God of War has been exploring the Norse realm since its reboot in 2018. As the story of Kratos and Atreus continues to develop, it seems inevitable that the franchise will continue to explore new realms.
The departure from Greek mythology in God of War was a fun change of pace for the games. Whatever mythology Santa Monica chooses to show next may only be mentioned briefly.
The first seven games in the series were mostly about Kratos’ quest against the Greek gods, with a lot of focus on the Ancient Greek pantheon and its mythology.
Shifting God of War to a new pantheon set in the Norse realm was a great change for the games. However, Kratos’ time in this world is already starting to end, which could be a sign for future parts of his story.
At the end of Ragnarok, Kratos and Atreus said goodbye to each other and started new periods in their lives. With the release of Ragnarok’s free Valhalla DLC, we can see where Kratos is in his life after the events of Ragnarok.
He is ready for even bigger challenges now that he has grown so much. As Kratos’s fights with Tyr in Valhalla hinted at possible worlds he could explore in the future, it’s unclear how long the franchise could stay in these worlds.
Valhalla Hints At Future Realms
In the Valhalla DLC, players fight Tyr four times. Each time, the Norse god uses a different weapon. Tyr fights Kratos using weapons from the Aztec, Egyptian, and Japanese histories in addition to his Norse story.
It’s unlikely that the franchise will spend a lot of time in these worlds, if these weapons are any indication of what Santa Monica has in store for upcoming God of War games.
Kratos might be about to leave the Norse realm if the rumors are true. This would mean that the franchise only spent two games and a DLC exploring that world. In God of War, that’s not nearly as much time as it was in the Greek era.
Some possible storylines are set up in Valhalla that could still be explored within the Norse realm.
However, if the franchise goes into uncharted territory, Santa Monica will probably make this a new pattern for the series.
Exploring As Many Worlds As Possible
It would be a shame to leave God of War’s Norse realm behind, but it makes sense for Santa Monica to want to show off other pantheons as well.
However, if Tyr’s weapons are true indicators of which realms the franchise is aiming for, then future franchise lines may be boiled down to just one single game set within each realm.
The future of God of War may be unknown at this moment, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if subsequent installments in the series only spent one game in each new realm Kratos and Atreus visit.
This makes me worry about being able to fully explore the myths and legends in the pantheons of each new realm, but it could also be a fun way to get a quick look at some great mythology from around the world.
