There was a line that really stuck with me while doing side stuff Atreus questions why kratos is even doing it and Mimir says “Did you ever consider he just wants to spend time with you?”

My biggest issue with the game is that we couldn't equip that bearskin cape after the prologue. Shit was badass

Just here to say my absolute favorite moment in the game is in Helheim when Kratos apologizes, Atreus says "don't be sorry, be better" and Kratos actually properly cracks a smile.

You mentioned that there was only one “BOY” during the game, but there was also a second “boy” that Thor said when he was in the bar. That’s what pissed off Atreus and started the fight

I really did expect Kratos to die at the hands of Thor and the Allfather, but that story he told was just beautiful. He couldn’t bear the weight of his wrongdoings, but he decided to be better and ignore prophecy. To do the right thing. Save the people of Midgar, and end Odin’s tyranny. HE CHOSE to BE BETTER for the sake of the future. HE CHOSE to live. To fight for justice and peace, not just safety for his son. I loved it. Atreus remains.

I think the final mural could be interpret as kratos ending up as a God worthy of worship, which Odin actually parrades him about in the middle of the game, and realizing that path is available never occurred to kratos before It brings a tear to my eye seeing him actually eager to take such a path, and maybe a new reason to keep living :]

On Kratos being softer, the tent scene where he decides himself to tell Atreus a story. I just felt so heartwarmed at the whole scene. Same with the last scene, Kratos' face was a perfect reaction to the mural. Game pulled at my emotions so damn hard.

I loved their portrayal of Thor, thought he was gonna be one of the big bads only for him to kinda redeem himself... i was legit sad when he died, he was one of my faves in this game and Ryan Hurst blew it away.

Not enough is being said about Heimdall. The way you interact with him throughout the game, his story, the actor - all done to perfection! I just could not wait to fight him. And they way Kratos ends him is extremely brutal and satisfying. They did an absolute masterful job making sure you hated that character in the buildup.

My only nitpick with the Odin battle was that it was very straightforward, I expected some kind of mental battle to be woven in-between the physical action parts. Maybe something crazy like a throwback to one of the trilogy bosses/characters, or having Kratos fight Odin in "Greece". All in all, I really liked the story, it wasn't the ending I wanted but it brought such a neat closure to Kratos his character. Now I want a series of Atreus venturing into Egypt or even as far as South East Asia!

It’s crazy that Tyr was never really there this whole time, and Brok dying and Sindri is just torn.. this game hit harder than I expected!

Personally I was surprised by odins impersonation of tyr, when brok dies and you just see this transformation of sindri as he loses his brother and turns practically hateful towards everyone only to be the one who smashes odins soul honestly made Atreus’ “for brok” line that much more note worthy Edit: thanks for the ❤️ and all the likes gang!

The only thing I'm going to say about the ending is that it got to me. After they went their seperate ways and Kratos started walking back down through the snow alone, I just cried. Because the way he looked at the mural trembling with that shaky and trembling breath, fighting back his own tears. Because the way the characters grew throughout the 2 games. Because Kratos was able to raise Atreus to be a man that can take care of himself. Because Kratos was finally able to leave his Ghost of Sparta persona behind him. Because Kratos finally has a family and a happy ending. Because Ragnarok showed us that we can all change and be better.

i literally just finished this game 10 minutes ago, fantastic timing, jake!

The answer to Brok's riddle brought me to tears 😭

The Valkyrie fight in muspelheim was my favorite fight and moment in the game. The visuals were jaw dropping and that final moment when they both rage was just amazing.

The ending was just perfect. Christopher Judge's performance was incredible during the entirety of the game but in the ending he just went the extra mile. This is definitely game of the year for me, with Elden Ring a close second.

They made him good with languages for a reason, i think he would be the protagonist for the next games cuz it would make sense for him to speak with different goods in their language.

