The God of War franchise has pulled into its latest stop with God of War Ragnarok. Wrapping up the Norse Saga in only two games, God of War has covered a lot of ground in the past few years. It's a far cry from the days of the original trilogy and its spin-offs on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, but it feels good to see the franchise continue to strive confidently forward. God of War Ragnarok brings Kratos and Atreus’ adventures across the nine realms, with new developments happening for the growing cast around them. It's a grand journey, and many players are still working through it.
As with the 2018 God of War, God of War Ragnarok's incidental dialogue is a highlight of the experience. During moments of downtime and travel, characters are frequently making small talk with one another. Kratos is a somewhat terse speaker, but this leads to plenty of both somber and humorous moments next to his more sociable companions Atreus and Mimir. One particular reference that Mimir makes may leave fans scratching their heads, but that’s understandable considering that it's referencing more than just God of War’s history.
Kratos Has a Vast and Mysterious Past
With knowledge being the basis of his character, Mimir makes for one of the more talkative members of God of War’s cast. In Ragnarok, he has taken to asking Kratos riddles, which the warrior often fails miserably at. Mimir is also curious to hear Kratos speak about his own past in Greece, and they both make several references to Greek culture throughout Ragnarok. Under certain circumstances, Mimir can mention that he’s heard of a rather eccentric tournament that Kratos has participated in, with Kratos noting that he's been in many. However, this was no average night at the colosseum.
Mimir provides what little he's heard about this particular competition, and of the other beings who took part in it. In his own words, Kratos supposedly went up against "beasts, scoundrels, princesses, the undead, automatons, and even history's greatest musician." Kratos seems to realize what Mimir is referring to, and quickly declares that he will not speak of it. Some players may be left scratching their head at this, as while Kratos has fought most of these archetypes, none of the gods and monsters Kratos has slain held musical domains. The identity of this event and its participants lies between the crossroads of several PlayStation titles, and knowing its background explains Kratos’ reaction to it.
PlayStation All-Stars and Sony’s Greatest Musician
Back in November 2012, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale was released as a platform fighter featuring icons from PlayStation's history. With a focus on longer combos and super move executions, it provided a distinct experience compared to Super Smash Bros. The game even did its best to include dialogue between its fighters, and made every stage into a mashup of at least two properties. It was a valiant attempt, but the game was doomed before its release. Needing super moves to win alienated the platform fighting community, and PlayStation All-Stars’ cast had major third-party absences like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Combining those flaws with odd roster decisions, like using DmC: Devil May Cry’s Dante instead of the original and Metal Gear’s Raiden instead of Snake, made for a public disaster.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale still has its fans, but its spotlight quickly dried up alongside its post launch support. God of War Ragnarok may be making a playful jab at it, with the “greatest musician” in question actually being Sony’s old rhythm game hero PaRappa the Rapper. PaRappa and Kratos don’t share many interactions in PlayStation All-Stars, but the enormous tonal contrast between them is the source of plentiful visual comedy. While Kratos and Mimir's acknowledgment of this odd moment in PlayStation history doesn't necessarily confirm the game is canon to God of War, it's still a cute reference to the furthest reaches of Kratos' battles.
God of War Ragnarok is available now on PS4 and PS5.