WithGod of War Ragnarok, the NorseGod of Warsaga has come to an end. Although it only spanned two games, unlike the numbered Greek trilogy and its many spin-offs, these titles have proven to be a big hit with fans. Offering a satisfying evolution of the mechanics in 2018’sGod of Warand a conclusion to its emotional story,God of War Ragnarokhas become another classic entry in one of Sony’s biggest franchises. For now, the adventures of Kratos and Atreus can afford a break.
The one remaining uncertainty is where the franchise will go from here.God of War Ragnarokwas a convincing ending to its Norse chapter, having covered Ragnarok itself. Aside from a spin-off focused solely on Atreus, there isn’t much else to do in the Norse setting. Rumblings beganbeforeGod of War Ragnaroklaunched that Egyptwould be the series' next destination, but perhaps the next change in scenery should also come with a new approach for howGod of Warhandles its successive mythologies. Fortunately, one of Ubisoft’s mascot franchises has been in a similar situation, and has plenty of pointers for dealing with it.
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Assassin’s Creed Gives Each Of Its Settings Just Enough Space
Assassin’s Creedhas done its fair share of hopping across mythology and culture, surpassingGod of War’s own. While it initially took ideas from Abrahamic religions and mixed them with its own lore, that often took a backseat to the historical talesAssassin’s Creedwanted to tell. That stayed consistent for a while, but the series' big shift into more numbers-basedaction-RPG gameplay inAssassin’s Creed Originsalso coincided with working in a variety of mythologies. Gods and monsters began appearing as optional content, starting with some ofOrigins' Egyptian pantheon.
That pattern held for the next couple mainlineAssassin’s Creedgames.Assassin’s Creed Odysseyincluded various classic Greek monsters, andAssassin’s Creed Valhallaturned its attention to Norse and Scandinavian beasts.Parallels withGod of Warare clear, even if the focus inAssassin’s Creedis primarily on humanity. Aside from that, the other big difference between the two is howAssassin’s Creedprefers to adapt everything from one setting in one title, and then move on to something different. Even in its initial games where a core mythology was shared, the age and location shifted between each title. It wouldn’t be a bad idea forGod of Warto take this approach.
God of War Would Benefit From More One-Off Stories
There is a temptation forGod of Warto pace itself and stick to Norse or Egyptian mythologies for as long as it can, manifesting as either spin-offs covering known characters like Tyr or Atreus, or starting a new saga in Egypt. Such approaches are still valid, butGod of Warneeds a lot more development timejust to produce one entry. With that in mind, a tight, polished EgyptianGod of Warstory that could be wrapped up in just one game may be the way to go.
Even at two games long, the NorseGod of Warsaga spanned five real life years for players, and longer than that for its developers. FollowingAssassin’s Creed’s approach, while still ensuring that each title stands on its own as a fully realized product and story,could helpGod of Warstay freshin the foreseeable future. There is a lot of mythological ground the franchise can cover, and this approach is ideal for shifting the focus to protagonists other than Kratos. WhereGod of Warwill head is uncertain, but it shouldn’t waste any time once it arrives.
God of War Ragnarokis available now for PS4 and PS5.
MORE:Wherever God of War Goes Next, It Cannot Abandon One Norse Feature
