The level design in God of War Ragnarok’s nine realms is exciting and challenges the franchise’s means of traversal. It is now much clearer when there is optional side content for players to pursue, as it will almost always be sequestered in an open area players can explore freely, whether that exploration is achieved via foot, boat, or sled. God of War Ragnarok strikes a great balance in its level design, where players are led on a rigidly scripted tightrope for some of its narrative content, and are then allowed to roam at their whim when Mystic Gateways and necessary equipment are unlocked.
Still, it would be fantastic if God of War Ragnarok had an item comparable to Dark Souls’ Homeward Bone, which could let them travel instantly to the last Mystic Gateway they interacted with. There is even an in-game equivalent that is given to Atreus, which lets him return to Sindri’s house when activated, though players never get to use this item themselves. Many environments are difficult to traverse and even more difficult to backtrack through, but a Homeward Bone item purchased from the dwarves could have mitigated any redundant backtracking in God of War Ragnarok.
Some of God of War Ragnarok’s Environments Are Labyrinths
God of War Ragnarok has winding, claustrophobic locations that are enjoyable to explore as players enter them for narrative purposes. It is here that environmental puzzles or other interactions are commonly introduced to the player, such as how God of War Ragnarok’s Twilight Stone puzzles debut in Alfheim and are entertaining as Kratos, Atreus, and Tyr ascend make their way through the Temple of Light.
But if players have a desire to return to these locations in order to find optional loot or achieve 100 percent completion in a realm, it can be terribly difficult to find one’s way around naturally. The most bothersome example of this is throughout all of God of War Ragnarok’s Vanaheim, where rivers connect an abundance of boat docks and intersect tiny island sections for players to peruse.
Everywhere from the Western and Eastern Barri Woods to the Northern and Southern Wilds is a labyrinth to navigate as players cannot simply travel to a Mystic Gateway and confidently know they are in the area they wish to be in. Then, finding one’s way back to a Mystic Gateway can be irritating since there is a lot of landscape to traverse if players accidentally chose the wrong path. If God of War Ragnarok had a Homeward Bone, players could simply rectify their navigational errors and appear back at the last Mystic Gateway they had traveled to for proper course correction.
God of War Ragnarok’s Compass is an Unreliable Guide
Moreover, God of War Ragnarok’s compass UI is a lackluster navigational guide. Because these locations are claustrophobic and narrow with many winding switchbacks that briefly turn the player around, the compass consistently tells players that they are headed in the wrong direction.
The distance represented on the compass between the player and their highlighted destination is often askew, where players will need to head in the wrong direction first before the correct path takes them back in an awkward U-turn. Therefore, the compass only truly helps when players are near enough to their destination that they themselves can discern which direction they must go.
Having a Homeward Bone would not necessarily help in terms of trying to reach players’ destinations in God of War Ragnarok, but it could spare them from having to needlessly chase a compass UI that is taking players in the direction they need to go, while the destination may not be accessible on foot from where they are.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.
