Summary
For a free DLC,God of War Ragnarok: Valhallaoffers an amazing amount of value. Adding a surprisingly fleshed-out roguelike mode to the game,God of War Ragnarok: Valhallacontains about five hours of completely new, original content, offering so much more than just a few extra combat encounters. On top of its genuinely excellent roguelike gameplay, Valhalla brings a wealth of new story content to the game, from new cutscenes, to a ton of new dialogue, all acting as the perfect epilogue toGod of War Ragnarok’s epic story.
God of War Ragnarok’s Valhalla DLC sees players take control of Kratos once again, but with no ancient pantheon to escape from or hunt down, he’s left with only his own thoughts and memories to conquer. After being asked to becomeFreya’s new God of War,Kratos takes himself and Mimir to Valhalla, hoping to find the answers to the impossible questions he has about himself and his past. Along the way, players will see some familiar sights, and meet some familiar faces, and there’s one extremely familiar face that could’ve been the perfect final boss.
God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla Could’ve Ended With a Huge Boss
Young Kratos Could’ve Been a Great Boss
On his journey of self-reflection,Kratos meets Tyr in Valhalla. A former God of War, Tyr expresses that he’s been in Kratos' exact position before, and that Valhalla held the truths he desperately needed to hear. After proving to Tyr that he’s ready, Kratos steps through Valhalla’s final set of doors, and he’s confronted with the past version of himself on the other side. As Kratos delivers a scathing, but heartfelt monologue, young Kratos just stares him down, eventually disappearing once Kratos makes his final declaration of acceptance over his past actions.
While this final scene is now one ofGod of War’s best-ever narrative moments, it does feel likeGod of War Ragnarok: Valhallamissed a bit of a big opportunity here, as a boss fight between Kratos and his younger self has been something fans have wanted for a while now.Marvel’s Spider-Man 2has just proven how fun a boss fight against a fellow playable character can be, and aKratos vs. Kratos fightcould have easily been one of the best in franchise history, with young Kratos having access to all of his old Greek saga weaponry.
Fighting Young Kratos Might’ve Diminished Valhalla’s Point
But on the other hand, not having a Kratos vs. Kratos boss fight might have been for the best overall. The entirepoint ofGod of War Ragnarok’s Valhalla DLCis that Kratos is embarking on a journey of self-reflection and self-acceptance. For decades, he’s been running from his past and pretending it never happened, and this DLC finally sees Kratos come to terms with it all. This final scene with his younger self is the climax of that entire journey and character arc.
Kratos directly telling his younger self that he doesn’t forgive him, but that he accepts him hits much harder than if Kratos just started hacking away at him with his axe. Whilea boss fight against the Greek Saga’s Kratoscould have been incredibly fun and instantly iconic, it would’ve run the risk of cheapening the moment by going directly against the entire point of the DLC. It would imply that Kratos is just going to repeat the same cycle of violence again, regardless of what he’s learned in the Nine Realms and Valhalla.
God of War Ragnarok
WHERE TO PLAY
Embark on an epic and heartfelt journey as Kratos and Atreus struggle with holding on and letting goFrom Santa Monica Studio comes the sequel to the critically acclaimed God of War (2018). Fimbulwinter is well underway. Kratos and Atreus must journey to each of the Nine Realms in search of answers as Asgardian forces prepare for a prophesied battle that will end the world. Along the way they will explore stunning, mythical landscapes, and face fearsome enemies in the form of Norse gods and monsters. The threat of Ragnarök grows ever closer. Kratos and Atreus must choose between their own safety and the safety of the realms.
