Loki is not an easy character to remove from
Norse Mythology. When it comes to the storytelling devices
of the 9th and 10th century vikings, Loki was a primary one, as the God Of Mischief’s
lust for conflict was often used as the tool to shake up the natural order of things. Loki’s actions were responsible for the
feuds and even deaths of many gods and giants, creation of the cosmos’ greatest monsters,
and is seen leading the charge against the Gods of Asgard during the final battle at
the end of everything: Ragnarök. The etymology of his name points to the germanic
word Luk, which denoted things to do with loops, like knots or locks. He is the character that tangles plots, and
complicates relationships. Renowned master of norse myths Kevin Crossley-Holland,,
writes that ‘without the exciting, unstable, flawed figure of Loki, there could be no change
in the fixed order of things, no quickening pulse, and no Ragnarok’. Loki is the catalyst for change in Norse Mythology
and so any attempt to remove him from the stories would require an enormous amount of
re-routing of the events to cover up the holes left in his absence. And yet, this is exactly what the writing
team over at Santa Monica Studios have managed to achieve in their original Norse-based
adventure colossus, God Of War. Atreus: “Look at that! It's Thor! Kratos: “Thor. God Of Thunder.” Atreus: “That’s right! I never thought you listened when mother spoke of the gods.” Kratos: “I seldom did.” God Of War’s story follows Kratos, an ex-general
demi-God from Sparta, and his son, Atreus, as they take the ashes of Kratos’s late
wife and mother to Atreus, Faye, to the highest peak in all the realms. Atreus: “This is incredible!” The journey pushes and pulls the two all across
the cosmology of norse myth where they encounter almost the entire pantheon of norse characters. Atreus: “It’s the World Serpent! He’s so much bigger than I imagined.” But while there is a special emphasis placed
on the discovery and retelling of these ancient norse stories, the myths are being sent off
in directions different to the source material, and this is because the character of Loki
has been completely removed from the mythology, leaving no trace or mention of him anywhere
throughout the story. That is, until the very end. Atreus: “All these drawings...this is our
story.” At the end of the journey, in the great twist
before the credits roll, Atreus learns for the first time, the name given to him by Faye,
his mother. Atreus: “I guess there’s just one thing
I don’t understand. My name on the wall...the giants called me… Loki?’ Kratos: “Loki.” This moment, being the first and only time
the name Loki is used throughout the journey, suddenly highlights the removal of it in the
story. Because Loki is only a child in God Of War,
the comings and goings of adult Loki from the myths are naturally non-existent yet and
this leaves sizable holes in the architecture of the mythology. And yet, this new mythology doesn’t collapse,
and this is because the God Of War team fill the gaps with myths that have been reinvented
to accomodate for Loki’s removal. But the God Of War writers don’t just fill
the gaps and walk away. When comparing these reinvented myths with
the original texts, we begin to see that the writers are actively using this reinvented
mythology to help them land a much larger story goal. Freya: “You are just an animal!” It’s a long and twisted thread full of knots
and loopholes, but by untangling God Of War’s mythological tapestry… Freya: “You will never change!” ...we see the full picture. Norse Myth already has a complicated history,
as almost everything we know about it comes down to only these 2 manuscripts. The Edda’s. Namely The Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. Unlike the Greeks with their thoroughly documented
mythology or the thousands of manuscripts on the new and old testaments, the Vikings
never wrote anything down. And so all we’ve been granted are a scattering
of Viking Poems that have miraculously found their way down through the centuries. The Poetic Edda, also known as the Codex Regius,
or King’s Book, was unearthed in 1643 but dates back to being written 400 years earlier. Judging by subtle time-period inconsistencies
in the text, the Codex Regius is actually thought to be a copy of an original manuscript
written sometime around the beginning of the 13th century, which has never been found. The Prose Edda on the other hand is the important
work of Norweigian Chieftan and scholar Snorri Sturlesson who in roughly 1220, compiled this
