God of War: Ragnarök - Valhalla (DLC)

Note: This review contains spoilers for the God of War series.

In celebration of the anniversary of God of War: Ragnarök (Ragnarök­), a piece of free DLC, known as Valhalla, was announced at The Game Awards 2023, for release later in the month. Not only does this DLC contain new story content, it also provides a unique gameplay experience different from the base game, constructed more like a rougelite and with a separate menu option so you can freely jump into it. Having overall enjoyed the base game, I downloaded and played the DLC as soon as I could, finding the story direction intriguing and the gameplay loop well-executed.

Before getting into the story, I will mention that, while making the DLC a separate menu option encourages those who don’t care about the story to just jump right in, it is highly recommended that you play Ragnarök first if you do.

Following the events of Ragnarök, Kratos receives a mysterious invitation to Valhalla, traveling there with Mimir by boat. After reaching the black sands of Valhalla’s beach, Kratos quickly learns that the main purpose of Valhalla is to test his worthiness before he is able to ascend, with as many attempts as needed to prove himself. As he grapples with his personal demons in arenas drawn from his memory, Kratos must also deal with an offer Freya has made him to become the new god of war for the Norse pantheon, an offer he hesitates to accept after what happened last time he sat in the throne.

 

Kratos is about the face the challenges that await in Valhalla.

 

While the main story of Valhalla is short, it does a good job offering insight into Kratos’ past and his mindset at the time, fully resolving his character arc in the Norse games in a satisfying manner. As it dives into Kratos’ past, many of his memories also go as far back as the Greek games, of which prior knowledge is assumed for it to make the most sense. In a major coincidence, I had actually just finished playing through all of the Greek games again shortly before the DLC’s announcement, so they were fresher in my mind, and I thought that the way the callbacks were handled felt consistent with the rest of the series and rewarding for my efforts. Among these callbacks, God of War: Ascension is made relevant in a way that finally justifies the game’s existence, plus the boat captain from the original game comes back once more in spectacular fashion.

Upon starting the Valhalla DLC, all armor and upgrades you may have acquired from the main game are lost. However, you do get to keep any skills you have unlocked, minus their upgrades, ensuring that every player starts off on an even playing field. The difficulty you select at the start can also be changed freely at any point to suit your desired level of challenge (I stayed on the lowest due to a number of factors, including arm pains), plus the Codex provides a refresher on the controls in the event that it’s been a while since you last played the main game.

In contrast with Ragnarök, the gameplay loop of Valhalla is structured more in the style of a roguelite, with various areas based on Kratos’ memories that, in the lower realms, are presented to the player in a largely randomized order. Your progress on each attempt is reset upon completion or death, though multiple factors encourage multiple attempts to improve and make it through. Before each attempt, the player is able to make their choice between different Shield, Spartan Rage and Relic options, but can gain a bonus on said attempt if they choose the shimmering option in the selection menu (note: this refreshes if you close the game while at the shore and then come back). Each combat encounter has at least one chest in it that can be opened upon completing the encounter and give you at least two options for your reward, but your choices are further dictated by the ones you make after the first two (scripted) encounters upon beginning an attempt.

 

Selecting the shimmering option nets you a bonus for that attempt.

Between attempts is where a lot of the meat lies and is what provides further motivation apart from seeing the rest of the story. During attempts, you can find currency that can be spent at the Tablet of Reflection, which provides permanent upgrades for Kratos, and the Tablet of Influence, which provides permanent upgrades that affect Valhalla itself. You can also complete Mastery Goals given to you by the Valkyries for additional rewards, as well as completing randomized Labors granted by a Labor Marker. You are also able to equip armor and weapon upgrades unlocked through gameplay, but these are purely cosmetic, removing any potential “pay to win” elements and allowing full freedom to customize Kratos’ appearance as you wish.

Between combat encounters are Sanctuaries, which provide a bit of respite and feature breakable objects that drop currency, as well as sealed off areas that can only be unlocked (permanently) by Sanctuary Barrier Keys. Sanctuaries have their own Tablets as well, such as the Tablet of Endeavor, which grant temporary upgrades for the current attempt and refill your Relic charges, as well as the option to either suspend your current progress and come back to it later or erase said progress and start anew. You can also find optional Burdens, which give a reward for the attempt at the cost of handicapping yourself for a specific number of combat encounters, and optional Challenges that also grant a temporary reward if you complete certain conditions across a specific number of encounters. To reach the upper realms of Valhalla, which feature elements of the Greek games, you must touch the Ascending Sands in a Sanctuary, provided you have managed to defeat Valhalla’s Chosen. Adding onto the main mechanic of choice, sanctuaries can also offer access to multiple doors, with different symbols on them that tell you what chests are behind them so as to influence your decisions on the current attempt, even including the option to skip straight to Valhalla’s Chosen if you’re feeling brave enough, with a handy glossary in the upgrade menu in case you need a quick reminder on what the symbols represent.

One of the main collectibles is Glyphs, which can be found in chests and alter your stats and abilities in various ways. You start off with a limited number of Glyph slots, but you can purchase up to three extra slots between attempts. Should you run out of room though, you can also freely destroy any Glyphs you’ve collected in order to make room for more and better suit your playstyle.

 

Your selection of glyphs greatly impacts your current attempt.

I will also mention that, while more can be found in the upper realms, Greek enemies have the ability to tether themselves to you and siphon your Rage during combat, providing an extra layer of challenge and necessitating breaking the tether by attacking with their weak element to prevent losing too much Rage.

 

Combat in the upper realms also runs on a timer that increases the difficulty
the longer you take.

 

The visual style and level of detail is consistent with that of the base game, with the various arenas and Sanctuaries having a more condensed appearance with their own unique identity clearly inspired by their original counterparts. Elements from the Greek games are also very faithfully recreated, including the gameplay experiences with returning enemies, and certain callbacks are updated when needed to suit the gameplay of the Norse games. This, combined with attention to detail given to the Greek-inspired arenas, give a good idea of what these games might look like if they were updated with modern technology, which is something I would wholly endorse. Additionally, while the DLC does continue the series’ heavy teasing of Egyptian mythology since Ascension, it also includes references to Aztec and Japanese cultures, though whether or not these would be explored any further beyond that remains to be seen.

 

How the Greek games look in your mind's eye.

The sound design is also similar to the base game, as is the returning voice cast. The Greek elements also feature similar sound design to the Greek games, including a similar approach to the music. Notably, Crispin Freeman reprises his role as Helios from God of War III, replacing Mimir in the upper realms and sounding consistent with how he did back in that game. Some of Helios’ dialogue also humorously addresses some of Ragnarök’s gameplay mechanics, including certain things players (including myself) have cited as issues with the experience.

 

If you enjoyed God of War: Ragnarök and are looking to get more out of the experience, Valhalla is an excellent way to do so, offering a very replayable experience with a surprising level of polish at no extra charge. If you are a fan of the genre and don’t care much for the story, Valhalla is still an excellent option, in which case I would suggest getting Ragnarök at a good sale price.