Review of God of War Valhalla – a canape that will primarily please fans

This was one of the most surprising announcements at The Game Awards ceremony held a week ago. Santa Monica Studio has prepared a gift for fans of the series about the bald warrior Kratos. Last Tuesday, the company released an add-on to the latest installment of the God of War series, subtitled Valhalla. It offers an epilogue to last year’s Ragnarok and introduces a bit of new story or inspiration through roguelike mechanics. All this is free for owners of the original game.

I didn’t expect anything special: fights, jokes, perhaps even hints at previous events in Ragnarok. But it must be left to the developers that although the DLC is relatively short, it manages to get the most out of itself.

The epilogue closely follows the entire play and explores Kratos’ insecurities and memories of Greece. In some ways, this will please fans of both new and old works. When Kratos moved from the sunny south to the frosty north five years ago and changed the mythology and gods he lives with, it upset some fans. The warrior grew a beard and a son was born, he became more thoughtful. However, Valhalla connects both worlds. Of course, this is not a completely new game, but the occasional glimpse into the past is nice.

A mysterious letter invited Krata 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 in 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 eagle-eyed players will remember a few of them – like the ship captain from the original 2005 game, who Kratos rather indiscriminately let die.

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

The story itself takes around five hours, although of course this depends on how much you enjoy fighting Kratos and what difficulty you set – there are five in total in the game, and the DLC also includes an “endgame challenge” where he sweats it out on the highest difficulties. even the development team itself. Otherwise, you’ll find everything you’re used to in roguelike games.

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

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

Valhalla also recalls Kratos’ long-running dispute with the Greek gods, and not just Ares.

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

Valhalla excels at this, as well as the variety of combat it offers. However, they lack a bit of pace. Both Kratos and Mimir, the only one accompanying him, love to gossip, and if you want to know more, you sometimes have to stop and listen before opening the next gate. The dialogue is excellent and is one of the greatest qualities of the Nordic God of War titles. But the arenas are also separated from each other by large spaces in which they do not fight (but rather talk). All this detracts from the dynamism of the passage, unless you decide to run headlong forward.

But this still does not destroy Valhalla as such. This experimental canapé will especially appeal to those who liked the God of War series itself, and it is intended directly for them. But nothing will surprise fans of quick bagels.