PlayStation Nation |OT| Playing Astro Bot on the Horizon Until Dawn

[twintail]

So, I just beat GoW Ragnarok (main game + post game narrative; not the DLC) and I have to say what a wonderful experience it was. I'd say that it's a better overall package than GoW18, from the improved graphics, combat and movement versatility, enemy and environment variety, and overall character writing.

This is not to say I think GoW18 is not a good game: I think the power in its experience is the total refresh for GoW and Kratos as a whole, and the overall simpler design around the game's main narrative arc: spreading the ashes of his wife. And, I think this also comes with fantastic pacing: there never feels like a dull moment in GoW18. This is probably the core area in which it is a better game than GoWR, which most definitely has some pacing issues along the way. But at the same time, I think that is to be expected when you consider just how much larger and complex the overall narrative is and of course the players involved. Odin is such a fantastic villain, Thor has a really unexpected narrative arc, Brok and Sindri shine so much more more than they originally did and I would argue that the relationship moments between Kratos and Atreus hit a lot better than they did in GoW18: just some great moments of growth between them.

I know a lot of people highlight the Woods section as a very dull area. I won't disagree, because it definitely feels like it happens when you probably least want it to from a narrative perspective. But, it's a maybe 2 hour segment in what will be at least a 50 hour experience. I got the final story bits in post-game at around 80 hours, so this segment of the game feels really inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but yes it is definitely the weakest part of the game.

I'm really excited to dive into the DLC, as it seems to focus almost entirely on the gameplay with more story for Kratos.