2nd manuscript to help those interested, better understand the unique poetic techniques used
in these poems. In his book The Viking Spirit, independent
scholar Daniel Mccoy writes that like any other scholar, Snorri was all too human, sometimes
misinterpreting sources and filling gaps in the narrative with his own imagination. This was done in the groping attempt to make
the norse beliefs seem closer to those of christianity, which at that point, was the
local religion after the christianisation of Europe began 2 centuries earlier, resulting
in heavy debate over the storytelling purity of the texts. And so from these two sources, time-worn manuscripts
containing many contradictions, loopholes and missing pieces, we have most of what makes
up all modern knowledge of Norse Mythology. The God Of War team do a good job at honouring
the pieces that do exist from the incomplete Norse Myth jigsaw, but this isn’t to say
that these pieces aren’t re-arranged to serve the narrative goals of their story,
which is to ultimately provide a world that encourages transformation for the protagonists. Atreus: “Stop it!” Kratos: “Again! You are clearly not ready.” Both Kratos and Atreus are broken characters
at the start of the story. Kratos: “What are you doing? Now its guard is up!” Much like the eddas, Kratos has a complicated
and damaged history, and this secret past manifests into parenting philosophies that
grate against Atreus’ natural posture for compassion. Atreus: “I can’t.” But for better or worse, these two opposing
forces of pride and compassion slowly begin to crack the other. Cory Barlog: “You are teaching him how to
be a god and he was kind of, in turn, teaching Kratos how to be a human being.” This noxious combination results in a father
and son story full of destruction and betrayal, but with the aid of the adventure world around
them and the reinvented norse myths that come attached to it, the two are guided towards
a realm of healing. Atreus: “Wow.” As we’re about to see, the God Of War writers
use this new Loki-absent mythology to double down hard on 3 primary themes that help Kratos
and Atreus in their transformation. (Loud knocking) Voice: “Come on out!” But the force helping to push this transformation
along is the altered story arc of God Of War’s antagonist, Baldur. Baldur: “Hmm. I thought you’d be bigger. But you’re definitely the one.
Long way from home aren't you?" Baldur, thanks to Loki, is supposed to be
dead. This legend starts in a poem called Völuspá
in the Poetic Edda, is fleshed out more in Baldrs Dreams and given even more detail in the prose edda's The Death Of Baldur. After hearing about Baldur’s nightmares
which prophecy his death, Baldur’s mother, Freya, personally requests
an oath from all things to never to harm her son. Every rock, tree, mountain, river, virus,
animal and being across the 9 realms agree. All except mistletoe. Considering ‘Mistletoe’ to be too young
and innocent a vine, Freya skips it. But after learning of this and crafting an
arrow from some nearby mistletoe, Loki convinces Baldur’s blind brother Höðr to throw it at
Baldur during a game where the other Gods put Baldur's new immortality to test. Believing he is part of the game, Höðr throws
the dart and Baldur drops dead. That tree,
Which seemed harmless, Caused a terrible sorrow
When Höðr took a shot. The beginning of this tale remains completely
intact in God Of War, in that Baldur does become immortal thanks to the oaths Freya collects,
but due to adult Loki’s removal, Baldur still lives. Baldur: “I want you to know one thing. I can’t feel any of this!” Baldur: “You’ve seen it with your own
eyes! You can’t hurt me! Nothing can!” The trajectory of Baldur' s character, a god
still unable to feel anything, has become one that is twisted by revenge, his mother’s
blessing now seen as a lifelong curse. Baldur: “You...you had no right!” Freya: “I had every right, I am your mother!” Baldur: “You had no right, witch! I can’t taste. I can’t smell. I can’t even feel the temperature of this
room!” Freya: “Death has no power over you now. You would rather die?” Baldur: “Than never feel again? Yes. Yes. I would rather die.” Sindri: “You deny it all you want but you
saved me and that deserves compensation!” But curiously, mistletoe arrows do still find
their way into the story. Atreus: “What are these?” Sindri: “Braided mistletoe arrows. Straighter than Heimdall and perfectly weighted.” Atreus: “Oh, thanks?” Kratos: “Your quiver.” Atreus: “Strap broke when we fought the
