God of War: Ragnarok is Forcing Kratos to Battle Against His Old Self

gamerant.com:

Since God of War: Ragnarok was officially unveiled for the PS4 and PS5, there’s been a sense among fans that Kratos’ story could be approaching a crescendo. If the prophetic murals that were featured at the end of 2018’s game weren’t enough, Santa Monica Studio has leaned into those same vibes itself. After all, the studio has preemptively revealed that the upcoming game will bring the franchise’s Norse sage to a close after just two entries.

Naturally, this has prompted some fans to speculate that a climactic reckoning could be coming Kratos’ way during God of War: Ragnarok. After 8 mainline installments and nearly two decades of stories and character development, that would make a lot of sense. One line of dialogue that featured prominently in the game’s PlayStation Showcase trailer last year though is the biggest indicator that the former Spartan General will soon be forced to confront his own past.

New God of War: Ragnarok Developments Hint at September Release Date

Even though a lot of God of War’s Greek-themed games have gone down in history as classics, it could be argued that Kratos was often the weak link within them. That is, at least from a characterization perspective. While there’s no denying that hacking and slashing through the ancient pantheon was fun from a gameplay perspective, the series’ protagonist often rubbed fans the wrong way. To a certain extent though, it could be argued that was a deliberate design decision on Santa Monica Studio’s part.

Throughout the original God of War trilogy and its side games, Kratos was intentionally depicted as a hot-headed individual. Having been betrayed and manipulated by the Greek gods on countless occasions, players were given the opportunity to control the character