God of War Ragnarok PC review: A bloody spectacle

After two long years, Sony's God of War Ragnarok finally made its way to PC. As someone who had avoided all spoilers about the game, I was excited to play and review this installment of the franchise. The wait was worthwhile, and I was left with a profound sense of completion after finishing Kratos and Atreus' journey.

The story of God of War Ragnarok would not disappoint, I was confident of that. It was the PC port's stability that raised my concerns, and I've never been happier to be proven wrong. Jetpack Interactive did an amazing job with this port, to the extent that I faced extremely minor hitches in my journey to Ragnarok.

Finding peace and coming to terms with oneself is not an easy task. Even in the face of the daunting danger that Ragnarok itself posed, the game was a battle for Kratos and Atreus to accept their true selves, fighting countless conflicts internally to bring out the best in each other. Deception, plot twists, and a dash of brutality—God of War Ragnarok sets the perfect tone for the epilogue to this chapter of the Ghost of Sparta's journey.

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God of War Ragnarok PC port does justice to the Spartan God-killer

Kratos' stern nature is evident in God of War Ragnarok (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

The very first thing you will be greeted with upon booting the game is a mandatory PSN account linking. This did annoy me to some extent, but my love for immolation and gore by Kratos was much stronger than I had initially thought. Once past the account linking stage, God of War Ragnarok's home screen had a button that really surprised me—God of War Story Recap.

It had been years since I played God of War, and the recap was a fine touch to bring me back to the present timeline. With that out of the way, it was time to bring in the violent rampage, perhaps paired with some chaos.

Story: The dance of deception, conflict, and acceptance

To say that Kratos' past haunts him and clouds his judgment would be an understatement. What seems like a rational decision to him doesn't always sit well with Atreus, especially while he's trying to fit in the shoes of his identity as Loki.

Kratos and Atreus (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

For Kratos, prophecies are a farce and a source of suffering. From his perspective and what he faced in his past, it's honestly quite justified. However, he tries to force it on Atreus rather than explain it to him. This, paired with his grumpy and stern nature overall is neither demure nor mindful.

Kratos wants to protect Atreus, but his nature ultimately ends up pushing his son away. For Atreus, he is simply trying to prove himself to his father, something every child wants to do. Naturally, this causes much conflict, and it takes a dark turn when he discovers the prophecies about his father dying in Ragnarok, causing him to take a different path altogether.

Atreus has a massive character development in God of War Ragnarok, and he's not just a tool to aid his father this time. You will end up playing as Atreus on his own missions, something that does indeed take up a massive chunk of the game. Getting to play as Atreus or Loki put a lot of perspective into his actions.

While I cannot really support all of his choices, they were justified from a young boy's perspective who's trying to fit into much larger shoes. Odin saw this opportunity and took it, further causing a rift between the father and son duo.

Countless plot twists in God of War Ragnarok (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

I came across so many plot twists in the game that I stopped thinking at some point. All of these can be traced back to Odin in some way, and he's the game's overarching antagonist. He isn't your average evil genius, but a selfish and shrewd god who will use anyone and everyone to his advantage.

Puzzles are another aspect that is greatly improved in God of War Ragnarok. With more interactive options, you need to rack your brain further to actually solve some of them. However, the hints for some of the puzzles are really obscure. In particular, Atreus will simply say "Father, up there" as a hint when the solution is actually hidden just slightly above your eye level. There are more such cases where the supposed hint ended up confusing me rather than being helpful.

Other than that, there are many moments where you will feel the tense atmosphere, and then there are heartfelt emotional scenes of reunion, acceptance, and forgiveness. Just looking at the characters' expressions will convey more than just a message, you can feel what they feel from the other side of the screen.

Combat: Controlling three weapons at a time

Kratos using the Blades of Chaos in God of War Ragnarok PC (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

God of War Ragnarok has amazing combat, and the PC port has perfectly retained it. The combat mechanics with the two primary weapons, Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos, are further refined to add more varieties. New combinations, runic attacks, and interactions improve the amazing experience with the predecessor title.

The Axe feels the same for the most part, but the Blades have received a significant upgrade in this one in terms of versatility. Not only is this a combat option, but the utility scope is also far better. From swinging across or using it to climb ledges, I thoroughly enjoyed this hit of nostalgia as a fan of the old Ghost of Sparta.

The addition of a third weapon, the Draupnir Spear, adds an interesting touch but is overshadowed by the other two largely. For the most part, I used this weapon as a utility for parkour. It's an excellent ranged weapon and I made short work of those pesky wall-climbers and throwable users with it. For melee, it just didn't sit right. The Axe and Blades of Chaos did so much better, especially with their reaction-based damage interactions.

Kratos with the Draupnir Spear conversing with Odin (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

You would think the stellar combat features end there, but it doesn't. You have a weapon mastery sort of system where you will be able to mod a skill after using it a set number of times. Skill trees have seen massive upgrades for all the weapons, and even for party members like Atreus and Freya.

One minor hitch I experienced in this section is with the target lock feature. If there are multiple enemies on your screen, your target lock will often move between them. This can sometimes cause Kratos to teleport, and it will almost always render you unable to block, dodge, or use any counter. It fixes automatically after a few seconds, but it does prove to be an absolute pain during this while.

God of War Ragnarok performance on PC: A well-made port

Kratos and Freya take a moment to appreciate the scenery (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Jetpack Interactive has actually outdone itself in my opinion. The studio seems to have learned from their previous God of War port, and they delivered a very stable PC build with Ragnarok. Even in 1080p high settings, I rarely had any FPS drops and had a constant, smooth performance throughout the game on my 3060Ti and 12th-generation i5.

The combat was fluid, the graphics were smooth, and even the audio was seamless. There is hardly any scope to complain here since I truly faced no performance issues. Except in Alfheim, where I did face the same major issue more than once.

In Alfheim Barrens, a special sled pulled by two "Gulons" exists. The mechanics and all are fine, but the problem arises if you quit the game in the middle of the sands somewhere. When you come back to the game, you will be at the last autosave point in the desert, but the sled won't be anywhere near you.

A conflicted Atreus in God of War Ragnarok PC (Image via Sony Entertainment Studios)

In a similar case, when I logged back in, I was in the middle of the desert with no sled anywhere near me. After I fought some rather tough enemies and was just about to collect their drops, the screen stuttered and I was back in front of Sindri's workbench in Alfheim, automatically atop the sled. This happened twice for me, till I decided to stop quitting the game in the middle of the desert altogether.

Other than that, the performance was super smooth and I could fully enjoy the stellar experience God of War Ragnarok had to offer. By the end of the game, I was sad, though the sense of completion gave me a different kind of peace, something I didn't really expect.

In conclusion

Kratos and Atreus have a heart-to-heart conversation and reunion (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

God of War Ragnarok captures the emotions of every character in the game, and the PC port upholds that perfectly. Jetpack Interactive truly did justice to Kratos and fans of this entire series. Waiting two years and staying away from the game's plot felt extremely rewarding especially since no major hitches ruined the experience.

While the PC port has a few minor hiccups, they don't detract from the overall experience. It is easily one of Sony Interactive Entertainment's better PC ports, and definitely one of the best ports done by Jetpack Interactive. Its captivating narrative, engaging combat, and stunning visuals make it a must-play for fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Kratos and Atreus's journey is a fitting conclusion to this chapter of their saga, leaving a lasting impression that will stay with players long after the credits roll. Besides, you can extend your journey with the Valhalla DLC and NG+ content to further enjoy the God of War experience.