Every game should copy God of War Ragnarok's best accessibility feature

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Optional boss checkpoints are the future

god of war ragnarok
(Image credit: Sony)

God of War Ragnarok packs in over 70 (!!) accessibility features, but there's one in particular that should just be standard in games from now on.

Sony Santa Monica published the full list of accessibility features on PlayStation's website with a brief description under each one. If you scroll through the whole list - or stumble across this tweet from accessibility advocate Steve Saylor highlighting the feature - you'll see that one of those options allows you to toggle on and off optional checkpoints for minibosses like Ancients and Trolls.

As Saylor explains, God of War Ragnarok's boss checkpoints will automatically save if you've damaged at least 50% of a boss's health bar. Then, if you happen to die after that point, you'll restart the fight with the boss already at half health. That'll undoubtedly spare a lot of folks the headache of having to restart a tough boss fight all the way from the beginning after a hard-fought battle.

Naturally, the feature is drawing the ire of the 'git gud' crowd for making bosses easier for those who opt in (god forbid), but the broader reaction from the community seems to be supportive. Of course, in case I haven't called it an "optional" feature enough already, it's worth repeating that you can play through the whole game without boss checkpoints simply by... not turning them on in the accessibility menu. Sony Santa Monica also notes that the feature isn't available in the No Mercy or God of War difficulties.

Read our full God of War Ragnarok review to find out why Sony Santa Monica's latest is one of the best PS5 games so far.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.