What I liked about the “loki gos, Atreus remains” scene is kratos keeps his fist on his chest until Atreus is out of sight. Nice detail

That moment where they were both fighting together in their respective rage modes I got chills it really showed the harness your rage moment really well

They handled Freya so well! She’s my favorite character in Ragnarok.

For me odin was perfect. They made him be exactly how our characters described him to be. Him being a manipulator and how he had a way with words so seeing him personified how he was described made me enjoy him quite a lot, although yes his fight would have been awesome if while they were fighting they traveled acrossed the realms and so on.

Just finished the game. The last 1.5 hours were the most unbelievable gaming experience I've ever had lol. I'm moved to pieces by the character development of Kratos. UNDENIABLE 10/10. Santa Monica Studios utterly killed it, once again.

I adored their interpretations on Odin and Thor especially. All the Gods were cool as hell but Odin’s gentle cruelty was captivating and so different from what I was expecting.

As someone who grew up with a lot of anger issues and processing that, healing from it, and learning to grow, Kratos was a very relatable character to me. Him overcoming the idea that he is a monster unworthy of friendship and love, being the one that everyone turned to was huge. Seeing his softer side after years of anger, choosing not to lash out because of anger, but because it was the right thing to do was impactful for me. And the cherry on top was the final mural, cementing that he could be a good god, and an example that gods can be good, that the struggle meant something hit me really hard. That's my two cents though, I loved the video and your personal insight as always Jake!

Just finished the game. The last act was probably the most epic and emotionally satisfying conclusion to a game maybe ever? I was hyped the entire time and the emotional moments made me tear up. I'm so glad my boy Kratos got the ending he deserved and redeemed himself. His character arc is one of the best I've ever seen I used to make fun of his character in the original ls but now he's one of my favorites

These last two games together are my two favorite games of all time. Such a perfect story arc for a broken character. I’ve never had such subtlety impact me so much. The end was beautiful.

Finished this last night after 35 hours and man, I think the biggest feat for me is how they delivered the most grand scale, epic journey and yet it was still an intimate father and son story like the first, I need some time to sit on it but this might be a top 5 game ever for me. I don’t think a game has made me feel so many emotions in a playthrough

How did you not mention Odin being Tyr the whole time?! That blew my mind!! Also Brok dying and Sindri falling apart i was absolutely devastated.

For me, the main ending point is the back side of Faye’s jotun mural where there’s a painting of a golden Kratos being worshipped. A full redemption for the whole series, going from a hated, powerful killer of gods, to a loved, benevolent god. Made me drop a little tear

My interpretation of the last panel of Faye’s mural is that Kratos ends up becoming a proper god, a benevolent one worthy of worship, and the one to lead the nine (or eight now) realms after Ragnarok

Hey the battle on Asgard gave me Endgame vibes. Like I was so hyped when they were getting ready and you see NPCs from other realms. And the three of you fight Odin all at once was kickass. And one by one you fight every leading bad guy. Heimdall was also a big highlight of a fight. Love that spear.

I honestly cannot imagine not doing every side quest. Would be totally different experience with how well it compliments the main story. Loved learning about faye vs thor and all the freya stuff. Also i want kratos and freya married. He kinda owes her a kid anyways.

The start of ragnarok was so sick man. Kratos leading the armies. Gave me goosebumps

Having lived with a narcissist Parent my whole childhood, i think Odin is an extremely acurate portrait of someone who never lived a day for others, never cared and worse yet; thought what they did was exactly that: caring, when in reality they were only looking out for themselves and their own interest. Odins relationship with Thor is so horrible, gaslighting, unwarranted criticism, harsh and seemingly random consequences. SPOILER, it is so precise, so heartbreaking, to see Thor love his family, only to not be able to escape his "chains of olympus" but them ultimately killing him. Some people cry for Kratos redemption, some for Broks sacrifice, i cry for Thors absolution.

The last prophecy that Kratos sees is of him being loved as a good god/person, which goes against everything he has felt his entire life, previous to this when he had nothing and everyone pretty much hated him and saw him as monster (another bibg theme in this duology). It also goes back to what Odin says the second time they meet, something like "you don't know what being whorshiped means, no one has never prayed to you". I found that whole scene an Kratos reaction to the mural just gut wrenching.