dragon.” Kratos: “Pain we endure. Faulty weaponry we do not. Good?” Freya: “Wait...where did you get those? The arrows, give them to me now! These arrows are dangerous. They’re wicked. You find any more you destroy them understand?” Freya herself hints towards this mistletoe
secret but in an interesting twist of events, it is still Loki and a mistletoe arrow that
is responsible for Baldur’s demise. Kratos: “No! No! Atreus!” Baldur: “What is this? (Laughs) I can feel this! I can feel everything!” Freya: “No!” Atreus: “He’s...vulnerable now?” By re-positioning this mistletoe-arrow event,
Baldur and Freya’s relationship is given a chance to play out, and the exploration
of these relationships is the first reason for the reinvention of the myths. In order to spark change in Kratos and Atreus,
the Santa Monica team surround them with a community of different relationships to learn
from. The curious part though is that it’s a community
of broken relationships. Reaver: “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,
I did the same thing to my dad when I was his age.” Atreus: “He killed his own father?!” From fathers, mothers, brothers, and sons,
every single supporting character suffers from a family matter. Sindri: “I can tell you a thing or two about
family matters!” The two dwarf brothers, Brokk and Sindri,
are caught in a feud. These two characters are from a chapter in
The Prose Edda which involves Loki and the Dwarf brothers in a contest to see who can
design the greatest Asgard treasures. This includes Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir, which
makes an appearance right at the end of the story, and Freya’s boar with golden whiskers
which makes an appearance when the two meet her in the forest. Freya: “The last of his kind in all of the
realms and you shoot him!” While always seen working together in the
Edda’s, the dwarf brothers are navigating a damaged relationship in God Of War after,
according to a deciphered God Of War cloth map, each forgot the location of an important
treasure, which is an addition to the material. Another broken family unit is found in Thor
and his sons, Modi and Magni, who are caught in a bitter competition between each other
and their father after Magni gets all the praise for saving Thor when Magni was only
3 days old. This event is relatively accurate to the text
and is found in the Prose Edda during the story of Thor and the giant Hrungnir, who
falls on Thor after his stone head is smashed in by Thor’s own hammer. Mimir: “Magni, being the blonder, got all
the credit. And Modi remained bitter about it from that
day to the end.” But Modi’s involvement is an addition to
the myth as he’s never mentioned in the Prose Edda and this is used to explore the
sons’ terrible relationship with their father, Modi: “Magni! No!” ...which is given special attention in the
story after Kratos kills Magni. Modi: “Thor...blamed me...me...for what
you did to Magni. My own father called me a coward.” Atreus: “Looks like he did more than that.” For Kratos, all of these broken family events
are designed to help him find his true north when it comes to being both a decent parent
and human being. It's like being fed bad food to remind us
why we want good food. Athena: “Pretend to be everything you are
not. Teacher, husband, father. But there is one unavoidable truth you will
never escape: you cannot change.” Freya: “I know you’re a god. Not of this realm but there’s no mistaking
it. He doesn’t know does he? About your true nature? Or his own?” The lie that Kratos believes is that controlling
the truth is a strength, but just like how Freya’s overprotection backfires on her
relationship with Baldur, Kratos’s attempt at withholding the truth that both he and
Atreus are gods, slowly begins to unravel the further the two push into the adventure. Atreus yells. Kratos: “Atreus!” Kratos’ withholding of the truth begins
to bleed into the physical world, becoming a poison that infects Atreus from the inside
out. Kratos: “What is happening to him?” Mimir: “I’ve seen it in mortals. Some conflict of the mind expresses itself
as an ailment of the body. Never in a god. But a god believing himself mortal, I can
only imagine!” At this point, Kratos is faced with his first
real emotional trial as he comes face to face with the realisation that the only way to
save his son is by letting the truth free. Freya: “I can break the fever. But to heal…” Kratos: “He must know the truth of what
