God of War is among the best games with Boss fights. The second entrant in the God of War saga has gathered a ton of praise for what it brings to the franchise. It’s certainly a daunting task to live up to the expectations of your predecessor. Does it hold its own, or it’s just not worth it? Come find out as we present you with a brief comparison between the two titles. While Xbox isn’t getting the God of War Ragnarok, PlayStation players can get the original title and the sequel from the PlayStation Store.
Prerequisites
Before you try these two amazing games, there are certain things you should look into.
1. A fast and stable internet connection
The old days of the disc are gone, and now you can purchase these games digitally from the respective store and download them to your console or PC. Since the game file size is usually huge, make sure your internet connection is fast and dependable enough to download these titles. Even if you have the game already installed, the updates are no exception.
There are many operators out there which you can choose from. From our experience, CenturyLink Internet plans are among the best because of its super-fast speeds and no data caps so you can download all you want. You may also go with other popular providers such as Verizon, Spectrum, Google Fiber, etc.
2. Better optimization
You should also make sure that you are getting the absolute best performance out of your device, whether it is a PC or Laptop. We have a guide on improving gaming FPS on Laptop. You should follow those methods to enjoy God of War to its fullest.
3. Enough resources
If your system doesn’t have enough resources, close other GPU-intensive applications to make space for the game. You can monitor your GPU usage from the tools provided by your device manufacturer or from the Windows Task Manager.
Once these things are sorted, you can read the comparison below to find out which of these is the better game. Read on to know more.
God of War (2018) vs God of War: Ragnarok: The Comparison
While it is difficult to analyze every single aspect of both games, we did our best to go through the most important ones. Have a look –
1. Combat
The Nordic giant, Kratos is back with Atreus passing through the dangerous lands destroying monsters left and right. The combat has also undergone some changes as the fights are more intimate now. Players start with the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos instead of going in bare-handed. The quality of combat is also superior in Ragnarok and all of it is over-the-shoulder.
The attention to detail is there and you can notice the difference between the two versions pretty easily. For example, Kratos’s armor is more defined with sharp edges and plenty of cosmetic upgrades. God of War can definitely be considered one of the best combat games ever.
2. Iconic moments
Even though the original title was released in 2018, it still doesn’t feel dated. Returning as Kratos to play the story certainly feels surreal. As you progress through the game and face battles against Freya and Baldur, you’ll find many iconic moments. These are highly reminiscent of the 2018 version and still feel slightly new. Thrashing monsters have never been more fun.
As usual, the storyline contains some powerful and tragic scenes that live up to the expectations set by the God of War saga. Some players may find the iconic moments a bit lackluster as some of the legendary moments from 2018 have been toned down. But still, there are some additions to make up for it like the boss fight against Thor.
3. Expectations
The 2018 God of War sent shockwaves in the gaming industry with its riveting combat, stunning visuals, and superb acting, and it’s still played by many worldwide. So, the expectations were naturally quite high. However, God of War Ragnarok doesn’t quite supersede the expectations. It is not a bad game, but considering the legacy, there could’ve been more.
4. Character arc
The number of characters has increased in God of War Ragnarok and you see these characters once you enter the nine realms. Baldue, Freya, and Mimir are some of the notable characters with full-bodied storylines. Norse mythology characters like Aesir and Vanin appear fully grown so the challenge is still there.
5. Boss fights
Boss fights have always been a delight in God of War and the range of bosses has increased from the previous version. The initial boss fights are rather limited, but the fights at high levels are much more engaging and difficult. You’ll need to bring your a-game to fight off the dragons, Berserkers, gods, and more.
6. Storyline
Nevertheless to say that these two are games with great stories. The storyline starts with Kratos accompanied by his son, Atreus, who’s with Kratos throughout the story. Kratos must take the ashes of his late wife, Faye, to the highest peak of the nine realms while fighting off monsters during the journey. Kratos has come a long way since his old ways and he has started to slowly come to terms with his past. The problem arises when Atreus doesn’t stop investigating Loki and how he fits into all this.
The narrative is equally divided between Kratos and Atreus and you can even play some side quests as Atreus. He does all the fighting with his bow and arrows and is much more agile than Kratos because of his form. The 2018 version was a beautiful story of a father and son focusing on Kratos and his haunting past, which felt deeper and more personal than Ragnarok.
In the God of War 2018, the nine realms are not all available to explore, and need the story to progress to a point before players can explore them. However, the nine realms in the God of War Ragnarok reward the players with interesting side quests. Even after the ending, there’s plenty of stuff to do so you won’t get bored.
Conclusion
In the end, it all boils down to individual preference whether you like the God of War (2018) or the God of War: Ragnarok. The newer addition improves over its predecessor in many areas, but the 2018 version is still worth playing. Despite the shortcomings, the God of War: Ragnarok feels like a worthy sequel to an already excellent game.