You Won’t Be Playing As Kratos In God Of War 5?
Is God of War 5 changing who you'll play as?
This article is more than 2 years old
The fandom of God of War expected to see Kratos on an Olympus throne made of burning skulls of the Greek Pantheon after he brutally murdered each of its gods, exacting his revenge. Instead, the God of War went on a vacation, traveled to the far and icy north, fell in love, and had a family. God of War 4 evolved Kratos from a vengeance-seeking Ghost of Sparta to a warrior, and above everything else, a father figure to his son Atreus, who might be a fully playable character in the God of War 5.
The rumor comes from r/GamingLeaksAndRumours, a subreddit dedicated to leaks and rumors within the gaming community. According to the information, God of War concept artist Samuel Matthews theorized on playing as Atreus in the upcoming Ragnarok sequel to the 2018’s God of War video game. The subreddit sourced their information from The God of War Podcast, which recently interviewed Matthews on Atreus being a playable character in the upcoming God of War 5.
Though not indicative of Atreus actually appearing as a playable character in God of War 5, Matthews entertained the idea, discussing various possibilities. The artist expressed his excitement over the prospect of Atreus’ bow and arrow, elaborating the potential difference in gameplay between the two God of War characters, similar to what happened in The Last of Us Part 2, which brought a secondary playable character, Abby, to the game. Matthews then discusses the idea of splitting the two characters up, allowing the players to guide Atreus for a while and see the in-game world through his eyes before the narrative eventually returns to Kratos’ perspective.
Although nothing is confirmed about God of War 5 at the moment, the fans of the franchise felt that Atrues’ story arc was set up for a starring role in the sequel game, with his own distinct fighting style. This may hold some truth, given how 2018’s God of War revealed Atreus as Loki – a Norse god responsible for bringing about Ragnarok, the end of the cosmos. At the end of the game, as Kratos and Atreus reach Jotunheim, the realm of the giants, they notice that all the past events were inscribed on the walls of the domain, clearly referencing Atreus as Loki. Kratos then explains that the boy’s mother, Faye, wanted to name their son Loki before eventually settling on Atreus, honoring Kratos’ fallen comrade from his days as a Spartan soldier.
Unfortunately, we’re discussing unconfirmed pieces of information which should be taken with a grain of salt. Samuel Matthew’s discussion regarding Atreus as a playable character was clearly hypothetical and not indicative of anything. With everything said, Atreus’ semi-central role in the game, his true name, and the upcoming game’s title Ragnarok, must have something in common. Maybe Loki as a playable character? Well, this remains to be seen, as Sony Santa Monica keeps their cards close to their chest when it comes to the God of War 5. All we know for sure is that the sequel is in the making, but the project has no precise release date yet, so it could be years before we see a working title.
