PLEASE NOTE: This article contains MAJOR Spoilers for God of War Ragnarok. Proceed at your own risk.God of War Ragnarok, much like the previousGod of Wargame, is established as an epic adventure with no camera cuts. Instead of cutting away,God of War Ragnarokis able to switch between perspectives as it swaps which characters are playable. This also has an effect on which characters are around; for example, when Atreus is the playable protagonist, he first has Sindri accompany him as the player’s NPC companion.God of Waronly featured Kratos as its playable protagonistwith Atreus as his constant NPC companion, where the player can control particular attacks performed by him.
Mimir is certainly an important NPC in bothGod of WarandGod of War Ragnarok, but he is not technically an NPC companion in the same way that Atreus is.Playable protagonists are swapped often inGod of War Ragnarok, as are their NPC companions, and this keeps gameplay and character dynamics interesting throughout the narrative. But while the player almost always having another character with them is great for dialogue, companions cannot help but incessantly shout the answers to puzzles or combat scenarios, which disrupts any immersion the player may have in these moments.
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God of War Ragnarok’s Companions Backseat Far Too Much
It is not as noticeable in the beginning of the game, but companions become remarkably blunt around the time that Freya becomes a companion NPC inGod of War Ragnarok’s Vanaheim. Players will approach a new environmental puzzle and be assessing the area for what feels like moments before the NPC companion with them will suddenly spout it out.
Having this happen negates any explorative consideration from the player since the answer is given to them almost immediately. Instances where the NPC companion explaining something is only preferable when players initially come across one ofGod of War Ragnarok’s wind spouts or cracked wallsthat they are unsure of how to pass. Besides one or two instances, the NPC companion will explicitly tell the player that they do not have the prerequisite equipment to be able to interact with it. This is a great way to spare the player from spending needless time trying to learn what to do there, but having the companion also tell players that a structure can be moved or that something specific needs to be done is irritating when a few more seconds of consideration would have led players to that same solution.
Sometimes the companion will state the obvious, such as how there may be a staircase players need to reach or that there is a prompt asset players can attachKratos' Blades of Chaosto. Then there are instances where an environment may be difficult to traverse, and the companion may be completely silent when players would have actually appreciated their help.
Of course, some fans may appreciate this helpful aid from companions if they are truly lost or cannot be bothered to engage with puzzles. But for others, if they have the means to be able to solve a puzzle inGod of War Ragnarok, then it is unacceptable for companions to reveal the solution so soon after the puzzle has been introduced to them. In either case, companions talk too much and too soon for players to make that decision for themselves.
Some of God of War Ragnarok’s Boss Fights Are Diminished by Companion Dialogue
Narratively, characters conversing about solutions to situations makes sense. Characters would be talking to one another all the time and would find it helpful if their companions could share with them any means of navigating a puzzling environment. Kratos is not a conversationalist, meaning his companions need to be the ones to uphold almost all dialogue. But in a game, all immersion is disrupted when the player is stopped from thinking for themselves and makes puzzles seem redundant or elementary if the player is not tasked with solving it themselves.
For example, Freya is constantly shouting at the player duringGod of War Ragnarok’s Nidhogg boss fightin Vanaheim, but shouting the most obvious remarks, such as to parry and not stand still. This boss fight is truly spectacular and unique, but hearing Freya’s condescending comments every two seconds in the background is highly detrimental to it.
Likewise, Atreus repeatedly tells Kratos to freeze the chains attached to Garm during the wolf’s boss fight in Helheim, representing another irksome instance of this NPC behavior.God of War Ragnarok’s Gryla boss fighthas nonsensical dialogue shouted between characters, as Angrboda explains loudly how to stun Gryla with the countertop’s candles. Gryla is able to hear this incessant banter and could then seemingly counter Angrboda’s strategy and avoid the candles, but does not. This dialogue is also repeated in each attempt, meaning that if players continue to perish mid-battle, they will have to hear the same comments on a loop.
Nonetheless, companions still shout about which direction an enemy is coming from and that only contributes tohow frustrating companion dialogue can be inGod of War Ragnarok. Boss fights with this amount of NPC companion backseating is incredibly unfortunate, especially without a way to cut down on their dialogue as an accessibility setting.
Many fans believe that such a setting is available, but none actually tone down how much the companions backseat in these situations. It is possible thata futureGod of War Ragnarokpatchcould fix this error if it becomes a popular issue, but in the meantime, players must endure a lot of backseating in moments where they would likely prefer to find an answer or solution on their own.
God of War Ragnarokis available now for PS4 and PS5.
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