Four years after a successful return of Kratos, the Spartan demigod of war turned father, and his son Atreus, are back this Friday at god Of War Ragnarok, an exclusive video game for PS4 and PS5. A new walk through the mythological meanders, crossed this time with Norse gods and monsters to fight. But above all an epic as overexcited as it is introspective for the two heroes.
Because god of war ragnarok, before being a magnificent game with an epic breath, is an ode to fatherhood. That of a father who sees his son grow up, that of a young man who seeks both the approval of the guardian figure and a desire for emancipation. And this is all personal quest game designed by Santa Monica Studio. “This whole story is about the father-son relationship,” he explains to technology and company Eric Williams, the game director of god of war ragnarok. “Within God of War (2018), it was Atreus who watched the adults and listened to them explain to him how the world turned. When you are a child, you have doubts, but you don’t insist too much, because you still can’t form your own opinion because you don’t have any life experience at that age.”
But the young man has become a teenager and his father has to get used to it. “We always think of the game as a duology between the 2018 version and ragnarok”, emphasizes Eric Williams. “This time we see Atreus beginning to listen to what he’s being told, but also expressing conflicting opinions. It’s a difficult time for any parent when that happens. You realize you don’t have all the answers and you’re entering a period where you already not everything is black and white It was essential for us that Atreus could see the wider world and understand what is happening.
The art of being father and son
In the new game, the little boy is granted some liberties that bring a breath of fresh air to the saga. If Kratos is still that unflappable muscular giant, who doesn’t recover from the death of his wife and launches himself on his quest for revenge, Atreus is his more sensitive counterpart, eager to make the world a better place, to discover for himself, “go to the wall” “For what he considers noble causes (finding the Norse god of war Tyr, arguing with rival Freya who nevertheless wants to kill her father, going into battle). All without seeming to want to confront Kratos. “They have a strong bond that was woven at the end of the previous game,” Eric Williams said. “They are this perfectly oiled machine that works like a charm and supports each other. What would happen if we separated them? Would they be better and stronger? Probably not.”
Then blood ties take over. Tout au long de leur aventure nordique, où l’on passe de la forêt à la mer, de la neige au désert, avec les yeux éblouis par la magistrale mise en lumière du jeu, ils restent soudés, malgré quelques éclats de voix ou rappels to the order. “That’s what happens in real life,” recalls the Santa Monica Studio creative. “If you squeeze your son too hard, he will run away from you. If you are not firm enough, he will go in the opposite direction and you will not be happy. It is this balance that must be found, also in the game.”
If Kratos continues to play swords and axes to progress his story – and those who have known the previous games will quickly find their reflexes – we also discover the pleasure of playing with Atreus, alone or in support of his father. The narration part allows you to watch him evolve, learn from his own mistakes and chart his path. But he is also very helpful in certain fights or puzzles, but also in solving many puzzles using his own strengths. A complementarity and a link that materialize even in the gameplay, controller in hand.
Behind its rather brutal action-adventure game appearance, god of war ragnarok it is an emotional tour de force through the relationship between these two. Atreus thus seeks a father figure, with this father whom he admires first, but who is overly protective, then with Tyr whom he sees as a hero and potential role model even before he has met him. Little by little, Kratos will give him his confidence and release the ballast to let him grow, mature. Becoming more human and sensitive in his new role.
A lifetime experience from reality to play.
And these changes are a bit like what the teams at Santa Monica Studio experienced over the course of an epic that began in 2005. However, the idea of having the iconic video game hero fight a father didn’t spark crazy enthusiasm. . initially. “The team has also aged. We weren’t a bunch of carefree young adults like we were in the first games,” recalls Eric Williams. “Now we have families, children. Suddenly, everyone said: ‘Hey, this happened to me with my son, it would be fun in the game’, ‘I experienced this as a father.'” And to tell an anecdote found in ragnarok: “One of the people explained that he took his son in a canoe and he fell into the water. He was furious and frustrated. We thought we had to add it to the game.”
The result is a game rich in experiences to carry a particularly well-written story, although it makes the game a bit linear at times. To support their idea, Santa Monica Studio has stayed true to its long sequence shot that allows the heroes to be followed as closely as possible through the nine worlds. As if they were witnesses of what they are going through. As in a movie, the secondary characters, from Norse mythology, have a real role in the story and are all fundamental stages in the life of Atreus and, by rebound, of his father.
“We wanted you to be an observer of their adventure, like documentary filmmakers capable of perceiving things of the order of intimacy between a father and his son,” sums up Eric Williams. With a look that is both external and involved, as a reflection of one’s own evolution from child to father that video games allow one to live intensely, with the same introspection as the heroes.
Source: BFM TV
