God of War Ragnarok may bring the Norse Saga to a satisfying conclusion, but it's extremely unlikely that it marks the end of the God of War franchise as a whole. With Atreus off on his own adventures, Kratos embracing his godhood to do good, and plenty of side characters ready to join them both on their respective journeys, the next God of War has a lot of potential avenues to explore. However, there's one little mistake Ragnarok made that it should make sure to learn from.
By all accounts, God of War Ragnarok is an excellent game. While it may not have won the Game of the Year award last year, it was essentially the runner-up, and it still made the top spot on many players' end-of-year lists. A compelling story, complex characters and satisfying arcs, engaging and deep combat, and some top-notch level design all combined to make God of War Ragnarok such a standout experience. But for some fans, there was one little sticking point that should definitely be fixed in a potential sequel: the game's cover outfit.
The Next God of War Needs To Let Players Wear the Cover Armor
As previously mentioned, God of War Ragnarok got a lot right. Creating a sequel to 2018's God of War was no easy feat, with Cory Balrog and his team at Santa Monica essentially reviving the franchise for the modern age, and making the series more popular than ever in the process. God of War Ragnarok not only had to continue and wrap up the Norse Saga in a satisfying and natural way, but also had to improve upon its predecessor's gameplay in some notable ways. One of those gameplay improvements was an expanded suite of customization options.
Taking the groundwork of its predecessor and building on it in some key ways, God of War Ragnarok's customization options gave fans a plethora of new armor pieces to unlock, equip, and upgrade. From chest, waist and wrist armor pieces, to roundels for shields and handles for the Draupnir Spear, God of War Ragnarok went above and beyond with its customization features. But there was still one big gripe some fans had with God of War Ragnarok's customization, and that was the inability to wear the fur armor seen on the game's front cover.
At the beginning of God of War Ragnarok, Kratos and Atreus are seen hunkering down in a cave, waiting out a storm, and preparing to ride home. Due to the inclement weather, Kratos is wearing the impressive fur cloak seen on God of War Ragnarok's front cover, slung over his shoulders and covering his usual canon armor set. During a thrilling opening chase sequence, where Freya is trying to kill the father and son duo, Kratos' fur cloak is knocked off his shoulders, and left to the wind's devices. Players are then unable to purchase the cloak later in the game, or any armor set that includes a similar garment. Thankfully, Santa Monica listened to this fan feedback, and decided to rectify it in God of War Ragnarok's New Game Plus mode. When entering New Game Plus, Kratos no longer loses his fur cloak, now dubbed the "Armor of the Black Bear," and players can continue to wear it throughout their entire adventure.
While it's only a little criticism in the grand scheme of things, the next God of War game should make sure that it gives fans even more customization options than ever before, and that it includes whatever outfit the main character has on the front cover of the game. It's often the case with the best big RPGs that players are given access to the front cover armor fairly quickly, such as Skyrim's Iron Armor set. This often cements the player's feeling that they're the hero of the story, as the armor depicted on the front cover is often used throughout the game's larger-than-life marketing.
God of War Ragnarok is out now for PS4 and PS5.
