God of War Ragnarok Team Talk Importance Of Side Quests
When it comes to narrative storytelling in video games, many feel that the main quest is the only way to “delve into the story.” But we all know that’s not true. Thanks to the growth of technology, we can see things from a wider perspective thanks to side quests, talking with certain characters repeatedly, or going on missions specifically tied to them. Many games have used this to make their “supporting cast” more detailed and relatable. God of War Ragnarok was one title that used its side quests to flesh out the cast and was praised as a result.
On the PlayStation Blog, an interview with the team at Santa Monica Studio punctuated this fact.
“We had a better sense of what we wanted from side quests this time. And I think that the impulse for many developers is to use them to flesh out the world and its lore.” Lead Writer Gaubert explains. “While that’s certainly part of it, we didn’t want that to be the main focus. The focus is on these characters and themes and ensuring that the critical path, storyline, and side quest storylines are pieces in a larger puzzle. That lore and world-building should be byproducts of exploring the characters rather than the other way around. It’s too easy to get lost in the minutia if it’s not anchored by characters, as they’re easier to relate to.”
You can see why this was important for them, as the game had them going through the Nine Realms of Norse mythology. So it would’ve been easy to focus “just on the realms.” But by focusing on the characters, you felt more of an attachment to the realms through those who live within.
The blog gives an excellent example via the “In Service of Asgard” side quest. The quest isn’t just about the realm of Dwarves, but how Mimir did so much to try and
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