God of War Ragnarök: Kratos is toying with his loot, say the combat designers

Want more details on combat in God of War Ragnarok? Here you get it! Two combat designers reveal how Kratos can “play with his food” and what other options are available to you in battles with Kratos and Atreus.

Even the grim man plays now and then

In an interview opposite Game Informer Lead Combat Designers Mihir Sheth and Denny Yeh talked about the combat in the sequel. Above all, the new combat system should be more varied and even more entertaining.

“Kratos is playing with his food,” Sheth said. “We tried to create systems that you want to engage with, that are fun, that are very gameplay and have a lot of different paths. And when we looked at the combat in the last game, we thought, ‘We can take this even further ; we can find new toys and ways to play with opponents and strategies.’ That, more than anything else, was the leitmotif.”

Now, for example, Kratos can perform powerful elemental attacks with his weapon and freeze or burn opponents. New shields make for interesting smash attacks and the ability to absorb attacks and release them with a slam to the ground.

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However, Yeh warns players about going into battle too lightly: “Maybe don’t play with all your food because there will be food that can eat you up pretty easily.” Especially on the harder difficulty levels, the aggressiveness and lethality of the enemies are increased. They also reappear in places you’ve already visited.

The two designers also confirmed some impressive side content for Realm Tears lovers on the first God of War installment.

God of War Ragnarök is expected to be released on November 9th for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. There’s a bit more to see for those who can solve Mimir’s riddle, which Santa Monica Studios tweeted you to players.