God of War Ragnarok

Intense overall intensity
Highest flag: Violence — graphic & gore
AdventureMythologyRPG
🏆 BAFTA Games Awards 2023 — EE Game of the Year

What's in it

Violence graphic & gore
High

Sustained, bloody melee and weapon combat against Norse creatures, undead, and gods, with heavy spatter and impact emphasized on screen.

Mutilation / body horror player performs it
High

Finishing moves visibly dismember and behead enemies, tearing bodies apart on screen.

Language strong
High

Strong profanity including the f-word appears in dialogue during heated exchanges.

Dark themes intense
Moderate

The story dwells on grief, a foretold apocalypse, parental loss, death of allies, and looming war across the realms.

Substances referenced
Low

Mead and drinking are referenced within the Norse setting.

Horror & psychological spooky
Low

Some grim and eerie locations such as the realm of the dead feature undead foes, without a sustained horror focus.

Animal combat combat mechanic
Low

Players fight wolves, beasts and mythological creatures as a normal combat mechanic.

Who can reach your kid

What it is

God of War Ragnarok is a single-player action-adventure game in which the warrior Kratos and his teenage son Atreus journey across the nine realms of Norse mythology to prevent a foretold apocalypse. Players fight through combo-based combat against mythological beasts, undead, and human enemies using an ice axe, fire-chained blades, and a wind spear, solving environmental puzzles along the way. The combat is bloody, with heavy blood spray and brutal finishing moves that dismember and behead foes. Dialogue carries strong profanity, and the story deals in heavy themes of grief, loss, fate, and war. There is no online play, no chat with strangers, and no in-game purchases.

How it's framed

The game frames its violence as the burden and consequence of a life of war, with Kratos openly struggling to break cycles of vengeance and shield his son from becoming what he was. Its mythological world and magic are presented as setting rather than real-world occult practice, and the emotional weight falls on themes of parenthood, mortality, and choosing a different path.

Details

Developer
Santa Monica Studio
Publisher
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Released
2022-11-09
Metacritic 94critic score (third-party) · out of 100

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