My favorite twist is actually a pretty subtle one. It's when we finally process what prophecy really means in this world shortly after speaking with the norns. Learning that prophecy is simply a measurement of nature and not as exact as the deities fear makes it so much more poignant how predictable you can be if you were stuck to your character, and it really drives home how important Kratos and Atreus' development was. They loved each other so much they were willing to break their own cycles and fate to do good by one another, and that has truly changed their nature for the better more than any other god in this world could. Kratos is the god of all strength, be it physical, emotional, psychological. His entire journey is proof, as he learns the difference between justice and vengeance, determination and fury, vulnerability and love. He exceeded the title (of the game) that has haunted him with anger and shame his whole life.

Towards the end when he’s telling Atreus the story in the tent about the man carrying logs wishing for death, I actually choked up. Christopher Judge’s performance is nothing short of extraordinary

The Spark of the World level detail is the most mesmerising looking level I've ever seen.

To see Kratos give multiple chances to not kill was mind blowing

I just finished this game not even 30 mins ago and I rate it a solid masterpiece 10/10

Man I would love to see either character start bopping around in Egypt, the eye of ra was noted in 2018 and I honestly feel like that could be a super sick direction to go for the series

I really just love how this game is bold in making a mythological story of their own-- with super compelling characters. When Mimir finally figures out Brok's riddle at the end of the game during the funeral, "what get's bigger the more you take away", "a hole"-- right after Sindri disappeared I felt was really symbolic. Because once Atreus drained Odin's soul Sindri was the one who took it and smashed it out of revenge where the other characters were passing it around. And at the funeral it's clear that Sindri still holds Kratos responsible for Brok's death for not seeing through Odin's illusion. I think Mimir saying that after Sindri disappearing implies that he's spiraling down a hole and it's been a recurring theme in the game to be better and not seek revenge- a theme that Sindri contrasts against.

I loved the choice for Odin. Having him be so gentle and soft spoken was such a juxtaposition to the danger he represented.

The emotional ending resonated with me, but when Atreus said he had to go find the other Giants, the first thing in my head was "lol why right now?". I understand he had to leave for the ending to work, but this was one instance where the one-cut camera didn't help the narrative, because every story step had to be NOW.

How dare you not talk about Brock and his funeral, lol I cried more for Brock than I did for Kratos and Atreus.

Kratos blowing the horn for Ragnarok to begin is the most epic gaming moment ever and you can't convince me otherwise

I'll probably sound old-fashioned - but God do I love this game, it's story, for actually having morals. We have to be better fathers, and do the right thing. You shouldn't close your heart to the suffering of others. You should protect the weak. It goes on and on. Shame Brok died...one of my most favorite characters..."Nature of a thing is more important than the form of a thing". You actually think about your own behavior when playing the game. Thank you Sony Santa Monica. Thanks Jake for great perspective.

I was very impressed by the direction they took Odin's character. I was worried they'd avoid a risk and portray him as he is most commonly depicted: the mcu, for example. But I adored the characterisation. A pathological liar, convincingly so that the player is second-guessing the main characters they love and trust. His design, his voice, his demeanour. Gentle and accommodating to manipulate Atreus into falsely trusting him. He is a fantastic villain. I'm kind of sad you didn't mention his reveal at Tyr because *wow*. That was a holy-shit-pause-the-game moment for me because it completely threw me for the loop. Like you said, that is the moment we know he really is the piece of shit everyone has been alluding to. His boss fight was underwhelming, to say the least. It was pretty simple and although his attacks were cool, I expected a lot more from the big final boss fight that had been building for 20 plus hours. I was left with a 'is that it?" despite enjoying it anyway. Maybe His death was also slightly anticlimactic, even it was a good arc for Sindri. I was hoping maybe they kept the marble. But it is all 'what ifs' ! Great video!

