As it stands right now, fantasy and mythology fans are going to have a busy time of things over the closing months of 2022. That’s because across the gaming, TV, and film industries, several large IPs are lining up to compete for the public’s attention. Perhaps two of the most popular to be making a return though are HBO’s Game of Thrones, via its spin-off House of Dragons, and Santa Monica Studio’s God of War: Ragnarok.
Even though it might look like Game of Thrones and God of War: Ragnarok have little in common from a quick glance, scratching away below the surface reveals a different story. When the PS4 and PS5 game launches this November, players might just uncover a few familiar story beats and themes. As long as Santa Monica Studio can avoid wrapping up its series on a controversial note, like the aforementioned show’s final seasons, it could even learn a few handy pointers from HBO’s playbook.
Ragnarok is Here
Thanks to several narrative threads that were woven into God of War’s 2018 reboot, it’s been clear for some time that Santa Monica Studio’s franchise has been heading in only one direction. Ever since Kratos stepped into the Norse pantheon’s sphere of influence, the former Greek deity has been on an unavoidable collision course with Ragnarok. Despite his and Atreus’ best efforts to prevent the apocalypse and its associated down-sides, it stands to reason that these will fall considerably short in the upcoming sequel.
Now that the studio has revealed it intends to cap the franchise’s Norse-themed antics at just two entries, God of War: Ragnarok is guaranteed to be an ending in multiple senses of the word. With the mythology’s most popular event having been teed up so nicely in advance, it’s almost impossible to imagine Santa Monica Studio won’t follow through and explore it in detail. On the contrary, with the franchise’s bloody past in mind and no threequel in its future, it’s far easier to see it going all out to make it a truly climactic experience.
In this respect, it’s also easy to imagine Santa Monica Studio’s sequel taking more than a few narrative cues from Game of Thrones. At least, when it comes to building up to that ending. Over the course of the show’s final seasons, characters from across the globe fought desperately in vain to prevent the Night King and his horde from spreading. Although the show failed to provide a satisfying conclusion for many after that point, the process beforehand could mirror God of War: Ragnarok’s opening hours.
From the trailers that have been released for the PS4 and PS5 game, it’s clear that Kratos’ attempts to hide from Odin and his minions will fail. It stands to reason that these and any other scheme to outright prevent Ragnarok will all take up the early chapters of the sequel. Once Fimbulwinter has ended, that will leave the door wide open for a bloody apocalyptic ending to dominate most of God of War: Ragnarok’s runtime. Similarly to Game of Thrones and its own cast, these preventative efforts could easily be the catalyst that allows disaster to occur.
Death is Coming
One of the central themes that kept Game of Thrones fans hooked for close to a decade was the show’s ability to seemingly unleash twists out of nowhere. Despite its star-studded cast, and the importance placed on most of its characters, it became clear early on that no one was ever truly safe. Death in particular was always a possibility that could rip through HBO’s show at the drop of a hat, and steal away fan favorites forever. With the apocalypse being unavoidable, it’s highly likely that God of War: Ragnarok will embody a similar mantra.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the God of War franchise is no stranger itself to death, or the use of it as a narrative device. After-all during the franchise’s Greek mythology days, Kratos murdered his way through countless creatures, gods, and entities - to the point that even the pantheon’s primordial god of death Thanatos was killed during the PSP’s Ghost of Sparta. In a similar vein, God of War 3 ended with almost every deity and creature from the mythology’s famous stories lying in heaps across Ancient Greece.
Even with all of this context in mind, it’s possible to envision things being even more extreme in God of War: Ragnarok. With Kratos’ own death having been seemingly prophesied during 2018’s game, no character will be safe during Santa Monica Studio’s final Norse adventure. It’s worth keeping in mind as well that Ragnarok is one of the ancient world’s most popular and bloodiest apocalypses. One way or another, characters are going to fall and never get back up.
While Santa Monica Studio did admittedly infer the Greek god of war’s demise at the end of his Greek crusade, things are different this time around on that front as well. Based on the existence of Atreus, and his potential to lead the series forward, Kratos’ next death could finally be definitive. Now that players have grown attached to him, due in part to Christopher Judge’s stellar performance, Kratos' theoretical death could resonate on a Game of Thrones-esque level as well.
Ragnarok the Epic Battle
Despite its polarizing ending, parts of HBO’s original Game of Thrones series are still renowned to this day. Specifically, episodes like the 'Battle of the Bastards’ that were dedicated solely to warfare, are considered to be feats of storytelling and cinematography. So much so that it’s easy to envision them being cited as case studios for future filmmakers, for some time to come. Although they might be different forms of media, the stage has been set for God of War: Ragnarok to tap into that same energy whilst creating similar spectacles.
Fueled by the power of the PS5, Santa Monica Studio has the opportunity to create a battle sequence that can rival anything else previously seen in the franchise or on TV. As the battle in mythology designed to end all other battles, fans are going to approach the inevitability that is Ragnarok with those kinds of expectations. With characters like Thor, Odin, Kratos, and Fenrir all on that battlefield for added measure as well, it could be argued that the studio almost has a kind of responsibility to go all out.
Each of Game of Thrones key hallmarks could come into the picture within the game to add some extra drama. Themes such as betrayal, family, and death are all easy to picture being slotted in. Especially considering how each will likely be explored during the opening hours of God of War: Ragnarok, as Kratos and Atreus fight in vain to prevent the end of the Norse world.
God of War: Ragnarok is scheduled to release on November 9 for PS4 and PS5.
