been presented all these years as evil and selfish, they also had a part of good intention.
And Kratos is not a villain or a hero, just a man who has done what he could with what he was given. It is true that he has done horrible things, but Tyr manages to make him see that he feels true regret, that his past is full of lessons that have made him a very wise warrior and that the horrors of his past do not have to define his future as God. from the war.
Up to four times I face Tyr to learn everything the Norse god of war wants to teach me, before facing the true truth of Kratos. The god’s choice of weapons is very interesting: Spartan spear and shield, a Macuahuitl greatsword (Maya), two Khopesh swords (Egypt) and a katana (Japan). Music usually accompanies the weapon. In the last fight he combines them all. I don’t want to say anything with this detail (maybe imply?), but I’ll leave it there.
The most important battle of any warrior
The final gate of Valhalla, the one guarded by Tyr, is a mystery throughout the adventure. The fights against the god are demanding, so it is difficult to imagine what being from hell awaits inside. After six races, the god considers that Kratos is ready to face what the door hides: the self of his past, the young Kratos recreated with current technology. Is incredible!
It’s not a final boss or an epic battle. The only protagonist at this moment is Kratos. He looks at the younger version of him and begins to reflect on everything he learned with Tyr’s help. In the middle of his internal dialogue, he realizes a phrase that we have not heard for 13 years and that only the most veteran of us remember: “The Norns said that I aspired to a redemption that… I know I will never deserve. That makes me makes the god of fools. A god of… Longing. When all is lost…”
Hope is what makes us stronger. That’s the reason why we are here. It is what we struggle with when all else has been lost. – Pandora, God of War III
It is not a coincidence, since he remembers the phrase while looking at the statuette of little Pandora. Kratos has a moment of enlightenment and launches a speech against the young version of him that once again brings tears of nostalgia and emotion to my eyes:
You lost everything and everyone. You lost. You don’t deserve any forgiveness. You decided! I decided… And now, being who I am, do I have to sit, drink, proclaim, direct…? Maybe I have to serve? Serve. Should I lose everything and everyone? Will I have enough left to not become you? I don’t know, but I have hope. You are cruel, arrogant and selfish, but you are not only that. You have always been more than what others have seen. You’re more than that.
We have waited over a decade for Santa Monica Studio to grant forgiveness and peace to Kratos. The scene is very powerful on an emotional level and shows genuine catharsis. “Now I’d like to sit here for a while,” he says calmly as he relaxes on his old war god throne.
Finally, Kratos accepts Freya’s proposal to take the place of Tyr, his master in this process: “I will join you. I will try to be what the people need.” This closes a circle that began in 2005 on that ship besieged by a hydra in the Aegean Sea, but it also opens a very interesting new horizon. If you are fans of God of War, Valhalla is one of those experiences that is difficult to explain. You have to live it like one of us to be able to understand it.
In iGamesNews | All God of War games in chronological order: Kratos’ story in full
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