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God of War Ragnarök is a third-person action-adventure video game. It features an over-the-shoulder free camera, while cinematographically, the game is presented in a continuous shot, with no camera cuts or loading screens. The gameplay is similar to the previous installment, God of War (2018), and like that game, it is single-player-only. Throughout the game, players battle Norse mythological foes, with more enemy types than in the previous game, and the developers also added more mini-bosses to give the game more variety.
The player controls the character Kratos in combo-based combat and puzzle game elements. Kratos' main weapons are a magical battle axe called the Leviathan Axe, and his signature double-chained blades, the Blades of Chaos. He also has a shield, formerly called the Guardian Shield in the previous game. Kratos also utilizes hand-to-hand combat. The Leviathan Axe is infused with ice elemental magic. It can be thrown at enemies and magically summoned back to his hand, similar to Thor's hammer Mjölnir. The weapon can also be thrown at environmental objects to trigger a damaging explosion, and freeze objects & some enemies in place for puzzle-solving until resummoned. The Blades of Chaos, infused with fire elemental magic, are a pair of blades attached to chains that can be swung around in various maneuvers. A new mechanic for Ragnarök is that the blades can also be used like a grappling hook to traverse over chasms. They can also pick up & hurl objects at enemies. Both weapons have standard light and heavy attacks. They can be upgraded with runes to allow for magical runic attacks, with two slots for a light & heavy magical attack, providing players with a variety of options for their own play style. The triangle button on the controller was also changed for Ragnarök. In the previous game, the button was used to summon Kratos' axe back to his hand, but if he already had the axe, nothing happened. Now, the button allows the player to use "Weapon Signature Moves" to unleash a powerful elemental attack depending on the weapon equipped. If on a higher ledge, the player can leap down to perform a powerful attack on enemies below.
In the previous game, the shield was only used for blocking and could perform a minor parry attack. For Ragnarök, the shield was revamped for more versatility. There are different shields that can be obtained. They can be used offensively or defensively depending on which shield is equipped. Smaller shields are for parrying, while larger ones are more defensive. For example, the Dauntless Shield has a parry attack that when triggered correctly, Kratos smashes the shield into a foe that tosses and stuns enemies. Dissimilarly, the Stonewall Shield is more defensive based. Guarding with the Stonewall Shield raises its kinetic energy and once it is fully charged, the player can slam the shield into the ground, emitting a large wave of energy that knocks back enemies. Other shields with different abilities can be acquired throughout the game. When not in use, the shield folds up and appears like a vambrace on Kratos' left forearm.
Like the previous game, Kratos' son Atreus provides assistance through artificial intelligence, helping in combat, traversal, exploration, and puzzle-solving. The player can passively control Atreus by dictating where he fires his arrows with his Talon Bow, either in combat or for puzzle-solving, as well as what magical spectral animals he can summon to further assist with combat. Additionally, Atreus' combat was updated to reflect his character's growth. In the previous game, Atreus was watching Kratos and learning how to fight, while in this game, Atreus has matured. He has longer chained combos, may initiate a fight before Kratos, and his magical abilities were expanded.
The game retains the role-playing video game (RPG) elements of the 2018 installment. Throughout the game, players find crafting resources to create new or upgrade existing armor with better perks. Ragnarök adds armor transmogrification, which allows the player to change the appearance of their equipped armor to any other acquired armor without losing any of the equipped armor's stats.
Ragnarök has over 70 accessibility options. The game's user interface (UI) system was redesigned "to allow for more flexibility and readability", and more customization options for combat and interaction systems were also added. All accessibility features from the 2018 installment were retained but also expanded upon to allow players to adjust the gameplay to suit their own play style and needs.