2018's God of War not only marked a turning point for the franchise, but the game soon solidified itself as one of the series' best. A few years later, God of War Ragnarok came for that throne with its exciting new realms, an expanded story full of meaningful side quests, and appearances from new characters prominent in Norse mythology.
Ragnarok also has an excellent way of balancing its cinematic moments with the more pronounced RPG-oriented combat, while still delivering all-around satisfying character arc developments. Though it's tough to match all of its masterful qualities, some games you’ll find come very close.
10/10 Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
While Kratos and Atreus are bracing for the inevitable Ragnarok, Lara Croft has a Mayan apocalypse of her own to prevent in the third installment of the re-imagined Tomb Raider series. Shadow of the Tomb Raider follows Lara’s journey through the harsh jungles of Central and South America as she aims to be one step ahead of Trinity in acquiring the ancient Box of Ix Chel that would trigger the devastation.
It's fair to say that every new Tomb Raider game that's come out so far has been nothing short of amazing, with its stunning graphics and exhilarating action sequences that never cease to captivate you. However, Shadow, like Ragnarok, surpasses its predecessors because it introduces new mechanics and side quest activities over more traditional linear storytelling.
9/10 Immortals Fenyx Rising
If there's a game that leans even more heavily into the mythology of its world than God of War Ragnarok, it's this one. With Immortals Fenyx Rising, Ubisoft Quebec created a fun and family-friendly game with a massive open world populated with characters, creatures, architecture, and lore inspired by ancient Greek mythology.
The style of storytelling is adjacent to games like Bastion and Transistor, but with a novel twist of the entire narration being a conversation between Prometheus and Zeus. And you will likewise meet many of the relevant Gods along the way and solve intricate puzzles.
8/10 Jotun
Jotun is the first project developed by Thunder Lotus Games, and centers around Norse mythology, and shares similar themes with their more recent Spiritfarer. It's a 2D adventure with a vibrant hand-drawn art style about a fallen Viking warrior attempting to earn a place in Valhalla through direct conflict with Jotun giants and other mythological enemies across nine levels.
The main character Thora must likewise use her axe to solve puzzles and defeat enemies, and the gameplay gets accompanied by voice-over narration spoken in traditional Icelandic. The many gods you interact with throughout Ragnarok are incorporated as abilities for Thora in the game, bearing such names as "Thor's Hammer," "Freya's Speed," and "Heimdall's Shield."
7/10 The Last Of Us
Soon nearing its 10th Anniversary, Naughty Dog's The Last of Us remains one of the most poignant and gritty apocalyptic narratives told in games. The sequel is a marvel in its own right with an even bolder story, but the parental bond and dynamic forged between Joel and Ellie throughout the first game is quite parallel to Kratos and Atreus in God of War.
The story picks up years after the death of Joel's daughter in the aftermath of the Cordyceps fungus that infected the entire planet. During an encounter with the Firefly faction, Joel accepts the task of bringing Ellie, a young girl immune from the infection, to one of their facilities to develop a vaccine. But as in the 2018 God of War and Ragnarok, many enemies stand in your way.
6/10 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
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Hellblade is another game seeping with influences of Norse mythology set in the afterlife realm of Helheim, albeit a different version than Ragnarok's. The plot follows a linear trajectory of a warrior named Senua who seeks out Hela, the Norse Goddess of the afterlife, to reclaim her lover's soul.
It's nowhere near the scale and ambition of Ragnarok, but its design is better suited to the story’s unique focus. Senua's Sacrifice primarily revolves around the mental health condition of psychosis, extensively researched by the development team and represented through the voices and hallucinations plaguing Senua during much of the action.
5/10 God Of War 3 Remastered
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Before Kratos settled in the Norse realm of Midgard and fathered Atreus, his world was one of ancient Greek mythology. All the previous God of War entries saw Kratos as an enraged antihero who enacts his vengeance toward the Greek pantheon of Gods through gruesome means under the title of "Ghost of Sparta."
The remastered God of War 3 is an excellent option for revisiting Kratos' glory days since the game's updated graphics elevate the memorable boss fights with more crisp visuals. The drastic difference here is the combat and distant fixed camera angle, but the quick time events and brutal deaths are more pronounced than ever.
4/10 Horizon Forbidden West
What better way to pair a magnificent sequel from Santa Monica Studio than with another from Guerilla Games? Although the frozen landscape of Horizon Zero Dawn may fit the mood and atmosphere of Ragnarok better, the sequel outdoes the original in a lot of other respects. The most significant is the art direction and new environments, which are as bright and gorgeous as the realms of Niflheim and Svartalfheim.
Horizon Forbidden West continues the story of Aloy in the style of an action RPG with plenty of side quests and crafting. It sees her on a path to the ruinous West coast of the United States, traversing scenic open-world landscapes of cities such as Las Vegas and San Francisco, dominated by newly designed animalistic machines and warring tribes that Aloy must fend off.
3/10 A Plague Tale: Innocence And Requiem
Battling the Norse mythological forces alongside his father has Atreus mature at a much younger age than he should have, and that's precisely the theme that encapsulates the story of A Plague Tale games. They present a brutal tale of a young brother and sister trekking across ruinous rat-infested zones of 14th-century France filled with enemies and other dangers, forcing them to commit horrific acts to keep each other safe.
A Plague Tale: Innocence and the sequel, Requiem, are both sound choices to play if you enjoyed the moving journey of God of War and Ragnarok. Requiem shares the same transformation from its original game as with Ragnarok, where the gameplay, locations, and mechanics expand on the original, and the environment grows bigger and better.
2/10 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
A remarkable new feature in God of War Ragnarok is that you can play as Atreus, who can now wield an array of spells to use against foes. Magic of all colors clouds the screen, which evokes the fun aesthetics of Geralt's power in the Witcher series.
Aside from the vast bestiary of creatures and humorous dwarves present in both, another highlight of God of War Ragnarok is that there is as much care and consideration into its side quests as The Witcher 3, which is one of the reasons it was so beloved by fans. The third game also allows you to play as Geralt and his adopted daughter Ciri as they counter the frozen doom of the Wild Hunt.
1/10 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Assassin's Creed Valhalla explores the Viking Age of Britain's history spanning the 9th century, when England remains divided into the four kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia, and Wessex under Alfred's rule. Norse mythology is a crucial aspect of Viking culture, and the familiar figures and locations prevalent in God of War Ragnarok are all accounted for in Valhalla.
You can travel to Asgard and Jotunheim to fight giants alongside Thor, and meet many of the new characters introduced in God of War's sequel, such as the squirrel Ratatosk and the great wolf Fenrir. There's a variety of brutal combat moments, and an RPG system that has a similar feel, making this Assassin's Creed title the ultimate choice to expand on the Norse mythology storylines and continue the fun.
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