God of War Valhalla Review – A Canape That Will Please Fans First and Foremost

It was one of the most surprising announcements at The Game Awards last week. Santa Monica Studios has a gift for fans of the series about the bald warrior Kratos. Last Tuesday, the company released an expansion to the latest entry in the God of War series, subtitled Valhalla. It offers an epilogue to last year’s Ragnarok and brings a bit of new story or inspiration through roguelike mechanics. All for free for owners of the original game.

I didn’t expect anything special: fights, jokes, maybe even hints at previous events in Ragnarok. But it’s up to the developers that, although the DLC is relatively short, it manages to squeeze the most out of itself.

The epilogue follows closely the rest of the play, exploring Kratos’s insecurities and memories of Greece. In some ways, this will please fans of both the new and old titles. When Kratos “moved” from the sunny south to the frozen north five years ago and changed the mythology and gods he lives with, it upset some fans. The warrior grew a beard, had a son, and became more thoughtful. But Valhalla bridges both worlds. Sure, it’s not exactly a new game, but the occasional glimpse into the past is nice.

A mysterious letter has invited Kratos to Valhalla, where death is not the end, but a place for improvement. What is its meaning? Who wrote it? And what awaits the muscular Spartan at the end? Kratos goes through separate arenas, where he fights more or less familiar enemies and undergoes a kind of therapy. On his belt sits the head of Mimir, with the help of which he resolves his doubts, disappointments and unpleasant memories. More attentive players will remember some of them – for example, the ship captain from the original 2005 game, whom Kratos rather indiscriminately let die.

But it’s not just Easter eggs: the DLC makes more use of Krato’s past. It shows moments when the now more level-headed warrior was filled with rage and had no problem ignoring the death and suffering of “regular” people who stood in his way. But it also recalls his long-running dispute with the Greek gods, and not just Ares.

The story itself takes about five hours, although of course it depends on how much you enjoy fighting Krath and what difficulty you set – there are five in the game, and the DLC also includes an “endgame challenge” that is the hardest even the development team has ever had. Otherwise, you’ll find everything you’re used to in a roguelike.

Once Kratos dies, everything goes back to the beginning – there is no save. Which, by the way, freezes when the game crashes several times over a few hours (for some reason, in my case, Valhalla is unusually unstable when I decide to dig into Kratos’ skills and perks).

However, the hero can gradually improve, because along the way he collects not only currency, which will be enough for him only for one “run”, but also raw materials, which will remain with him even after death. For them, he can permanently increase such attributes as strength or vitality, increase health and rage, and also expand the range of bonuses that he will encounter later in the arenas. In fact, there is nothing that you would not know from other roguelike games.

Valhalla also recalls Kratos’s protracted dispute with the Greek gods, and not just Ares.

However, for those who enjoyed the dynamic combat of God of War, the openness of Kratos’s options is very tempting. From the very beginning, he enters Valhalla with all the skills he could have in the base game unlocked, and with a triple weapon: an axe, blades and a spear. However, the transitions are not as is typical for this genre. At the very beginning, you choose a shield, a talisman or perhaps a method of using rage. And also a weapon, which you want to focus on at least in the first arenas. In chests, you can find symbols of weapons and perks that offer different special effects or runic attacks. Depending on what reward you want, you choose the path that leads to the goal.

Valhalla does a great job of this, as well as the variety of combat it offers. However, it lacks a bit of pacing. Both Kratos and his only companion Mimir love to gossip, and if you want to learn more, you’ll sometimes have to stop and listen before opening the next gate. The dialogue is great, and is one of the great qualities of the Nordic God of War games. But the arenas are also separated from each other by significant spaces where there’s no fighting (more like talking). All of this detracts from the pacing unless you decide to run headlong.

But that still doesn’t ruin Valhalla as such. This experimental canapé will especially appeal to those who enjoyed the God of War series itself, and it’s intended specifically for them. But fans of quick roguelikes won’t be surprised by anything.