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Two things jumped out during the God of War Laufey reveal. Firstly, Faye, guardian of the Giants and Kratos' long-dead wife, is now clashing with other gods in the divine afterlife. Secondly, she's got a big, silly cube friend named Phranque. The internet seems equally infatuated with the two, but also slightly worried that Phranque could conflict with the tone of the series, which is already seeing major changes with Kratos sidelined for now. But Laufey director Ariel Lawrence says the cube is serious, and so is the game.
GameSpot asked Lawrence about the fears "around the Marvelification or the Joss Whedonification of God of War" following Phranque's introduction. Lawrence notes that we don't get a great grasp of Phranque's personality or role in the limited slice of the game shown at the June State of Play showcase, as he only "got six or seven lines in the reveal," suggesting there's much more to him. But Sony Santa Monica knows what it wants to do with him, she says, and the plan is not to crowbar in gags or one-liners.
"I would say as we are still in development on all of these things, we’re treating Phranque as we would any companion character," she says. "His earnestness, his honesty about being in the moment is kind of integral to his character, but that doesn’t make him completely unserious. For us, we want to find his humanity.
"And as we’ll discover, in the world of Everywhen things are not great right now. So for him, I think it’s really about helping Faye see the world as it is. So he’s not meant to be a joke in that kind of capacity."
Lawrence points out that, when the focus was on Kratos in God of War 2018 and Ragnarok, "levity of other people stands in contrast" to his gruff, serious personality, which doesn't change all that much outside rare moments of vulnerability and introspection. The Huldra brothers come to mind – often crass and comedic, but never distracting, and consistently loved by fans. Phranque seems to be slotting into Laufey in a similar way.
"I think we have real people as much as we can, but I think the reveal is just a very small section of the Everywhen, and so as we kind of open up the world to see the next things, Phranque fits into that part," Lawrence adds.
In a "meet the cast" video, Phranque actor Jack Quaid said, "When you start playing this game, you get the feeling that the Everywhen is in trouble and Phranque will stop at nothing to protect all the living creatures that inhabit this world."
Phranque has also stoked discussion around the mythology or theology that seemingly inspired his character. Laufey features myriad gods, which leaves the door open for all manner of celestial powers, potentially including Metatron's Cube.