he is.” Freya: “Yes.” Kratos: “It is not so simple.” The 2nd theme in God Of War is one that hangs
like a cloud over Kratos’ battle with the truth, and again, the writers use Loki’s
removal to summon this theme up to surface for everyone to see. Atreus: “It’s Skadi! Mother liked her. A great huntress!" The best example of this is the story Mimir
retells regarding the shape-shifting giant Thiazi and his daughter Skadi. According to the prose edda, Loki was blackmailed
by Thiazi in his eagle form into bringing him the goddess Idunn and her apples of youth, but through Loki’s
trickery, leads Thiazi into Asgard where he’s killed by the gods with fire. The holy gods
soon built a fire They shaved off kindlings
And the giant was scorched. Seeking revenge for her father’s death,
Skadi storms into Asgard. But as a sign of good will, Odin grants her
2 wishes before placing the eyes of her father in the heavens to shine like stars until Ragnarok. But without adult Loki in existence, this
event in God Of War plays out very differently. After Odin’s marriage proposal to Skadi
is refused, he tricks her into killing an eagle rumoured to be hunting for Idunn and
her apples. Excited to prove her incredible hunting abilities,
Skadi finds and shoots the eagle... Mimir: “When she collected her quarry, she
found no eagle at all, but her own father, poor Thiazi, slain by her own daughter!” This reinvention is used to drive home the
second theme that cycles around again and again, not just in this God Of War story,
but in the entire series of stories: a child who kills their parent. Zeus: “The cycle ends here.” This theme plays directly into Kratos’ complicated
history of killing his own father Zeus, which is replayed later in a vision for both protagonists
as a reminder of the decisions Kratos is trying to leave behind. Atreus: “Come on! We gotta go!” Kratos: “You saw.” This family cycle of betrayal, also known
as the The Cycle of Patricide, is a family curse that passes down from father to son,
beginning all the way back at Kratos’ grandfather, Cronos, who, according to Greek Mythology,
betrayed his own father, Uranus, who then cursed his entire family line to follow in
the same fate. Mimir: “She was overcome with grief and
shame. For there is nothing nature so reviles as
a child who kills their parent.” Kratos comes from a history where compassion
is seen as a weakness and this is why he rejects Atreus. Kratos: “It is a curse. The boy has been cursed.” But ultimately, Kratos withholds the truth
about his history in the vain hope that it will help reroute his fate. Atreus: “Don’t leave without me.” Kratos: “I will not.” At this point, we see that things have begun
to change, as Atreus’ compassion has shifted the way that Kratos views the world. And by using Kratos’ own son, the writers
force Kratos to make an uncharacteristic choice in favour of a healthy relationship. Kratos: “The truth. The truth. I’m a god, boy. From another land far from here. When I came to these shores I chose to live
as a man. But the truth is: I was born a god and so
were you.” But it’s here, at this storytelling junction
point, that the writers flip the roles of the characters. Atreus: “I think I’m gonna like being
a god.” Kratos is beginning to let go of control,
right as Atreus begins to weaponise the truth about his godhood. Sindri: “I can tell you a thing or two about
family matters.” Atreus: “Let me guess, your brother isn’t
as talented as you and his work is junk?” Sindri: “Uh, those things are accurate. Your point?” Atreus: “It’s all you ever talk about! Over and over. Do something about it or shut up already. We’re sick of hearing about little people’s
little problems!” Kratos: “Why did you speak to the dwarf
like that?” Atreus: “He should know the truth. Even if it hurts." Kratos: “It was needless and unkind.” Atreus: “Truth is more important than kindness.” This line of truth being more important than
kindness sums up the struggle that begins to boil between the 2 protagonists as Atreus
begins to place his godhood status above others. But the way the writers guide both Kratos
and Atreus through this fog of morality is by telling stories about 2 other important
yet invisible characters, whose deeds are the subject of much discussion throughout
the adventure, Tyr, the God Of War from norse mythology and the vicious all-father, Odin. Mimir: “Odin’s ways are subtle and his
purposes are…” Atreus: “Ugh. Enough about Odin and his whole stupid family.” These 2 characters are used to establish the
