Santa Monica Studio's recent God of War: Ragnarok trailer set the stage for the final chapter of the franchise's Norse adventure. With Kratos and Atreus set to face off against the Norse end of days whilst simultaneously attempting to maintain their own strained father-son relationship, the narrative stakes within the franchise have arguably never been higher.

Perhaps unsurprisingly considering the studio's well-documented history of pushing boundaries, God of War: Ragnarok's combat mechanics look even more brutal and visceral than the stellar previous adventure. During the tantalizing 3 minutes and 17 seconds dedicated to the upcoming PS4 and PS5 title, brief glimpses were provided of some of the new additions and refinements that have been injected into the experience, which should make fights bigger and better.

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Greater Enemy Variety

One of the few yet understandable criticisms that were leveled at 2018's God of War soft reboot was the lack of enemy variety in comparison to what had previously been featured in the franchise's Greek mythology days. Despite the epic nature of the first Norse episode in the new saga, players were often confronted by the same Draugr and Trolls across the roughly 20-to-30-hour campaign. From Santa Monica Studio's recent story trailer for God of War: Ragnarok, it's clear that Kratos and Atreus are going to have their hands full with a vastly expanded roster of baddies this time around.

During the trailer, Kratos finds himself confronting an array of new enemy types like a band of Norse-Men and a terrifying Dreki that looks unlike anything else that's been seen in the franchise. Eagle-eyed viewers will have also noted the appearance of a human-deer hybrid creature called a Stalker that suspiciously resembles the centaurs more commonly found in Ancient Greek mythology. With the likes of Freya and Thor having already made their presence known to Kratos and Atreus, there's a decent chance that Ragnarok's selection of boss battles will be expanded upon beyond the handful that went down in the last installment.

In an article posted to the PlayStation Blog, the studio's Sr. Community Manager Grace Orlady noted that even the smallest of encounters this time around will be memorable. This time, it looks and sounds like the great assortment of opponents is coming hand-in-hand with expanded combat mechanics, tactical options, smarter AI behavior, and more overall player choice.

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Grappling and Verticality

Even though the narrative trailer that Santa Monica Studio debuted at last month's PlayStation showcase was packed with standout moments, one that caught the imagination of fans, in particular, was Kratos' new ability to grapple to nearby ledges. Utilizing the iconic Blades of Chaos during a battle, the god of war was able to launch himself onto an elevated platform before continuing the fight from this new position. Later on, Kratos was also briefly shown using the weapons to grapple onto an enemy before comboing into a devastating ground-pound attack.

In the past, Kratos has admittedly used the Blades of Chaos to a similar effect at various points in the God of War franchise's history, however, grappling in Ragnarok appears to have deeper combat implications than what's previously been explored. In a recent interview, the game's Director Eric Williams stated that verticality within combat, and Kratos' ability to move between different levels, will feature more frequently in the upcoming PS4 and PS5 title. The phrase "king of the hill" was also mentioned, inferring that at various points in the story, Kratos and Atreus might have to defend an area from hordes of enemies.

Back in God of War 2018, fights were often locked to a single, flat plane, with any shift in locale often occurring because of a preset cinematic event, rather than because of player action. But this time around, things will be different thanks to the new grapple maneuver, with combat sections having grander scale and subsequently more options for players to express themselves within. Williams has also warned that enemies can use the new multi-layered setup to their own advantage, which suggests improved AI behavior is something that players will need to be more aware of too.

Atreus' Bigger Role

Over the course of 2018's God of War, Atreus cemented himself as being one of the standout aspects of the father and son adventure. Ever since it was revealed that the boy's original Norse name is Loki, fans have naturally been eager to find out where the character's journey will go next during the apocalyptic Ragnarok. In the recent trailer, a couple of scenes were shown that demonstrate how Atreus' role within the narrative will be backed up by an expanded responsibility.

At one point in the God of War: Ragnarok video, for example, Atreus can be seen summoning a ghostly ethereal deer before riding it straight into combat. Williams has stated that, in addition to having new and improved abilities like this, specific enemies will require the player to coordinate attacks with Kratos and Atreus simultaneously for more efficient results. Certain encounters are said to have also been designed in ways where leading the attack with the younger hero will be a better tactical approach. Whether or not fans finally get to take control of the character remains to be seen, but regardless of this, it's refreshing to see Atreus developing beyond his sidekick status.

Kratos' Build Options

Despite the fact that Kratos will be over 200 years old by the time God of War: Ragnarok's story kicks off, the recent trailer demonstrated how the veteran Spartan warrior has still managed to pick up a few combat tricks in time for the upcoming sequel. In addition to wielding returning weapons like the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos in new exciting ways, Kratos also utilized some new shields during the gameplay showcase. Considering that each of the armor sets within 2018's God of War had unique properties that altered gameplay slightly, it stands to reason that the visually diverse shields will also work in a similar manner.

Throughout the recent marketing push for the PS4 and PS5 game, several members of Santa Monica Studio have emphasized how players will be able to express themselves more in Ragnarok, especially during combat. This infers that players will be able to kit out their own version of Kratos in new and exciting ways, mixing and matching armor, shields, runes, and other upgrades to create a play style that suits them and individual encounters.

God of War: Ragnarok is in development for PS5 and PS4.

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