The God of War series has always had its fair share of Easter eggs. Secret messages can be found throughout God of War's Greek saga by completing certain hidden objectives, and hidden website URLs can be found by platinuming some games. On top of that, the infamous Wilhelm Scream sound effect can be heard across those original Greek God of War games. But God of War has rarely included Easter eggs that directly reference other video games, that is until God of War Ragnarok.
Filled with references to the wider Norse mythology and callbacks to the earlier games in the franchise, God of War Ragnarok is an absolute treasure trove of Easter eggs, but none are quite as compelling as the set of Kvasir collectible poems. Hidden across all of the Nine Realms, players can find a series of Kvasir poems, with each being a relatively subtle reference to one of PlayStation's other first-party titles. As far as gaming Easter eggs go, none is quite so memorable or immersive as Ragnarok's Kvasir poems, and more games should take inspiration from them in the future.
God of War Ragnarok's Kvasir Poetry Keeps Players Immersed in the World
Players will stumble upon their first Kvasir poem pretty early on in God of War Ragnarok when they're exploring Svartalfheim. Titled "The Sunrise of Nothingness," this first poem tells the tale of 'creatures of metal,' that are taken down by a warrior with hair as 'red as blood.' This first poem is a clear reference to Sony's Horizon series, with the 'creatures of metal' referring to the games' Machines and the warrior with red hair being the games' main protagonist Aloy.
Players can find a total of 14 Kvasir poems across God of War Ragnarok, each one referencing a separate Sony first-party title. There's "Tool and Bang," which references Ratchet and Clank, "Eastern Specter," which references Ghost of Tsushima, "Sanguinity," which references Bloodborne, and many more, each being incredibly creative takes on each game's story and title. Though some are only a few lines long, each and every one of these poems is a delight to read, with a lot of effort clearly going in to each one to make it feel like a genuine piece of classic literature.
On top of each poem reading like an authentic piece of ancient history, God of War Ragnarok also uses its writing and world-building to further elevate these Easter eggs. As opposed to just picking up these poems and reading them in silence, Mimir will make reference to each one as the player finds them, giving the player a little more detail about Kvasir and reinforcing the idea that these poems aren't just Easter eggs, but are baked into this universe.
God of War Ragnarok's Kvasir poems are also some of the most rewarding Easter eggs out there, forcing players to actually work out each reference for themselves. The gaming industry is constantly referencing itself, but more often than not, those Easter eggs are in plain sight and require no effort from the player. Games often just show an iconic image from another title, such as The Witcher 2's Assassin's Creed reference, which just shows an Assassin lying face-down in a hay bale. Even Sony's own The Last of Us Part 2 has an overly obvious Easter egg, with players being able to find Nathan Drake's iconic ring inside a lockbox in a Seattle bank. Instead of just showing the player the reference, God of War Ragnarok encourages players to invest time into solving each poem, and that can be incredibly rewarding.
God of War Ragnarok is available on PS4 and PS5.
