God of War Ragnarök (PC) Review

God of War Ragnarök (PC) Review

As gamers, we’ve come to expect that some years will be better than others. The cyclical nature of, well, everything guarantees there will be peaks and valleys in quality. Knowing this, it has to be something of a miracle that between 2022 and the present we’ve been treated to a steady release of consistently amazing games. There’s no better example than God of War Ragnarök, which has finally landed on PC. 

2022 saw the release of God of War Ragnarök and Elden Ring. These two games level-set the bar for action RPGs moving forward. Prior to release, there was immense pressure on both games to live up to a legacy of excellence. In the case of Ragnarök, the 2018 series reboot was considered a recent classic. Anticipation for an even better sequel was tempered by the reality of working during the global pandemic. 

Beating the Sophomore Slump

While a relatively small number of haters and skeptics disagreed, the vast majority of gamers and critics rightly hailed God of War Ragnarök as the masterpiece it obviously was. It improved on, and deepened, the combat and traversal mechanics of the previous game. Its art design and graphics were state-of-the-art. But for me, and many others, it was the game’s characters, voice acting, and epic narrative that made the biggest impression. Like the mythology on which it was based, Ragnarök took a roster of outsized gods and monsters and turned them into a moving study of family dynamics and personal growth. For any father, Kratos and Atreus’ relationship was relatable, heartbreaking at times and completely believable.

‘Perfect masterpiece’ is an oxymoron. Even the best game has flaws, however minor. In the case of Ragnarök, there were complaints about pacing. It’s true, the middle act sags a bit compared to the beginning and end. Puzzle solutions were sometimes too easy to come by, thanks to some overly generous hints. While I vehemently disagree, some people thought the game was too similar to the first God of War. Ragnarök is significantly more polished and its mechanics are considerably expanded. Ragnarök might not be as surprising as 2018’s God of War, but it’s more satisfying to play.

End of an Epic Tale

If you’ve played Ragnarök on PS5, you know the story. If you haven’t, I won’t spoil it. At the end of God of War, Kratos (otherwise known as the Ghost of Sparta) has killed Freya’s son Baldur. This act sets off a three-year ice age in Migard called Fimbulwinter, a precursor to Ragnarök. Kratos and son Atreus visit nine realms in an effort to stave off the world-ending apocalyptic Ragnarök. This tiny thumbnail only hints at the epic journey, vast cast of characters, and 30+ hours of content. The release on PC folds in Valhalla, Ragnarök’s free DLC, which takes place after the events of the main game.

God of War Ragnarök takes a cinematic approach to storytelling, with camera work that features long, uninterrupted shots. It simultaneously respects the ancient Norse mythology and character relationships, while updating them for contemporary audiences. This could be a minefield of tone-deaf interpretations, but Santa Monica Studios and directors Eric Williams and Corey Barlog get it right. 

The News Just Gets Better

Enough gushing about the game. The question is, how does it play on PC? The short answer: amazingly well. This is one of the most technically polished ports I’ve played in a long time. The immense number of graphics settings allows players with a wide array of setups to run the game successfully. In my situation, with a Ryzen 9 and Nvidia 4080 super, I got consistent framerates over 120fps in 4K, with DLSS. Without frame gen, the framerate dipped slightly to the 90-110 range. Keep in mind, this is at the highest quality setting. Dial it back to the ultra-performance setting and framerates jump into the 240fps range. Unlike the recent Final Fantasy XVI port, cinematics and cut scenes purr along at equally high fps.

In full disclosure, I’m only about halfway through this playthrough on PC, but I’ve not encountered any significant bugs, crashes, or even the occasional pop-in. It’s just amazingly polished and looks fantastic. The suite of accessibility, audio, and gameplay options is equally broad, and players can finally adjust the level of hints in the puzzles. The game even runs well on Steam Deck, albeit with some graphical compromises.

OK, But What About…

We need to talk about the humongous elephant stinking up the room, which is that God of War Ragnarök on PC requires a PlayStation Network account. For many gamers, that’s an infuriating and unnecessary complication, seemingly to no purpose. Neither Santa Monica Studio nor Sony have adequately explained the rationale, and angry customers have review-bombed Ragnarök on Steam. Whether that’s a deal breaker for you is something you’ll have to decide. My own experience was uneventful, and with no need to link my Steam and PSN accounts. Your mileage may vary and I’m hearing about some inconsistencies with the process.

Worth the Wait

God of War Ragnarök is an amazing achievement and it remains a must-play game for fans of action-RPGs. The port to PC is a model of technical polish, smart changes, and generous content. If you haven’t played God of War Ragnarök, and have a moderately powerful PC, it’s time. If you’ve played it on PS5 and have a good to high-end rig, playing it on PC is not only worth your time, but an even more impressive experience than on the console. 

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***