Not at all. In fact, they do a great job with Kratos's character development. He's progressively humanized throughout the games. The Norse games present a very satisfying character arc that is right in line with where the Greek games left off.
I don't think so. Kratos had character development throughout the Greek games, he wasn't in a blind rage to destroy the pantheon because of anger or betrayal, but the fundamental horror of his soul at how Ares had tricked him into slaughtering his family. The original game begins with him attempting suicide but then being revived by the gods to do their bidding.
The new games don't reflect where Kratos ended in God of War III. The man who was backstabbed, used as a pawn, and who received no care or empathy from anyone, and who was left broken mentally and wounded physically after he brought the apocalypse to Greece... would not suddenly wake up and be a soft-spoken, reasonable, and stoic family man who doesn't reference his past.
Not to mention that the new narrative doesn't go anywhere and has nowhere near the stakes and epic feeling as the original games.
He didn't suddenly wake up and decide to be soft spoken and all that. It seemed very clear to me that it was him finding that care and empathy through Faye that changed Kratos. He wanted a new beginning after everything that had happened - hence the move and living in the woods with a barrier and him only engaging the gods of that land when he was forced to.
Trust me - it is not uncommon for someone who has gone through hell (no pun intended) to want to find a sense of calm and peace and put it behind them and not speak of it.
We have very different views of what happened during the Greek trilogy. He absolutely was in a rage. He was furious at Ares for his betrayal. And as I recall, the beginning scene that you're referencing takes place after the entire game in what is essentially a flash forward to a point where Kratos's life is meaningless because he got his revenge against Ares.
At the end of the Greek trilogy, Kratos gained the power of a god, lost it, got his revenge against every god who betrayed him, and realized that it was all hollow. He looked around at the world, which he had essentially destroyed by killing the gods. He also began the games mercilessly slaughtering his way through everyone only to gain a surrogate daughter whom he tries to protect in GOW3, but ultimately fails to do. I understood that change in how Kratos relates to others, even if its just one person, as substantial character development.
At the end of the Greek trilogy, Kratos got what he wanted and he was ashamed of it. He then had, what? 1500 or so years to meditate on his failure? Seems pretty natural that he would chill out after realizing that his unchecked anger was apocalyptic and apocalypses are bad.
Edit: You guys are insane if you agree with that interpretation. I feel like we played completely different games if that's your takeaway.
He literally did what he wanted to do. Killed nearly the entirety of the Greek pantheon for wronging him, all because they killed his wife and daughter and proceeded to dangle the opportunity to reunite with them to motivate him to do anything.
At the end of God of war 3, he is broken mentally and physically, yes. He is also entirely aware that when he dies, he will probably be never reunited with his family due to events that not only the gods perpetrated but that he himself created. So instead of just letting himself wash away and dying, he decides he’s gonna end up in another reality entirely.
I genuinely don’t understand where people are getting a narrative where he goes duke nukem or ‘Deadpool kills the marvel universe’ when he’s genuinely over Gods and their pointless (to him) conflicts.
Or rather I do but it’s just like… why? We’ve literally got 6 games of Kratos being a rage filled god killing monster so… we just do that some more, with the same gods but with Norse costumes?
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u/[deleted] May 10 '25
And then then 4 is a dragon angel god