Rise To The Challenge

If at first you don't succeed...

Before reading this review, it should be noted that this game is rated M for mature. Although video games can often be enjoyed by younger players, this particular title contains certain elements that are not appropriate for children. I will try and keep this review as clean and family friendly as possible, since I want content on this blog to be enjoyed by everyone. Always check a game's rating before allowing children to play.

One of the more common practices in the gaming industry is downloadable content, often referred to as DLC. I’ve spoken about it at length in a previous article, but essentially DLC serves as an expansion to games in the form of new levels, challenges, or cosmetic items. Since DLC often comes at an additional cost, it can often feel as though developers and studios are trying to milk consumers for every dime they have. DLC can often feel superfluous and might leave gamers with a sour taste in their mouth depending on the cost.

God of War: Valhalla is an exception in numerous ways.

A surprise announcement at the end of 2023, Valhalla was released on December 12th, a week after the trailer dropped on social media. It serves as an epilogue to God of War: Ragnarök and is completely free as long as you own a copy of the base game. This absolutely stunned me- God of War is one of PlayStation’s most popular intellectual properties. Ragnarök was one of the previous year’s highest selling games upon release. They could’ve charged a fair amount for it and yet made it free for the fans.

This next paragraph contains minor spoilers for God of War: Ragnarök. Although you should be able to enjoy the majority of the title, some ending details might be revealed. If you want to avoid spoilers, please skip the following paragraph.

As previously mentioned, Valhalla serves as an epilogue to Ragnarök. With Atreus on his own adventure and Kratos facing a difficult decision,  Kratos receives a mysterious letter inviting him him to face the challenges Valhalla has to offer.  In order to prepare himself for the potential changes in his life, Kratos must confront every aspect of his past head on.

The entrance to Valhalla. The runes above the doorway read "Master Thyself".

The interesting thing about Valhalla is that it’s presented in the style of a roguelike. What’s a roguelike?, I hear you ask. A rougelike is a game style that focuses on increasing challenge and repeated failure. Essentially you are put through an obstacle course with increasing levels of difficulty that will most likely kill your character at some point. Every time you die, you’re brought back to the beginning of the course where you can make changes and upgrades to your play style. You get a little further each time until your skills and gear are enough to carry you to the end in one go. Admittedly, the act of dying over and over can become frustrating but beating a difficult challenge can often present rewards that can help in the future.

Kratos wields The Blade of Olympus, a crucial element in the first set of games.

In the case of Valhalla, there are many different types of rewards. Some are boosts to your health levels. Others are boosts to your stats such as strength and defense or weapon upgrades and abilities. Whereas in Ragnarök specific armor sets provided these boosts, here any armor you wear is purely cosmetic. This forces the player to think critically about their decisions and the challenges they take on.

Since Valhalla is a study of Kratos’ past and mind, most of the areas and arenas you experience are locations from the previous games-and I mean all the games. In a twist that is both interesting and brilliant, Kratos will often come face to face with enemies from the original trilogy of games. There is even a particular area known as the labyrinth that focuses exclusively on Greek enemies. You must travel through confusing corridors and take down a certain number of enemies to advance to the next area. As if that wasn't difficult enough you are also on a timer. The longer you take, the harder the enemies become. The move set of the Greek enemies are often very different from the Norse ones, so you have to think on your feet. Even though I never had the opportunity to play the original trilogy, I can definitely tell that this section in particular is a love letter to the fans and an acknowledgement of how far Kratos has come. The storytelling in this DLC is done so well that even without much knowledge of the prior games I was able to piece together important moments and understand their significance. For Kratos, it’s basically therapy on steroids.

Players even have the chance to unlock Kratos' original appearance from the trilogy.

It's difficult to say how long it will take players to play through the main storyline since everyone's play style is different. But the great thing about a roguelike is its replay value . Even after the main story is finished, I find myself giving the course another go and challenging myself further. I might decide to try and complete a run with only one weapon or see how fast I can make it to the end, or even try and use tools that I may not be as familiar with. The important thing is that players try and have fun and enjoy the challenge even when they fail.

God of War: Valhalla is a welcome surprise that serves as a tribute to longtime fans as well as a crash course for newer ones. It's unclear if the series will continue, or if this is the final send off to the Ghost of Sparta. Either way, this is how DLC should be handled. It doesn't have to be free( although that would be nice) but it should be interesting and different in a way that honors its source material. Even when I lost a run, I heard Kratos’ words echo in my head.

“Do not be sorry. Be better.”

 This post was written by Vanessa Hart, creator of Deep Dive Gaming.