Summary
- Kratos wrapping up the Norse saga opens up opportunities for a spin-off game focused on Atreus.
- Angrboda's role in God of War Ragnarok and her relationship with Atreus make her a likely candidate for a companion in an Atreus-centered spin-off.
- The potential reunion of Atreus and Angrboda in a future title, along with the inclusion of Fenrir, could create a compelling group dynamic for a spin-off game.
With God of War Ragnarok presumably wrapping up the Norse saga for the series, there are a lot of directions a new game could go in. While Kratos will likely return in a new main series game, the ending of God of War Ragnarok does a great job of setting up Atreus to have his own adventure, making a spin-off or standalone game very likely. Although Atreus would likely be the focus of this game, it would be a missed opportunity not to include Angrboda as another figure central to this game's story given her role in the series so far.
God of War Ragnarok did a great job expanding upon the cast of the previous entry, building up the relationships between more characters than just Kratos and Atreus. While many of these characters felt like their arcs were completed at the end of the game, some still have a lot more story to tell that a spin-off game starring Atreus could capitalize on. Angrboda is one of the best examples of these types of characters, and her relationship with Atreus makes a compelling case for her to be the primary companion in this game.
An Atreus Spin-Off Game Would Feel Incomplete without Angrboda
In God of War Ragnarok, Angrboda has a close connection to Atreus as a fellow Jotunn and her role as the one who is meant to reveal his destiny to him preceding Ragnarok binds the two characters' fates even closer together. Throughout the game, it is clear that Angrboda and Atreus begin to develop feeling for each other, cementing their relationship as more than just a one-off arc for this game. As such, there is a lot of room for this relationship to be further explored in an Atreus-centered God of Wa r spin-off game.
The relationship between Atreus and Angrboda in God of War Ragnarok also mirrors that of her and Loki from Norse mythology. In these legends, the two are depicted as lovers who produce three children together: Fenrir the giant wolf, Jormungandr the world serpent, and Hel the ruler of the underworld. A version of two of these events is depicted in God of War Ragnarok as the two create Jormungandr when Atreus revives a soulless snake in Gryla's house using a soul marble, and a similar situation occurs when Angrboda reveals that Fenrir's soul is held within Atreus' knife which he then uses to revive the wolf by injecting his soul into Garm's body in Helheim.
While these two characters are manifested by the power of Atreus and Angrboda in God of War Ragnarok, Hel is never shown to be created by the pair as Hraesvelgr is the current ruler of the underworld. This part of Norse mythology could make for a key plot point in an Atreus spin-off game. Given that the ending of God of War Ragnarok sees Atreus set off on a journey to find the remaining soul marbles of the Giants, it would be fitting if this journey led to the creation of Hel similarly to the way Jormungandr and Fenrir were created.
Before setting off on his journey, Angrboda gives Atreus her soul marble so that he could visit her before returning to her home in the Ironwood with Fenrir. The way this is set up seems to be hinting at a reunion between Atreus and Angrboda in a future title, making it a waste of a perfect opportunity if the two are not reunited at some point. However, even better would be Angrboda and Fenrir joining Atreus on his journey as Final Fantasy 16 has shown that a party consisting of two lovers and their wolf makes for an endearing group dynamic.
God of War Ragnarok is available for PS4 and PS5.