"To grieve deeply, is to have loved fully"

Brooks funeral. When Mimir finally gets the riddle as Sindri disappears in grieve. "A hole. Gets bigger the more you take away." That line solidified this game as my favorite of all time.

Sindri was the stand out character in this game, the most emotional and satisfying part was when we shows up and destroys Odin's soul. So fucking badass.

I'm not super far into the game and don't mind spoilers. My favorite scene so far was during a side quest in Alfheim. Mimir tells Atreus that Kratos just wants to spend time with him while he can.

Atreus goes to Egypt. Gets in trouble with Ra. Dad comes back to save the day

Just finished the game, and as a huge Norse mythology nut i should write a book to say all my thoughts on this game but In short: i thought Odin's depiction was the best we got so far, i loved how he was shown as more of a mafia boss than some strong and mighty muscular man, i found the character development everyone had in this game to be AMAZING (specially Sindry (Eitri in old Norse) i loved his character arc) and the last thought i want to share about this here is: this game feels like everything GOW 2018 was but more, without it feeling like more of the same

My biggest takeaway was the performance of sindri, I think he was the standout actor in the game that really made me forget I was playing a game, like after Brock dies my god my heart sunk with him, Brock was my favorite side character up until that point then it became sindri immediately.

I’ve always loved Kratos even during his rage days. But damn. These 2 new games brought a whole level of dimension to Kratos and made me LOVE him even more. He is literally the most ride or die homie anyone could have on your team. The amount of respect he holds for Freya, Brok, Sindri. Damn this game is a masterpiece

This game was in incredible. My only criticism was one of the mission when Atreus goes to jotunheim, which really slowed things down and felt kinda boring. But besides that, this game was truly a masterpiece.

Man I loved this game, I really think this is the pinnacle of this genre. It’s so much fun, the story is great, and that like 1 second moment that kratos pauses before he goes to wake Atreus up before the final battle was amazing. You could see he just wanted any more time he could get before going into something he didn’t know the outcome to. That pause gave me shivers. Fucking amazing.

The "be better" in this one was the "do don't tell" of his guidance to Atreus. He had to walk the walk and lead by example.

Ragnarok itself felt so badass! 10/10 so cool seeing everyone fighting together. I know some say they wish fights were longer and more complex, but there was so much emotional weight. Maybe it’s because I’m a father, but I dreaded every second the possibility of Atreus dying

I do not envy the guy who had to write Kratos. Writing a character who say so little yet so much is a hard challenge.

The race in Ironwood put a smile on a face, felt like I was witnessing a happy memory these characters will always remember. This game pulled at so many emotions, I loved it

i like that they put a twist on the greek tragedy story by still making the game follow a greek tragedy archetype, but have it happen to the Antagonist instead of the protagonist, what with odin trying to avoid death and what not but his efforts are exactly what cause his death as a self-fulfilling prophecy, and his unwillingness to change his nature and hubris leading to his downfall.

I'm pretty sure Faye was played by Paige from the Netflix Daredevil series. She both looked and sounded incredibly similar to her.

I loved the scenes of Atreus birth with Faye and the closeness of Kratos and her.

I think when Kratos mentioned how every path he takes leads to vengeance or some type of destruction and then seeing him at the end with his mural, to me it felt like immense relief. That he was still capable of doing good and being a god that helped others instead of destroying or killing; his past is finally just in the past and his future is just beginning.

Can't have this video without talking about the spear!!!! That was such a nice surprise. I still prefer BoC but the spear was such a cool addition to the story and gameplay

I recently finished the game, and I loved the ending. About the battle with Odin, it was shown throughout the game that Odin himself was old and good with talking not fighting. He had thor and Heimdall to do that work for him. I felt the story was lengthy and it could have been made it more slick and tighter than it might have more impact similar to the first one. Also, I felt there was lack of impactful moments in story when compared to the first game like When Kratos go back to retrieve the Axe from the house. That moment was unforgettable. So, I wished this game have some of those moments. Overall I loved the game and enjoyed every bit of it.

