God of War Ragnarok is almost here, and developer Santa Monica Studio has been releasing a series of new videos and details in the lead-up to the final release of the game. It’s the direct sequel to the critically acclaimed God of War (2018) and the game has looked promising in its marketing thus far. One feature that players of the previous game enjoyed was the ability to mix and match new pieces of armor to give Kratos different effects and looks. However, getting the desired defense bonus from a certain armor sometimes meant having to wear something you thought didn’t look good on the main character. It appears that this will no longer be an issue in God of War Ragnarok.
Mihir Sheth, the combat design lead on God of War Ragnarok, has now revealed that the new game will feature a transmogrification system for armor. That isn’t necessarily a common term in a lot of games, but it means that players can mix and match the stats of one armor set with the look of another. Instead of being frustrated by wearing an ugly chest piece with a strong defensive bonus, players can now have both fashion and function by swapping the desired status effects with the look they want. Games like Marvel’s Spider-Man already did this with its varied suits and their associated gameplay bonuses. When it comes to exactly how this works in God of War Ragnarok there were no concrete details provided.
Recently, the developer has released videos on YouTube to cover details of God of War Ragnarok. One recent dev diary discussed the importance of creating characters and locations that feel like a natural part of the world that players explore. Each of the Nine Realms that will be explorable in the game has its own unique sense of place that fits within the established lore.
Another recent dev diary went over the new updates to combat in the game. The team discusses the use of special effects to add weight and intensity to each attack, how choreography was used to improve animations, and finding a balance of difficulty that is challenging without feeling frustrating to players. Additionally, the studio has mentioned that God of War Ragnarok will have a much greater variety of enemies for players to battle against.
The official website for the game briefly describes the premise of the story so that players can know what they are getting into in this sequel.
“Kratos and Atreus must journey to each of the Nine Realms in search of answers as Asgardian forces prepare for a prophesied battle that will end the world. Along the way, they will explore stunning, mythical landscapes, and face fearsome enemies in the form of Norse gods and monsters.”
God of War Ragnarok will be released on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on November 9.