moral compass for the story. A very clear north and south polarisation
of how to use godhood, which is a storytelling philosophy foreign to the mythos as the viking’s
Pantheon is more or less an a-moral one. But the fancy footwork of the writers can’t
be overstated here, as while Odin and Tyr’s legacies also haven’t escaped the ripple
effect of Loki’s removal, the point of their re-routing traces back to the same single
detail the writers change in the mythology. A detail that while not involving Loki directly,
involves the grizzly world of Loki’s children. In Norse myth, Loki is the father and mother
of many monster children and most of them appear in God Of War but at varying degrees
of importance. On the Jormungandr shrine, Loki’s entire
family name appears here in the oldest viking rune alphabet, elder futhark, including Loki
himself next to his wife Angrboda, followed by their 3 children: the first being Hel,
the half-girl half-corpse child who in the myths is sent by Odin to watch over the realm
of the same name, and the second being Jormungandr, the midgard serpent, who is very much physically
present in God Of War thanks to the introduction of a new time travel being sent back in time
during his cosmic battle with Thor during Ragnarok, which is an addition to the myths. Atreus: “What else did the serpent tell
you when you spoke? Kind of sounded important.” Mimir: “I’m sure it’s nothin. He just said the boy seemed familiar to him.” Atreus: “Me?” But it’s Loki’s third monster child on
the mural, Fenrir aka Fenris Wolf, the ever-growing wolf giant, whose legacy in the Edda's impacts
the destinies of both Odin and Tyr. Atreus: “Just knowing we’re gods makes
me feel so much stronger.” Mimir: “Maybe you feel a little too good
right now. With power comes a big choice, lad. You can either serve yourself or put your
godhood in the service of others, like Tyr did." According to the Prose Edda, Tyr was the only
God kind and brave enough to feed the wolf after Odin and the gods agreed to raise it
in Asgard. But upon seeing how quickly Fenrir was growing
in size, Odin convinces the other gods to bind him in case he turned on him. After 2 failed attempts to bind him with regular
chains, Odin turned to the dwarves, who, by using an unusual group of ingredients created the unbreakable fetter,
Gleipnir. Fenrir accepted the third challenge of being
bound by Gleipnir on the condition that one god place their hand in his mouth to be chomped
off if he could not escape. And Tyr, knowing full well that his hand would
be sacrificed, agreed. Fenrir was successfully bound, and Tyr’s
hand was bitten off while the other Gods laughed. And that’s how the merciful Tyr got his
nickname ‘the one-handed God’, who in God Of War is always depicted with both hands
still intact thanks to Loki’s children not being born yet. Atreus: “People really loved him, huh?” Mimir: “Aye. A god of war.
But one who fought for peace.” But the God Of War writers still harness Tyr’s
merciful nature to design a new legacy for him that shines like a lighthouse in the darkness
for Kratos & Atreus. On the Jormangandr mural, Tyr is seen positioned
in the center, surrounded by the midgard serpent, the 9 realms, and some runes. The 4 runes surrounding Tyr translate into
mercy, truth, peace, and unity, and it’s these 4 pillars that Tyr stands upon as he
tries to unite the races and bring peace to the realms. Mimir: “Had a reputation for being heroic
and lawful. Using his power and knowledge to stop wars
rather than start them.” Atreus: “So there are good gods?” Mimir: “Once in a while it’s been known
to happen, yes.” But the reverse polarity of Tyr’s open-handed
nature is the controlling path of the all-father Odin. Much like Kratos, Odin is a character trapped
inside his own grizzly cycles of fate, and while only ever seen as a figure riding one
of Loki’s other monster children, the 8-legged horse Sleipnir, Odin’s foreboding presence
can be felt all throughout the journey as he leaves behind trails of destruction and
death on his search for ways to reroute his fate. Mimir: “Fate’s a tricky thing lad and
Odin’s just arrogant enough to think he can get the best of it.” Kratos: “Fate is another lie told by the
gods. Nothing is written that cannot be unwritten.” Mimir: “On that brother, you and the All-Father
may just agree.” Odin attempting to change his fate is consistent
with the Edda’s, as the prophecies predict that it will be Fenris Wolf who brings forth
Odin’s ultimate doom during Ragnarok, whose role has now been replaced by the giants in
