Last Updated on May 19, 2024 by “Tayyab Adnan”
God of War is a game that needs no introduction. Especially after 2018’s continuation of Kratos’s journey and the latest sequel to it, God of War Ragnarök, the series has gained even more popularity. I have always been a great fan of this franchise and love all of the titles both new and old. Having recently played the first installment of God of War’s Norse Saga, I have nothing but admiration for it. However, despite its being hailed as a perfect continuation, I have had some problems with God of War 2018.
Before I begin my negativity, I have to re-emphasize that I loved 2018’s God of War and by no means I will say it was a bad game. On the contrary, it was a really good game. I will just discuss a few points that made me feel a bit disappointed at the end because I had perhaps way higher expectations.
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Too Many Trolls
The first problem with 2018’s God of War is that it just featured too many Trolls. The game had done a great job designing Trolls and serving them as an enemy type. But I think their overuse made them feel redundant.
Moreover, there were crucial moments in the game where it could have used a new and innovative boss/mini-boss, but instead, it was just another Troll, this type with different color and name.
It is very common in video games that an initial main boss gets to reoccur as a normal enemy type later in the game and I have no problem with that. It’s just that God of War could have used different some different enemy designs and mini-bosses rather than utilizing Trolls too often. In some way, it felt lazy.
Baldur, Again and Again
Look, I loved Baldur as the main antagonist. His character design with those tattoos and braided beard was spectacular. The voice acting was remarkable and the dialogues were entertaining enough. However, him being the only main antagonist throughout the whole campaign didn’t sit well with me.
Yes, Thor’s sons were there but their presence was far too underwhelming even when compared to Trolls. God of War 2018 could have introduced more gods from Norse mythology while keeping Baldur as the central figure and that would have made the game much more impactful than it already is, but that wasn’t the case.
While I enjoyed every single encounter with Baldur, I did feel his final boss fight quite redundant and similar to the very first encounter we have with him as a stranger.
Lack of Norse Gods
I had my expectations very high with God of War due to it being related to Norse Mythology now. Coming from God of War II and God of War III which featured tons of Greek gods as both bosses and mini-bosses, I was more than excited for the 2018 installment and had hoped a variety of characters and mythical beings. But that wasn’t the case.
In fact, God of War 2018 featured a handful of gods namely, Freya, Baldur, Magni, and Modi. On the side, The Great Serpent and the two smiths were excellent additions but that’s it. All of these characters were greatly written but being used to interacting with so many gods and creatures, I had really expected to see a ton of more content in God of War 2018.
Overall, as I have mentioned multiple times now, I loved the game. But when the emotional journey ended, I was let down as I had hoped more for the story. Perhaps, I set the wrong expectations? I don’t know. Nonetheless, I was still grateful for playing the game finally and now can’t wait to play the latest entry in the series, God of War Ragnarök. But this time, I am going to keep my expectations in check and just focus on what would be present in the game instead of what could have been.
Do you agree with any of what I mentioned? Let’s have a discussion in the comments below. For more gaming content, keep following Retrology.
