The God of War Ragnarok review embargo dropped yesterday, and the game's developers have a lot of feelings about the critical acclaim they've received.
At time of writing, God of War Ragnarok is sitting at a Metacritic score of 94. Dozens of perfect scores have helped it to joint-sixth place in this year's rankings behind only three other games. Elden Ring on PS5 and Xbox Series X are in joint first alongside the Portal Companion Collection on Switch, all on 96, while Persona 5 Royal on PC and Xbox Series X follow up on 95. At 94, Ragnarok sits in with the Switch port of Persona 5 Royal, and Elden Ring on PC.
It's an undeniably impressive achievement, and the devs are revelling in it. Writer Aly Samson said she was "so emotional," and that her work on the game "challenged me & helped me grow as a writer & a person." Gameplay animator Euna Park, who has moved on from Sony Santa Monica since working on Ragnarok, simply asked "How am I supposed to get any work done today after this?" Senior gameplay programmer Sam Handrick noted the amount of time the developers had spent on the game "trying to make something special," but that "you get so close to it that you never truly know if it's everything you wanted it to be until others try it. So to see reviews today - it's really special."
So emotional right now. Writing God of War Ragnarök was such a journey. It challenged me & helped me grow as a writer & a person. Seeing everything myself & the entire team worked on being so well received & appreciated... What a Hel of a debut for many of us, am I right? 🥰November 3, 2022
Elsewhere, level lead Luis Sanchez reacted to The Washington Post reporter Gene Park's claim that Ragnarok's side content "has finally dethroned The Witcher 3," saying "this recognition means so much. We pour everything into every inch of this game. So proud of what we accomplished." Elements like the God of War Ragnarok Treasure Maps certainly make it understandable where they're coming from, as Ragnarok boasts a pretty extensive range of favors, quests and collectibles.
As the Level Lead on the exploration content the recognition means so much. We pour everything into every inch of this game. The team doesn’t treat it as just side content, everything is crafted to enhance the world and player experience. So proud of what we accomplished. https://t.co/0GIqqCg6yvNovember 4, 2022
Of all the reactions being shared by the Sony Santa Monica team, however, perhaps the most telling is that of Ragnarok's director, Eric Williams. While Williams hasn't taken to social media to offer his response, a picture by studio art director Raf Grassetti after review were published shows an emotional-looking Williams standing next to creative director Cory Barlog.
❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/JFJzHKqp4jNovember 3, 2022
Wondering How long is God of War Ragnarok? Check our guide to story and completionist times here!
It's a moment reminiscent of Barlog's own, similar reaction from 2018, when met with his own 94 score. In that emotional video, Barlog spoke about how proud he was of the game, his team, and that "I didn't fuck it up." Following yesterday's scores, after a nervous countdown, Barlog simply said that he was "so proud" of "the brilliant humans who made this game."
Our own God of War Ragnarok review notes the experience is ever-so-slightly marred by a slow start to its story, but still describes it as "easily one of the best PS5 games of the year," offering "a beautiful world [...] and a fitting close for Kratos' viking adventure."
With that 94 locked in, God of War Ragnarok is now the biggest challenger to Elden Ring for GOTY.
