Even by AAA standards God of war Ragnarök is a colossal game. It weaves together stories of fatherhood, legacies and catastrophic events in a semi-open world full of Things to do. But in Valhalla, its free DLC, Santa Monica Studio brings combat and adventure to a much simpler formula. When peeling off Hades‘ approach to storytelling, God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla uses repetition as a weapon to hook you into the roguelite narrative, giving you a deeper knowledge of the spirit of Sparta and the characters around it with each playthrough.
Valhalla, released on December 12th, serves as both a new roguelite mode and a story-centric epilogue. Unlike the upcoming No Return mode in The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredwhere the novelty lies in taking control of previously unplayable characters, Valhalla puts us back in Kratos’ shoes. This new realm takes on a shape that reflects the psyche of the person who enters it, displaying dreamlike depictions of familiar places and acquaintances. For Kratos, it’s less about his relationship with Atreus or the events of Ragnarokand more about coming to terms with his sadistic old self, explaining past actions, and finding resolution with a variety of recurring characters.
No, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen references to the protagonist’s genocidal attacks in Greece. The cutscene where Kratos gets his Blades of Chaos back in 2018 God of War served as the game’s emotional fulcrum, and in the sequel he often tells stories from this time to Atreus, Mimir, and Freya in boat conversations. In ValhallaHowever, Santa Monica Studio is able to explore Kratos’ past without relying on the appeal of a larger, apocalyptic plot. It’s essentially a therapy session for one of video games’ bloodiest protagonists.
Structurally, you start each run at the coast, a central area where you can purchase upgrades, talk to characters after completing side quests, and choose your starting gear before your next foray. ValhallaRegardless of the Nordic setting, there are similarities with Hades are immediately apparent. A list of challenges – using different rune abilities, defeating enemies in a specific way, to name a few – rewards you with in-game currency. Rooms often allow you to choose between multiple doors, each with an emblem on it that indicates what type of reward awaits you on the other side. There’s even a Chaos Blessing equivalent: you can choose a Burden of Valhalla, which weakens you for the next few rooms but grants you a powerful advantage or a runic attack if you survive.
Despite all the initial excitement, it gradually becomes clear God of war Ragnarök doesn’t have enough weapon variety to act as a full-fledged roguelite. All three weapons (each of which have their own skill trees) are fully unlocked from the start. Most of the rune skills come from the base game pool, so you’re sure to see familiar skills. But the reward systems in place – both in terms of narrative discovery and character development, since Kratos’ stats have to be updated manually – cause me to experiment often.
Before runs, you choose a shield type and a rage ability. Since I’m used to parrying, I always opt for a shield that allows for quick reactions. How HadesHowever, one option in each category will be highlighted at random, increasing the cash rewards you receive if you choose that shield. Every Smackdown I attend, Valhallas Small arenas demonstrate the strengths of combat in the base game. Yes, new enemies and unlockables are an important factor in introducing novelty into existing systems. But it’s pure pleasure and challenge when you don’t know what enemies you’ll face in the next room and how the tools you chose at the start will either turn the tide in your favor or increase the pressure of a run.
At the center is Santa Monica Studio’s most direct ode Hades is that progress doesn’t just happen when you complete a main goal or defeat a boss. Even if you fail a run, you can expect a short conversation or a new cutscene when you return to the shore. Of course, you’ll need to overcome certain thresholds to fully see the questline. But every run is still a step in the right direction.
I’m not sure how long Valhalla will be able to maintain the magic. After eight hours and over a dozen runs, the magic on me hasn’t worn off yet. not how returnThe tower of Sisyphus mode, built on a foundation that already relied on loops, Valhalla is a gigantic AAA action-adventure. But by focusing on the strengths of HadesSanta Monica Studio has achieved a much brisk pace, allowing a personal journey to flourish free from the shackles of prophesied events.
Valhalla acts as an epilogue for both Ragnarok and a subtle prologue to the events that will unfold in the inevitable third game. But it doesn’t feel tacked on. Instead, it offers an uncharacteristic respite from overarching narrative responsibilities and dense areas to comb through. As AAA games continue to strive for grandiose proportions, this simpler but equally rich structure stands on its own. I hope more studios realize the importance of allowing smaller stories to flourish. For now, I will seek refuge Valhalla – before Kratos’ next odyssey entangles me once again in spectacle and din.