God of War: Ragnarok could begin with this shocking twist
A dark premonition could come true lightning-fast.
Every God of War game has an iconic opening.
Whether it’s the bombastic Hydra fight of the original or the more subdued sequence from 2018’s God of War that leads to a fight with Baldur, the opening to every God of War game has a way of sticking with you. We hope the next entry in the series, which fans are already calling God of War: Ragnarok, manages to do that same.
While the story of this upcoming sequel is still largely a secret at this point, the last game in the series already set up a fantastic cold open. Kratos and Thor will inevitably have to fight each other in the sequel, so why not kick off God of War: Ragnarok right where the post-credit scene for 2018’s God of War.
Like a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, a post-credits scene from God of War teases what comes next. After a long journey to spread Faye’s ashes in Jotunheim, Kratos and Atreus go home and fall asleep. The game then jumps forward several years and shows the pair awaken to a terrible storm outside their house.
Kratos and Atreus step outside and see a mysterious hooded figure. Kratos shouts “Who are you!?” and the man pulls his cloak back, revealing Mjolnir. This turns out to be a dream, but Atreus (who we now know is Loki) says it feels more like a premonition.
You can check out that ending below:
God of War already laid this scene out nicely, so why not kick off God of War: Ragnarok right here? Sony Santa Monica could have a brief scene beforehand to set up whatever the new status quo between Kratos and Atreus is before they try to go to sleep and are interrupted by Thor.
This would immediately get players into the fight and mirror the brutal Baldur fight from the previous game. Kratos certainly won’t be a slouch to take down, so this fight could immediately set the stakes for who you’ll be fighting in the game. And, if Thor soundly defeats Kratos, that could provide a strong narrative reason as to why Kratos might be depowered at the start of a new game. God of War was quite reserved with the gods it chose to feature, but the sequel could go all-in.
God of War: Ragnarok should instead go all out with its Norse gods, and this fight would be a good way to establish that. Kratos doesn’t even have to kill Thor right away, though he could if Sony Santa Monica wants to mirror the death of Poseidon from the start of God of War 3. There are several directions that the developers can go with this fight in order to make it extremely compelling and memorable.
Baldur as he appears in 2018’s God of War.
Not only that, but it could be a great technical showcase like the Baldur fight. Thor is a character that uses a lot of lighting, so his powers could impressively showcase the PlayStation 5’s lighting and ray-tracing capabilities.
This cold open is not only technically and thematically appropriate, but could serve as an exhilarating technical showcase to convince people to get a PS5. At the very least, God of War: Ragnarok’s opening must live up to the precedent the series has set.
A new God of War will be released for PS5 later this year.
