The adventures of Kratos and his son in the latest God of War have much more to players. But one element has divided a lot.
Long believed to be just a “1.5” version of its predecessor, God of War Ragnarok silenced most critics. When it was released in November 2022, we gave it our maximum. Like most players, we then praised his epic soundtrack, his exceptional staging, his gore and dynamic fights, or even his onion acting. But the game is not free from flaws. One of them even made the interpreter of Atreus rage in person!
Clues everywhere, all the time
Among the elements that had less plus, some camera problems or even some slowness were noted. But probably the most frustrating part is Atreus’ advice. Kratos’ son has grown well and gained confidence, since the God of War of 2018. Perhaps a bit too much, moreover, since it does not let the player breathe during the puzzle phases. After a few seconds, he starts repeating phrases over and over to tell him what to do. What’s worse is that it’s not an opt-out option.
And if many players were annoyed, it is obviously the case of Sunny Suljic too. IGN published this Tuesday an excerpt from an interview with the voice actor of Atreus dating from the BAFTAs 2023, which were held last month. When asked if he likes his character helping Kratos with emphasis on puzzles, he says no. The journalist was also amused: “I love the idea that you’re on the couch, and you’re like, ‘I wish this guy would shut up!'”. And indeed, Suljic describes his in-game interventions as “frustrating”. It even turns out that the situation is even more unpleasant for him. And for good reason, hearing your own voice giving us advice must have something very irritating!
I try to solve the puzzles, and then I hear myself giving clues to myself. I’m so fed up in my own voice sometimes!
God of War, the GOTY that never was
As we said, this short excerpt from an interview with Sunny Suljic dates from the BAFTAs in February. And we have to talk about the game of the year award which once again snubbed God of War Ragnarok. Remember: at the Game Awards in December, the title of Santa Monica Studio left with six awards. He had received the awards for best music, best audio design, best narration, or even best performance for Christopher Judge.
These four awards, Ragnarok once again received them during the BAFTA ceremony. Angrboda’s accessibility options and interpreter performance were also award-winning. In December the app was even named best action game. And yet, twice, the title of GOTY passed under his nose. At the Game Awards, it was obviously Elden Ring who won the award. Last month was the lesser known Vampire Survivors. And you, do you think that God of War Ragnarok deserved the title of game of the year 2022?
