17 years later, he decides not to jump

Kratos shines like never before in God of War Ragnarok

Yes, I know. I’m a little late to talk to you about God of War Ragnarok. I know the initial boom is over and this will negatively impact the scope this article devotes to Kratosbut on the one hand the circumstances of this last month did not allow me to write it before, while, on the other hand, this text contains spoilers from the ending of God of War Ragnarokso I also wanted to give you some leeway to complete the game.

And often I play, right? The GOTY may have already passed with the triumph of elderberry ringbut the truth is, of everything I’ve played this year, God of War Ragnarok was the besthaving today the doubt to give him the first or the second place simply because 13 Sentinels of Aegis Rim exist and I cannot ignore the enormous quality that overflows from the title of ATLUS.

Anyway, the point here is that I want to talk about Kratosthe protagonist of the whole saga of God of the war and that I have to say that went from being a character that I didn’t like too much because of how basic he became become one of my favorite video game heroesthis being something that Studio Santa Monica get with a job highway.

Precisely for this reason, before the end of my well-deserved Christmas holidays, I want to talk to you about Evolution of Kratos in God of War and the way Santa Monica Studio has come full circlethus giving rise to the Kratos completes God of War Ragnarok is a completely different person from the one who went to the Pandora Temple. And all this is given by a moment in the title of PS4 and PS5 which is simply the best in narrative given to us by internal PlayStation studios.

Greek origin: the wrath of Sparta

For those who are not placed in the context of the character, it should be remembered that Kratos’ origins weren’t Norse, but Greekthus giving birth to the character born in the city of Sparta, known both in the saga and in reality for being the birthplace of some of the fiercest warriors of the ancient armies. After all, the method they followed to get a perfect society was get rid of those born with defects and train the rest from early childhood.

It’s something that materializes in its own Kratos through his story, with which he begins as a child who, as we will discover in God of War Ragnarok, they initiated him into combat by teaching him how to wield a spear. In this way, and with a development of his life in which I will not expand too much and which led him to losing his mother and brother, Kratos ends up submitting to the will of Ares to defeat his enemies, this being the origin of his tragedy.

No for nothing it’s no coincidence that Kratos’ life is not happy, since the Greeks are not characterized by the ends in which everyone ate partridges. On the contrary, the stories of their greatest heroes end in deaths that minimize all the sacrifices and efforts made along the way. Without going any further, his Heracles (Hercules in Latin)ended up burning to death after completing his twelve tests.

The tragedy of the Ghost of Sparta

In this sense, although Kratos would end up facing a large number of Greek heroes, the truth is that his fate is not very different from what we see with his compatriots, since his life is another pit of sadness and bitterness. It’s something he god of war on 2005 makes this clear to us in his own introduction, in which we can see the Kratos suicide attempt.

And all this was due to what is the worst of crimes, since, being perpetrated by the Ares in order to make him the perfect soldier, Kratos massacred his familybeing his ashes that would envelop his body and give him that pale look, thus turning him into Ghost of Sparta.

And as they say, the rest is history, because during the whole Greek saga we would see how Faced with the inability to forgive oneself for one’s actionsKratos would seek revenge against the Greek gods, which he eventually achieved, but who really didn’t benefit him at allonly ended up dragging the world by its madness towards an abyss from which it would only emerge with the Hope.

However, despite this, something that was clear throughout the saga is the fact that Kratos was ready to die after completing his mission. Leaving the mortal world, which awaited him only pain, behind and with his daughter and his wife. Here end the wanderings of Kratos in Greecebut that wouldn’t be the last time we would see him.

Arrival in the Nordic lands

When anyone would think that The adventures of Kratos were oversince Studio Santa Monica They surprised us with what was one of the returns that raised the most expectations at the time, since a trailer for the E3 showed us Old Kratos, with a beard and a new sonbeing this Atreuswhich would be a fundamental element in the development of the character.

In a few words, a good listen, since without giving us too many details, it suffices to know that Kratos went to the northern landsbeing here where he met faya giant of the ice (although he had no knowledge of this information) who managed for the first time to restore the illusion of life to the Spartan, while in his own God of War Ragnaroknear the end, Kratos mentions that he will lose his reason for living again the day Faye is no longer with him among the living.

It finally ends in the worst way, since faye dies there Kratos is seen with Atreus, a complete stranger despite carrying his blood with whom he has barely interacted. It’s time to put aside the life of a soldier and become a father and a mentor for the guywho he doesn’t even call by name for most of the game. And if you don’t believe me, ask yourself why. Chicco oh Boy This is a meme from the first title.

Death of Kratos predicted by the Frost Giants

spell sealed

In the first game of Norse Mythology, we can see that Kratos and Atreus strengthen their father-son relationship while they obey the last wishes of Faye, who seems to have imagined everything to lead them to Jotunheimthe kingdom of ice giants from which he came. However, it is at the end of this title that after having been able to see the divinatory powers of the giants, we see a fresco in which we are shown dying kratos in the company of Atreus.

It is here that we see that the Spartan realizes his mortality when he realizes that is destined to diebeing that something that will cause you to prepare Atreus for the next three winters so that it is ready to survive on its own. And it’s something he does without any fear, since, throughout the title, it is hinted that Kratos is ready to die when the mission is complete.

It’s something that goes hand in hand with the character and which, in a certain sense, matches his lack of zest for life in God of Warboth when launching the highest mountain in all of Greece and when losing fay.

Kratos looking at his Jotnar wall

Kratos finally decides to live

At this point in the article, it’s time to talk about the moment that led me to write itsince it’s just before the start of the final battle in Asgard when Kratos and Atreus spend one last night together.Thus, the Spartan tells his son a story so he can calm his mind and sleep, promising that he would finish telling it to him the next day if he fell asleep.

In this way, Kratos tells us the story of an old man who was chopping wood, who was waiting for Death because the weight of the logs he was carrying was too heavy, to the point of causing them to fall. However, the story does not end because Atreus fell asleepleaving Kratos with the word in his mouth and the player wanting to know what happened when Death came before the old man.

It’s just this scene that hides a powerful messagesince the story is a analogy with the life of Kratoswho carries an ax that the woodcutter would also have and whose burden are their own sins, thus giving rise to being prepared to die. And despite this, he Kratos’ wish is not to diebecause it took years, but finally found reasons to live.

Kratos makes great allies in God of War

Kratos’ allies brought light into his life

A dream that shows us a flashback of fay before dying reveals to us that Kratos found meaning in his life with her.but that when he left, that meaning would also leave, thus giving rise to Faye asked him to look for something else. It’s something that shocks him, since we remember that the first time we saw him, he was jumping in the void.

And despite that, the best thing he could do Kratos are leave Greece and reach Midgar. In this place where he was born, he had only pain, because even the brief moments of happiness like the reunion with calliopehis daughter, didn’t last very long, since the Spartan was alone, having violence and sex as his only distractions.

On the contrary, in Midgard and the Nine Kingdoms, Kratos managed to find great friends, always having with him mimir, whom he considers his brother. And if that wasn’t enough, freya, Sindri, Complain It’s included Freyr they became the friends they had give light to your lifebeing at the center of this whole group Atreushis heir and someone he can be proud of.

It is in this way that Santa Monica Studio manages to close Kratos’ circlesince we not only could see that he finally finds a reason to live, but also the fresco that we see at the end of the game, in which he is cheered by a crowdwe see that it finally comes to be a true god, this being something that comes from the hand of Odin himself, who came to reproach him for not being able to be if no one worshiped him or prayed to him. However, with the end of God of War Ragnarokwe see that now yes, Kratos peaks his way as god of war.