Eric Williams, Creative Director for God of War: Ragnarok caught some by surprise when he confirmed the title would be a finale to the Norse narrative. However, that doesn’t mean the series is ending; Williams and the team at Santa Monica Studios want to wrap this story up so they can tell others. After all, God of War famously made the jump from Greek to Norse mythology, so what’s stopping it from jumping again?
With that in mind, fans are wondering where the series will go next — and they may not have to look too far. A largely forgotten snippet from the original God of War may hold the key to the franchise’s future. In fact, other games in the franchise were built off ideas from the same source: a set of secret videos.
Where Could God of War Go Next?
While it’s easy to imagine Kratos’ next adventure among Egypt’s pyramids or ancient China, God of War could bring Kratos to the modern-day. An Easter egg video from the original game suggests as much. Titled “The Fate of the Titan,” this short video could be unlocked by completing the game on “God Mode” difficulty. The scene shows helicopters racing across a modern-day desert, arriving at the Temple of Pandora still bound to the bones of the long-dead Cronos. The narrator says, “all myths need not be from the ancient times,” going on to explain that modern explorers would find the temple still holds many dangers and secrets.
Though “The Fate of the Titan” and similar Easter eggs were ultimately deemed non-canon, the two other videos made their way into the God of War series. “Birth of the Beast” reveals that Kratos had a brother that didn’t make the Spartans’ cut. Abandoned and left for dead, he matured in the Underworld and vowed revenge on his brother. In God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Kratos learns Ares captured his brother as a child and that he’d been kept tortured in the Domain of Death by Thanatos.
Then, there’s “A Secret Revealed,” which shows Kratos tracking down his mother to uncover his father’s identity. He learns he is the son of Zeus, which becomes a major plot point in God of War II.
Would Modern-Day God of War Work?
Players might be a little hesitant at the thought of stripping God of War of everything that makes it what it is — and rightly so. After all, how could you rationalize God of War‘s fast-paced melee combat, otherworldly powers and over-the-top boss fights in a contemporary setting? However, this has been done before in a game that was actually inspired by God of War.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow II was set in a version of the modern day ravaged by a demonic plague, leaving only enemies and the few humans capable of holding their own populating the city. While the title proved divisive, the setting was an inventive idea. Thrusting Dracula into the modern-day shows that a little creativity can go a long way, and God of War could benefit from that approach as well.
Perhaps the biggest dilemma is who the enemies would be. In the original series, there were the monsters and beasts that roamed the Greek world. Now, Norse mythology lends an abundance of creatures and other beings who prove hostile to Kratos and Atreus. A modern-set God of War would likely have to take another cue from Lords of Shadow, pitting Kratos against Satan and his devilish demons. There’s no shortage of enemy options as Castlevania, and even other God of War-inspired titles like Dante’s Inferno, have proven time and time again.
God of War has already laid the groundwork for its next great adventure; it just needs to find a creative way to get there. As long as the series keeps what makes it great, it can flourish in any setting — modern ones included. Of course, “The Fate of the Titan” may never amount to anything more than a cool Easter egg for players, but seeing as how the other videos found their way back into the series, it’s not the wildest thing to hope for. If nothing else, it would make for one hell of a story.
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