Highlights
- The God of War franchise needs to break away from the tradition of having a tyrannical patriarch figure as the main antagonist in future games to avoid repetition.
- Zeus and Odin serve similar roles in the God of War games, enforcing their will on others, but with different methods. Odin appears kind and warm at first but later reveals his manipulative nature.
- To shake things up, future games could explore different mythologies, such as Egypt, which have different types of gods, or take a more traditional approach with lower-level gods or angels as antagonists.
Late last year God of War: Ragnarok hit shelves and digital storefronts worldwide. The game was surprising to some as it wrapped up the Norse mythology story one game sooner than expected. This led some fans to believe that the next God of War game will involve Egypt and its pantheon. Regardless of what direction a potential new game might take, there is one tradition that the franchise needs to break away from.
While the main God of War storylines are different, they fundamentally follow the same narrative pattern. Due to some twist of fate, often of his own making, Kratos ends up battling a lesser god before sequels have him taking on the entire pantheon. The sequel God of War games were all about being better and used this theme to shake up the formula but the next installments should go even further. Specifically, the main antagonist shouldn't be another tyrannical patriarch figure.
How Odin and Zeus Fill the Same Role In the God of War Games
Zeus and Odin are fundamentally different characters in the God of War games but they functionally serve the same roles. They are both the heads of a pantheon and ruthlessly enforce their will on all those who oppose it. The way they go about it, however, is a little different.
The conflict between Kratos and Zeus can be described as a quarrel between a father and son that escalated and destroyed an entire family as a result. The King of Olympus demands unquestioned obedience and loyalty from all who are beneath him. If he feels that his will has been defied he will not hesitate to kill the person in question and destroy everything they love. Odin's way of doing things in the God of War sequel, however, is a little bit different.
Whereas Zeus is all stick and no carrot, Odin in God of War: Ragnarok is a god who comes off as reasonable at first. He's polite, charming, outwardly kind, and even comes off as warm. However, this is all part of his ploy. The god eventually reveals himself to be a manipulative monster who is ready to tell a person whatever they want to hear so they'll endure themselves to him. He then takes that warmth and approval away from them the moment that person lets him down and puts them down. He is a different kind of toxic patriarch and, while both forms are effective, the next God of War games shouldn't repeat it and try to shake things up.
How Future God of War Games Could Shake Things Up
Currently, it isn't clear what direction the franchise is going to take. It has been suggested that Atreus should lead a God of War game but that isn't the only shakeup the franchise needs. While casting Zeus and Odin as the tyrannical patriarchs of their pantheons works for Greek and Norse mythology, this doesn't exactly work with other religions.
The Gods of Egypt for example are less literal and story-heavy figures and more based on nature and explaining away natural occurrences before science started answering questions. Christianity likewise views its God as a more loving and forgiving figure, and having Kratos go to heaven and chop up the angels may make it hard for some to view him as a good guy. In order for the franchise to shake things up, it may need to take a more traditional approach. Other similar games like Darksiders often have lower-level gods or angels trying to take over the universe. God of War taking such a route may be the shakeup that the storyline needs.
Ultimately, right now is impossible to say what the developer will do with the franchise going forward. It's been suggested that Santa Monica Studio should move beyond God of War but given how popular the games have been, this doesn't seem likely. Regardless of what direction the studio takes, however, it's clear that the tyrannical patriarch figure is one element that needs to be left behind.
God of War: Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.