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So, you’ve finished God of War’s main quest. You’ve scattered Fey’s ashes at the tallest peak in all the realms, seen Kratos and Atreus grow along the way (don’t worry about that tear, there’s just something in my eye), and probably ripped quite a few draugr in half. Yet despite being pleasantly full from all that delectable story, I don’t blame you if you’re already looking to the horizon and wondering what could be in store for the sequel to Kratos and Atreus’ adventure. Because come on, it’s almost definitely happening. Below you’ll find our God of War sequel wishlist, but absolutely do not read any further if you haven’t seen the God of War ending and got that God of War secret ending. Otherwise you’ll be reading a lot of God of War spoilers. Not good.
1. Different death animations for big enemies like Trolls
Tearing enemies apart is, without exception, bloody glorious (with an emphasis on the bloody bit). Smashing R3 on an enemy and seeing Kratos do anything from ripping their jaw all the way down to their abdomen (those poor Wulvers) to swinging them around like a flail - sorry not sorry, Tatzelwurms - might make you whoop with delight the first handful of times, but some extra death animations wouldn’t go amiss. Especially for Trolls. Although Dauði Kaupmaðr and Máttugr Helson have their own special finishing execution moves, as the other remaining trolls are still mini-bosses being able to take them down in more than one way would make the end of that fight even more satisfying, making their demise feel like more of an event. A very bloody one at that.
2. A bigger role for the World Serpent
Thank Odin Jormungandr is Kratos and Atreus’ ally. He’s pretty relaxed for a giant snake that’s been hauled back in time, with his resentment mostly reserved for depictions of Thor. When you think about it, he must have quite a few fascinating stories to tell as he’s not only seen the future, but lived it. Mimir reveals that Thor punched him so hard that he got sent back in time during Ragnarok, and as Fimbulwinter has begun by the end of the game (one of the harbingers of Ragnarok) I’m hoping that the World Serpent will continue to be a key part of the story and give some advice about Ragnarok to Kratos and Atreus. Forewarned is forearmed, after all...
3. Unlock the realms Odin has barred entry to
Being told that the travel rune to three of the Nine Realms ‘will never work’ is perhaps the biggest incentive to want to travel there. Thanks, reverse psychology. To recap: Svartalfheim, Vanaheim, and Asgard are all out of your reach in God of War, as Odin has prevented travel to them for his own nefarious reasons. Asgard and Vanaheim both belong to the gods, with the warfare-centric Aesir hailing from Asgard and the magical Vanir coming from Vanaheim. Being inhabited by almost-immortal beings presumably makes those two realms incredibly dangerous for Kratos and Atreus (especially now they’ve pissed off both groups with Baldur’s murder), so going there sounds like the endgame for the God of War sequel. Dwarves call Svartalfheim home, and Kratos and Atreus’ friendship with Brok and Sindri hints that dwarves are more likeable than the gods so heading there in the sequel seems like a real possibility. The pair might even enlist the blacksmiths to help them travel there...
4. Have Atreus as a playable character
Atreus has had his rough patches (what with his bratty disposition once he found out about his godhood), but after overcoming his ego it looks like he’s primed and ready to play a bigger role in the God of War sequel. Having some chapters where you play as Atreus - perhaps in sections where he gets separated from Kratos - would be incredible, as his archery and summoning skills definitely make him powerful enough to be playable. Plus in the scene where Modi insults Fey, we see that Atreus appears to have inherited Kratos’ Spartan Rage as his body becomes briefly wreathed in flame. It would probably have a different, non-melee function for Atreus as he’s more skilled at ranged combat. I’m thinking a Dead-Eye-like ability that slows down time so he can fire off triple the amount of arrows in seconds.
5. More favours
God of War’s favours are exquisite ways to not only force you to explore more of the world, but they also show how Kratos carefully guides Atreus’ emotional development. Every single quest is a lesson for the young boy with each new stage of the mission being thoughtfully discussed between the father and son along the way, and I just want more of them. I’m sure you do too. Atreus isn’t quite done yet with learning important life lessons. If the next game takes place when he’s a couple of years older, the pair’s different approaches to each mission could even be a gameplay feature: will you go the Kratos way and just focus on your goal without getting distracted by potentially risky paths, or play like Atreus and try to find alternate ways to complete the quest?
6. Let us meet Odin or Thor
For all we heard about the two formidable gods during Kratos’ journey, we only glimpsed Thor and didn’t see anything of Odin. Which isn’t a bad thing, by the way - by keeping them at a distance God of War builds them up as terrifying, unhinged gods that become increasingly worse with every tale we hear about them, just like the ‘don’t show the monster’ rule in the best horror games. But, as Kratos would say, we haven’t heard their side of Mimir’s various stories yet. Featuring at least Thor in the God of War sequel seems likely, as he was in that secret ending, but what’s on his mind? Is he going to be an adversary, or does he want Kratos’ help in preventing Ragnarok? So many questions, and only Thor or Odin can give us the answers.
7. Tell us more about Fey...or let us play as her
She’s dead, I know. I’m not expecting her to pull the ‘I was secretly alive all along!’ trick, but there’s other ways Fey could play a role in the God of War sequel. Perhaps as part of a flashback sequence, even if it’s just a cutscene showing us what she looked like. Or - and I’m crossing my fingers for this - have her in a brief DLC segment. I’m talking about a 10-minute section that has you playing her when she takes Atreus on a hunting trip. I’m choking up just thinking about it: you could hear her tell Atreus one of her stories when they’re tracking a deer, or sharply stopping him from moaning about Kratos, anything to get to see her in action. At the end of the DLC Kratos would appear and we’d get to see what the relationship between him and his wife was like...not that we’d see the Spartan bring her flowers exactly, but it’d be a valuable glimpse into the life that Atreus and Kratos have long since left behind.