I wouldn't call Freya's arc a redemption arc. She was never evil, just dealing with her grief as a mother. Neither Kratos or Atreus ever see her as an enemy. Her arc was really well done.

It’s been 8 days since you put this out and I’m finally ready for it !!! Let’s go just finished the game and there’s like you and Dunkey that I actually care about gaming review wise. So I’m super excited to be watching this.

You really see its a story of kratos esp near the end. i love how they both really show how much they've changed and learned. The story of Kratos was amazing. The game was not perfect but it is damn good and I enjoyed a lot of it. I really amazing continuation to GOW.

The drawings of the people in the final panel of the mural at the end are different from any drawing we've seen from all the other murals. I think it means that different people from all over will reveer kratos as a good person in the end. I think he tears up a bit too because he finally sees people viewing him not as a monster for the first time

I think the reason why the battle in Asgard feels simple is because of how simple looking Asgard is. The plain log cabins and terrain really don't help convey that a major battle is occurring. I think it would have been better if we had Odin trying to escape by jumping from realm to realm but we kept following him to make sure he didn't escape.

Over the two games best story I have ever played in a game hands down. I absolutely love the character growth and change in Kratos.

It was so beautiful at the end where they made Atreus leaving to the giant quest an allegory to a father sending his son off to college

Sindri has an amazing character arc jfc I love him. He’s so badass!!

The Tÿr plot twist was so good. Imagine if Odin was disguised as Mimir instead.

That set out with his hot ass partner in crime line caught me off guard, but it was great.

After being a major fan of the series for almost two decades that ending scene made me tear up so much. It gave the ending Kratos deserved after going through the whole original saga and finally fixing his wrongs and being worthy of being important to people in a positive light. The ending definitely encase that you can always be better and one day you can a better than you were. You just need to open your heart to emotion to learn those things

Loved your review. I actually just finished the Agraborah scene and I personally thought it was alright. I didn’t think it was that slow ( tho I didn’t find the opening hours of RDR2 slow as well even tho that’s what most people say). Maybe they could have picked a few less apples😂 but I loved how they showed her combat. Even the Grandmother boss, even though kinda gimmicky, was entertaining. I’m glad you also enjoyed Atreus gameplay cuz everywhere else I read some people weren’t fond of it. I agree with you regarding enjoying this game slowly. To me it makes the game more fun. From your reaction tho, it seems Ragnarok did a Witcher 3 final boss where there is this major hype but the final boss is way easier compared to the other bosses😂. I can’t really say 2018 game is better than this or vice versa cuz it’s a sequel. One doesn’t exist without the other to tell a complete story.

THOR WAS SO AWESOME, I absolutely loved his design and voice acting during the last battle! It just felt much more personal than being an inconvenience of war, and BROK man I was so sad when they did my boy like that, I absolutely loved the scene in which kratos uses broks logic to bless the weapon 😭, such a great game that everyone should play at least once in their life.

Just finished the story and maybe it’s the ending we didn’t expect, but was a really good one. Kratos accepting who he now is and letting go of Atreus was really well done. I liked what you said about “sending your kid to college.” Jake. Atreus is becoming a grown man and he has to make his own choices (which he really did during the game.) LOVED this game and will definitely go do some side stuff now.

This game really lived up to all of my personal expectations and you’re very right that if people just watch all the cutscenes it’s not the same as spending the time with each character and learning about how they all feel and what they want or are scared of. Like talking to freya as Kratos and feel he’s trying to reason with her and finally feeling that peace between them is something else. Then as Atreus learning his powers and realizing just like Kratos Atreus on his own is insanely powerful but then Kratos teaching him to keep his love bs the first game telling him to close his heart to others pain. Just could go on about how both the first and second game weave their characters together in a way that is just super rare to have these days.

