Of all the games under the PlayStation umbrella, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is likely the last one that players would expect to see compared to God of War Ragnarok. The former is about two Lombaxes and their robotic companions working together to save their universes, while the latter focuses on two gods preparing to fight a war that will end everything. Despite this, the games do have something in common: a set of reference-filled collectibles.
A vast majority of the collectible items in God of War Ragnarok focus on worldbuilding, with lore for various Norse figures spread throughout the Nine Realms. These range from hidden messages and text-covered scrolls to markers that comment on the nearby area. However, the most entertaining collectibles featured in the game are Kvasir’s Poems, books that are reminiscent of the Lorbs from Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.
Kvasir’s Poems in Ragnarok and Lorbs in Rift Apart
Kvasir’s Poems are scattered all throughout the Nine Realms, and if players take the time to read one, they will surely be interested in finding all the others. This is because each book references a PlayStation exclusive franchise, with everything from The Last of Us to Death Stranding being highlighted through a poem. Not only does the text reference characters and story details, but the titles serve as fun plays on the names of the games that are being highlighted. The covers also serve as fun little homages, including some symbols from the games or depictions of key characters.
The Ratchet and Clank franchise gets one of these books, and picking it up may remind gamers of Rift Apart’s Lorbs. These collectibles served a very similar purpose to Kvasir’s Poems, as they functioned primarily as nods to other PlayStation games. Each Lorb provides an audio file about a Lombax named Mags who visits and documents various universes, making nods to characters like Sly Cooper and letting players figure out which world is being talked about.
Lorbs can be listened to again and again, and Kvasir’s Poems can be continuously read, though the Poems have the added bonus of being added to a shelf in Sindri’s house. While they deliver their PlayStation Studios references in different ways, the fact that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and God of War Ragnarok both have a collectible type aimed at celebrating PlayStation’s game lineup is interesting. For fans of the platform’s history and its many great exclusives, finding a Lorb or Poem is sure to put a smile on their face.
Reference-Filled Collectibles Could Be The New Norm For PlayStation Studios
Perhaps it is more than a coincidence that two recent first party games feature collectibles that celebrate other PlayStation Studios projects. Though it is certainly not unheard of for a developer to pay tribute to its own games, as Sucker Punch has done this in Ghost of Tsushima and Naughty Dog consistently references its past work through collectibles, paying tribute to the entire library of PlayStation exclusives is a new trend.
Given how fun these collectibles are to track down, and how satisfying it is to see old or niche PlayStation games getting some love, it would be great to see more games follow in the footsteps of the latest Ratchet and Clank and God of War releases. Perhaps each of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s backpacks could be embroidered with a symbol from a random PlayStation game, or The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off could feature a map with some children’s drawings that resemble various first party titles. Making collectibles fun to search for is a tough task, but Insomniac and Santa Monica have both found a way to do so.
God of War Ragnarok is available now on PS4 and PS5.
