As a seasoned gamer with years of experience under my belt, I must say that God of War: Ragnarök stands out as one of the most immersive and captivating games I’ve ever played. The seamless cinematic camera, reminiscent of Half-Life 2, draws you into the world like no other. It’s not just about the action; it’s about the intimacy, the connection, and the journey.
The world of gaming is becoming increasingly accessible as timed exclusivity and cross-platform titles are becoming standard. Just announced, the previously Xbox exclusive title “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” will now be available on PlayStation. In recent years, PlayStation has been porting many of its first-party games to PC, such as “Ratchet and Clank: A Rift Apart“, “Marvel’s Spider-Man “, and most recently the critically acclaimed “Ghost of Tsushima“. On September 19th, “Ragnarök” will join this list of PC ports and looks set to be a significant upgrade. Despite being two years old, “Ragnarök” on PC is one of the biggest games of the year that you shouldn’t miss.
Ragnarok’s PC debut is not a mere port; rather, it has been significantly enhanced, making Kratos’ journey look and feel superior on PC compared to the PS5 version. Sony Santa Monica collaborated with Jetpack Interactive to integrate various PC-focused features, much like their work in upgrading the 2022 reboot. Just as they did earlier, Ragnarok is poised to utilize your PC’s capabilities effectively and impressively.
In the PC version of “Ragnarök”, players can anticipate an unrestricted frame rate, 4K resolution, and a variety of advanced upscaling technologies such as Nvidia DLSS 3.7, AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XESS 1.3. For those with expansive monitors, you’ll be delighted to know that the game now supports both 21:9 ultra-widescreen and 32:9 super ultra-widescreen resolutions for an immersive gaming experience in “Ragnarök”.
It’s interesting to note that the Steam page for Ragnarok mentions ‘increased geometric detail’ and improved lighting and shadows as exclusive enhancements for PC versions. Is it possible that Santa Monica and Jetpack Studios have upgraded the textures and added more detail behind the scenes, or is this just marketing jargon to imply better resolution for a clearer view? Regardless, if your PC can handle its full potential, one could argue that Ragnarok is essentially a remastered version. For those who’ve played the game before, you can visualize how breathtaking some boss battles will be on a high-performance PC. Keep in mind that Ragnarok requires a massive 190 GB of storage space on PCs.
And lest we forget, you can bring Ragnarök with you on the go via Steam Deck. Yes, that’s right, Ragnarök has full Steam Deck compatibility. It’s a rather ideal Steam Deck game too, considering how much more expansive the zones are than the first game. As a personal anecdote, when the Dwarf homeland of Svartalfheim opened its seas to my boat and me to explore freely, I pined for the ability to do the numerous side activities on the go. You have Odin’s Ravens to locate, lore artifacts to collect, Kvisir’s Poems to find, numerous chests housing important gear, and Yggdrasil’s Dew scattered across the waters. Collecting the copious amounts of stuff in Ragnarök will be made easier when you can play it anywhere on your Steam Deck.
Players of Steam who wish to enjoy Ragnarök PC version won’t have complete freedom as they need an additional PlayStation Network login to play. This pattern is similar to other PlayStation-only adaptations such as Ghost of Tsushima. However, fans of the Ghost of Tsushima PC port can anticipate the convenient PlayStation overlay and trophy synchronization that should work with Ragnarök. Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, it’s highly probable that Ragnarök will feature the PlayStation overlay due to similarities with past PS-exclusive ports.
Just as anticipated, the PC version of Ragnarök comes equipped with the complimentary Valhalla DLC. This presents a splendid chance for those who haven’t experienced it yet to give it a spin. Although it may not delve deeply into narrative or character growth like the primary storyline, it offers a fresh take with new Greek adversaries and equipment that cleverly tie back to Kratos’ previous adventures. Additionally, enthusiasts of roguelikes will appreciate the randomly generated levels as well as the newly implemented reset feature in Valhalla, which adds an exciting twist.
If you haven’t played Ragnarök at all yet, well, you’re in for a treat and couldn’t have asked for a better jumping-on-point. The thing that I always admire about the 2018 reboot and Ragnarök in particular is its one-shot cinematic camera which omits loading and cutscenes. It’s a seamless journey from beginning to end with no cuts or jumps in perspective. I can only count the games that do this kind of no-cut camera on one hand, with Half-Life 2 being the next best example outside the two recent titles. There’s an immersive quality to this fixed perspective that draws one into the world with greater intimacy and attachment.
Reboot and Ragnarök set themselves apart from the older games in numerous ways, one of which is their focus on intimacy. In fact, Ragnarök surpasses the reboot in several significant aspects. As mentioned before, it offers a wealth of content with side quests and collectibles scattered generously across its vast world. Unlike the prequel, which only depicted six realms, this game encompasses all nine realms, making them truly expansive, almost open-world.
Instead of Kratos’ Greek days, Ragnarök finds him in a different setting – now he’s living with his son Atreus in a secluded hut during the harsh Fimbulwinter. The narrative is more grounded and personal compared to previous Greek stories, as Atreus and the witty, talking companion Mimir provide contrast to Kratos’ strong persona. Throughout your adventure through the nine realms, you’ll hear engaging conversations among these three characters as they work together to prevent the catastrophic Ragnarok.
In the epic saga of Ragnarök, some standout moments include the intense, climactic battles against formidable bosses. It might seem like Kratos is the one instigating these fights, but it’s actually the other way around – they seek him out. Let me tell you, these encounters are no walk in the park; they deliver a powerful blow that forces you to utilize every ounce of your skills and abilities to emerge victorious. It’s almost unbelievable that Thor wasn’t featured at all in the previous game; instead, you spend most of your time battling common enemies and Freya from the prequel. The absence of Thor in the first game actually enhances the appeal of Ragnarök, especially given how richly developed and imaginatively portrayed the main characters are here.
Ragnarök serves as a great send-off for the series. The plot follows the climactic apocalyptic events of Ragnarök and sees Atreus and Kratos’ maturation. If you haven’t experienced Ragnarök yet, the PC port has a great chance of being your game of the year. If you already beat it on PlayStation, well, the upscaled resolution and uncapped framerate offer up a good enough excuse to go through it again. And if you don’t have a high-end PC, some portable Ragnarök sessions on Steam Deck sound like a blast.
Please take note: The opinions shared within this article belong solely to the writer and may not align with the broader perspective or stance of GamingBolt as a whole.
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2024-09-08 20:11