5/5 ★ – carolinayuki's review of God of War: Ragnarök.

I write this review to myself, because I have a terrible memory, and I wanted to register my feelings about this game before I forget. If someone else is reading this very long note to own forgetful ass, please beware of heavy spoilers ahead. My biggest expectations were set on the narrative for this game, but I’m glad to say I was very happy with every new element that was introduced to Ragnarok. New weapons, being able to play with Atreus, replaying last game sceneries without thinking: oh this again? Interactions with the environment, adding a lot of smaller bosses kept a great pace in my opinion (though I think nothing beats the Valkyries when it comes to intimidation). The downside for me was navigating inside the worlds … I felt it was a bit of a hassle (I’m a very map oriented player). But what I truly want to keep record are my impressions about the narrative. I knew this would be an emotional ride, so these are my major feelings. Fear. The fear that we may lose Kratos made me want to spend a lot of time exploring the worlds with Atreus before finishing the main story. It felt like I wanted to give him the time I wish I had with my own father before he passed. Fear also encompasses him losing his son during a journey he tried to avoid at all costs (when Kratos mentioned Calliope it broke my heart, imagine losing a second child…) fear of becoming once more the person he struggled to leave behind… also the fear of letting go of control. Grief, rage, vengeance. This is a spiral we all know too well from this franchise. I was expecting this from Freya, a mother, Valkyrie queen, a force to be reckoned with, the work done on her is exquisite and I was very happy to have Freya as a “sidekick” during the gameplay. Wasn’t expecting to put Sindri in this same spiral, and I guess it was one the biggest kicks in the balls I had with this game. Losing Brok was bad enough, but it hurt seeing Sindri like that. It reminded me how much pain changes people, and I think we lost something in him that we won’t regain (I hope I’m wrong). Bravery, this is an honorable mention to Brok, who had not only the intelligence to see what no one else in that room saw, but had the courage to stand up, speak up and confront “Tyr”. "It is the nature of a thing that matters, not its form.” Forgiveness, Freya forgiving Kratos. Brok forgiving Sindri. I hope to see Sindri somehow forgiving Atreus and Kratos soon. It’s not only about the lessons a father wants to pass on to his child: to have discipline, to be brave, to make smart choices. Is about the lessons that you go through as a parent as well. Admitting your mistakes, showing vulnerability, learning to trust your children. And last but not least, two things in the narrative that I’ve always believed in: We have to believe that people can change for the better, but we also need to make amends with the fact that some never will. We are all entitled to be sorry, but we are obliged to be better.