the wake of his removal. Mimir: “He’s convinced the giants hold
the key to changing his fate when ragnarok comes. They are Aesir’s oldest enemies after all
and it’s their army thats supposed to do him in in the end.” On the Jormungandr shrine, ‘fate is predestined’
is spoken over all these events, and it’s this idea of an unchangeable destiny that
pushes Odin to use his godhood for ill, exploiting Tyr’s truthful nature into gaining access
to the giants, whose entire race is then wiped out at the hands of Thor and his hammer. Mimir: “But of course, the idea is control. Control of the future. Control of his fate. He’d control every realm of every land in
every world if he could. Every potential pocket of resistance he seeks
to eliminate.” Atreus: “He should pay for what he said
about mother.” Kratos: “I said no.” Atreus: “But we’re gods. We can do whatever we want.” Kratos: “What are you doing?” Atreus: “This is a much better knife than
mothers.” From Odin and Tyr, Modi and Magni, Brokk and
Sindri, and Baldur and Freya, everyone’s reinvented legacies are all used as projections
of what the future can look like depending on the life decisions Kratos makes here in
the present. In fact, God Of War’s entire reinvented
mythological world, from all of it’s broken relationships, cycles of destruction, and
stories about control, is a world designed to constantly remind Kratos of the world he
comes from, and to ultimately be a world that he must reject in order to be truly free from
his past. Atreus: “Nobody cared about him anyways. Whats the difference?” Kratos: “There are consequences to killing
a god.” Atreus: “Why? How do you know? How do you know?!” Kratos: “Watch your tone, boy.” Atreus: “Whatever.” But in order to rise above it, Kratos must first
turn and look his history directly in the face, and this has been the role Atreus has
taken on from the beginning in perhaps God Of War’s greatest reinvention of all. While the absence of Loki is used to guide
Kratos to the precipice of true inner transformation, the push that sends him over the edge is the
presence of Loki through Atreus. Atreus: “No! Y ou broke the gate! That was our only way to Jotunheim!” Without the exciting, unstable, flawed figure
of Loki, there could be no change in the fixed order of things. Atreus: “Let go!” Kratos: “Calm down boy. You’re not ready for this!” Atreus: “I am ready!” Kratos: “Boy…” Atreus: “Zuma!” Baldur: “(Laughs) And here I thought my family
was fucked up!” Atreus: “Baldur!” Kratos: “No!” Baldur: “What did you do?” The Viking Spirit concludes as Daniel Mccoy
writes in regards to the ceaseless development intrinsic to myth, “the best way to stay
“true” to the Norse myths and religion is to continue to reinvent them for one’s
own time and place.” And so just how the vikings used Loki to shake
up the natural order of their cosmos, the God Of War team also use him to shake up theirs,
harnessing Loki’s unstable and flawed nature to shake up the unshakable disposition of
Kratos. While the Loki in the Edda’s is far from
the compassionate Loki in God Of War, the writers do stay true to Loki’s catalyst nature
and reinvent him to be the weapon needed to turn their protagonist around. During his spiral of rebellion, Atreus shape-shifts
into a mirror reflection of Kratos, reflecting back the truth that this world of misery has
been the foundation that Kratos has built his life upon. And so by saving Atreus from following in his footsteps, Kratos really saves himself. Kratos: “Boy?” Atreus: “I’m here.” Here for the first time in the story, Atreus
isn’t rebuked for falling short of Kratos, but for becoming too much like him. Kratos: “You will listen to me and not speak
a word. I am your father and you, boy, are not yourself. You are too quick to temper, you are rash,
insubordinate, and out of control. This will not stand. You will honour your mother and abandon this
path you have chosen. It is not too late.” Vision Atreus: “But we’re gods. We can do whatever we want.” Kratos: “Turn away boy.” Atreus: “That...wasn’t...me… I couldn’t have done that.” Kratos: “Do not dwell on those thoughts. Not here.” Atreus: “Yeah.” Sure enough, before the end, both protagonists
do arrive at a place of transformation, becoming a father and son team built on honesty and
encouragement. Atreus: “We may argue, me and father, you
and Freya, Brokk and Sindri. But when we all work together, we do make
