God of War Laufey was arguably the most surprising reveal from PlayStation’s State of Play, which I think even ended up overshadowing Marvel’s Wolverine, and for obvious reasons. It’s, well, a new God of War, and not something made by a third-party studio or a separate internal first-party studio either. It’s a game made by Santa Monica Studio itself, and is being marketed as the next big “mainline” God of War game, after Ragnarok.
Naturally, those sentences alone are enough to grab anyone’s attention, granted they’re already in the know-how of the modern God of War hype cycle. However, God of War Laufey is also the most unique game in the franchise, as it’s not only pivoting away from the series’ quintessential “God of War,” i.e., Kratos, but also taking the story to a completely uncharted territory, divorced from both Greek and Norse eras of the past.
As is the case with a change so drastic, there was always going to be some friction between fans and Santa Monica Studio’s new vision for the franchise. While I wasn’t a big fan of God of War Ragnarok, I was still excited to see what Santa Monica does with IP in the future. Unfortunately, after seeing what God of War Laufey aims to accomplish, I don’t think I’m fully sold on the game, its characters, and most of all, its premise.
God of War Laufey Isn’t The Change The Franchise Needed
As someone who has been playing God of War since he first got his hands on a PlayStation 2, to me, the series has always been about Kratos. If I am playing a God of War game, I would rather play as the poster child of the series than some random character that we only got to know about and got a very brief glimpse at a couple of games ago.
It’s like playing a Tomb Raider game where instead of Lara Croft, you’re playing as Jonah (one of Lara’s friends). While yes, I like Jonah a lot, as a supporting character and a plot device. However, that does not mean I want the next “mainline” game to be about him. Tomb Raider is always about Lara. It’s her story, her adventure.
The same goes for God of War. If I am to play the next “mainline” God of War, I want to play as Kratos, regardless of how much he has changed or whether he still holds the mantle of the God of War or not. While yes, I understand I do sound like someone resistant to change, but that’s not it. I do like it when games switch characters to give me a new perspective.
However, that only works for franchises that don’t have a character, a face already linked to it. Look at Halo, for instance, 343 and even Bungie before them tried to make Halo games that put you in the shoes of Spartans other than Master Chief. However, besides Halo Reach, there’s no other game that left a lasting impression on fans.
Even Halo 5, which evidently was a story centered around Locke, ended up failing in the long run. I understand that character action games, or even adventure games like modern God of War, do lend themselves open to multiple protagonists, but that’s not necessarily always the right thing to capitalize on. I would be more keen about God of War Laufey if it were marketed as a side story, and without the “God of War” prefix.
There’s a reason why Capcom did not retire Dante for the mainline Devil May Cry games, even though Nero could easily fill his shoes. Dante is the face of Devil May Cry, period. And skipping that character over a new protagonist will not only hurt the IP but also alienate fans. The same goes for Bayonetta, where we got characters like Jeanne and Viola, which I think can easily carry a whole game on their shoulders.
However, Bayonetta has always been about Cereza; it’s her story, her game. And while I thoroughly enjoyed the occasional sections with Jeanne and Viola, if I’m going to play a Bayonetta game, I want to play as the series’ original protagonist. All this does make me sound like the “old guy screaming at the clouds.”
But all this comes from someone who deeply cares about these games, cares about God of War. To me, God of War (2018) was one of the most influential games of the last generation, much like God of War 2 back in the 2000s. The series introduced me to character action games, which is one of the few genres I stuck with, even with the shift in tastes with age.
I want God of War to succeed, I want games that really resonate with not only me, but other players, players who might be new to the franchise or only recently hopped on to it after God of War (2018) or Ragnarok. However, that’s not going to happen if PlayStation is trying to simply milk the franchise dry without a second thought.
I am not the only one who thinks this, but I honestly was rooting for Santa Monica Studio to pivot away from God of War for a few years. It’s an incredible studio with some incredibly talented developers that can craft some of the most imaginative worlds while simultaneously weaving a grounded and personal story surrounding them.
It’s really a shame that they’re relegated to just being the “God of War” studio. Between God of War Laufey and the previously announced God of War Trilogy Remake, Santa Monica already has their work cut out for them, at least for the next 6-7 years. This leaves very little room for new ideas, which really saddens me.
I won’t even go into the inclusion of a “Cube” as a companion in God of War Laufey, and how the dialogue and banter between characters feel at odds with what God of War used to be. To me, this game just doesn’t feel like God of War. And no, air combos and a brutal combat system do not automatically make a game a God of War game.
That said, I will happily eat my own words if God of War Laufey ended up surprising me and fans of the series in ways that we don’t even expect. If there’s one thing Santa Monica Studio and their storytellers are expert at, it has to be subverting expectations. With Laufey, they might just end up delivering the best “God of War” game since 2018.
And I’ll be more than happy for that. However, without Kratos at the helm, I would reserve my doubts. With that said, there’s also another sphere of the internet and “fandom” that is displeased with God of War Laufey, but for completely unnecessary reasons.
The biggest reasons behind the God of War Laufey discourse, well, at least if Twitter (X) is to be believed, are the protagonist and how God of War is yet another victim of PlayStation’s western studios gender-swapping the lead of a franchise that has been led by a male. While I do understand the skepticism. It shouldn’t be the only metric to dismiss a new game. Just because Laufey is led by a female lead, it isn’t a just reason for discourse.
This would be like saying Devil May Cry 4 is woke since it has playable Lady and Trish in the Special Edition DLC. Or, saying Uncharted is woke since its spin-off game, Lost Legacy, is led by Chloe Frazer.
While God of War Laufey isn’t the game I or many long-time fans of the series did not necessarily want, it doesn’t take away from the confidence we have in Santa Monica Studio. Laufey might not resonate with me the same way God of War (2018) did, but if it can deliver a strong, engaging, and satisfying single-player action game, I won’t be complaining.