Let's rock talk, Kratos has the best story arch of any character, ever. Period.. And acknowledging the past is simply amazing, like "why not just get rid of the blades?"

You are absolutely right that the end of the story about Kratos is great! I was so worried during gameplay about his death at the end even till the last moment when he was in a tent with Atreus! I was nervous because the whole story was going based on prophecy! I can say Santa Monica just nailed it! After finishing the story i was so happy and excited to see him alive!

I’ve been waiting for this!

The board at the end just looked like everyone was celebrating Kratos' victory. The Ironwood chapter did go on for too long but the boss was fun. Just hope Sindri gets better.

I just finished the game. And here’s this video. Perfect.

Loved it, I’m so excited for the future since I have no idea where another game would go with Atreus and Kratos now apart. Also loved the sweet moment between Brock and Kratos when they forge the spear and the massive side area telling about Faye’s battle with Thor. Still can’t decide if I like Baldur or Thor more tho, they’re both great. What do you think?

Man! Seeing kratos looking at shrine, standing at top finally getting peace and valued by his companions and followers was amazing.

I took 3 sick days just to play this game. Played nearly 70 hours, beat the valkyrie queen and all the berserkers and did nearly every side quests except tue bugged dragon one. This in in my top 3 story games with RDR2 and TLOU. I absolutely loved it and my only regret was playing on no mercy difficulty and not god of war. My favorite aspect of it genuinely was seeing everyone's character development.

That comment you made about losing Kevin Conroy (in the other video that doesn’t accept gifts) and how people will feel that way about you (the viewer) some day. that was beautiful man. Seriously. A lot of young men watching this not feeling special in life. Good on you fella.

I loved this game, I'm close to 100% and I'm gonna be very sad when it's over. I hope they're gonna add a new game + in a future update.

Lol, I just barely started the game. But hey, if I remember this, I'll be sure to circle around and watch this to get your take on things. Thanks for the video!

Just after finishing it. I loved it start to finish, especially the character’s and their depth this time around. Those relationships that develop and how there’s an “avatar gang” vibe with the group and it made me think of the ‘I wanna go on a self-discovery mission with Zuko’ line. My only issues with the game was how it dragged with the Angrboda missions. I thought it could have been kept tight with maybe an option to return and do tasks in your own time but the laundry list of tasks you end up doing really wanted me getting out. Also just the not being able to easily switch to bare-handed when you get the draupnir spear kinda stifled my flow in combat at times and how that was put in in place of the quick turn from GOW 2018, made me miss it! All in all though I had a such a good time with this and it was really worth the wait. Love your thoughts as always!

I loved every second of this game. I have no clue where they go from here though. I love this franchise and I hope it does continue. I think you could do an Atreus spin off and then possibly another soft reboot For Kratos in a new mythology

Finally beat the game, and can watch this. This story is, in my opinion, the culmination of a perfect story. There are so many things to address, but I think exploring every facet of human trial and tribulation. Morality, Mortality, Purpose, and Love all are explored in multiple forms, and across multiple individuals. The combat was amazing, the addition of even more armor, more weapoons, more attack specials, and even Artreus combat was unique. The enviornmental story telling from side quests, small interactions with characters, were all special. The acting was movie level with human emotion, you can see Kratos's lip quivering and hand shaking in multiple scene. The immersion is here, the story is here, and I loved every second.

I've got mixed feelings with Fey as well, though the last scene with her destroyed me for some reason. I've never heard the idea of grief being the ultimate expression of love just killed me, maybe that's a cliche but I'd never heard it and having recently lost a sibling i was just sobbing. I also loved spending time with Freya but I'm not sure how I feel about how quickly she seemed to forgive Kratos with how dramatic her denouncement of him was at the end of the last game. I need more time to think on it I think. The atreus game play kind of bored me, it felt like I was hitting guys with a wet noodle in comparison to Kratos and I always felt myself wanting to get them over with when I was engaged in combat, even if the story stuff was top notch

Just finished it ! Finally get to watch this video