a good team. And that’s Tyr’s test. That’s why we’re going to make it to Jotunheim.” Mimir: “You hear that, brother? The lad’s found his equilibrium!” Atreus: “What's what mean?” Kratos: “He means you speak wisely, Atreus. And that is good to hear.” Atreus: “I won’t let you hurt him!” Kratos: “No, boy!” Baldur: “Fine.” Kratos: “Stop! No! No! Atreus!” Baldur: “What is this?” Which all finally leads to this moment where
everything they’ve learned is put to the test as they face Baldur after he becomes
mortal once more. Kratos: “This path you walk, vengeance,
you will find no peace. I know.” Here at the end we see that Baldur has always
been the embodiment of all 3 themes at once, a victim of a parent trying to control fate
who is now a force committed to continuing the cycle of destruction. Baldur: “Why? Why do you even care? You could’ve walked away!” Kratos: “The cycle ends here. We must be better than this.” Just like the edda’s, God Of War is a story
full of knots and tangles, but ultimately the writers use their reinvented mythology
as support beams for the main story, which is ironically, or perhaps not, a story all
about the one thing the norse cosmos consider impossible... Freya: “You are just an animal.” ...change. Freya: “Passing on your cruelty and rage. You will never change!” Kratos: “Then you do not know me.” Atreus: “What are you doing?” Kratos: “I have nothing more to hide.” But where there's change, Loki is never far
away. And true enough, God Of War’s greatest twist
isn’t that Loki was never present... Kratos: “I killed my father.” ...but that he never really left. Atreus: “That was your father in Hel. Is this what it is to be a god? Is this how it always ends? Sons killing their mothers...their fathers? Kratos: “No. We will be the gods we choose to be. Not those who have been. Who I was is not who you will be. We must be better.” In the end, God Of War demonstrates that it
doesn’t matter how broken or damaged your history might be, whether it’s full of contradictions
or destructive patterns, It's never too late to reinvent the story.
Great video. Now I'll go to sleep beneath the Earth for an eon until the next one. Should be the Majora's Mask one, so excited about that.
I'm deaf. Does anyone know how to get in touch with the youtuber to ask them to upload their script to the youtube captioning tool?
I've been waiting for this for months. Good Blood always puts out amazing content, even if they only release something like once a year, its completely worth the wait.
Man, what a great video. I loved the game so much when I played it but didn't know much about Norse Mythology. The game got me interested so I listened to a few audiobooks about it a few months after I played, but the context and story from the games kind of waned since it was a while after. All the points and typical lessons of mythology were reflected in the games but this really lays it out as a genuine modern take on ancient stories.
As I played the game I felt that the story was something special and powerful since it paces and reveals it's themes in a captivating and cohesive form. Watching something so well produced and directed as this video really highlights the amount of work, detail and care that went into that game. It's amazing how well the themes and overall story came across in the final product and experience even with no prior knowledge of Norse Mythology.
I always wanted to do another playthrough of the game with all the context I've learned since then. This video might make that second playthrough come sooner rather than later. Really special game, it's great to have someone lay all this out in such a visual stunning and clean narrative style.
Easily one of the best video game "essays" I've ever watched. What an incredible look into a deep and rich story. I just saw GoW as a well written father son story but the intricacies outlined in this essay have elevated the game for me.
God of war is one of those super rare franchise where not one single entry in the series is bad. Even the weakest one like Ascension or Betrayal are still damn good games.
Thanks for sharing! This is more of a story related critique but if you want to watch a gameplay focused review I'd recommend these two [1,2] videos.
As a guy that didn't like the previous Gow games I was hesitant about getting this one but Santa Monica showed me with God of war 2018 that they're not only great a making a game look and feel fantastic, they also wrote something that struck deep.
GoW 2018 is the best game I've ever played and I can't even imagine they'll be able to topple that one with the sequel.