(Credit: Santa Monica Studio, Shutterstock / Alexandra Leikina, Kalleeck, Sompol)
When Sony's Santa Monica Studio announced a new God of War game during E3 2016, audiences were shocked to find that ancient Greece's most vengeful god was set to venture through lands ruled by Loki, Odin, and Thor. The new franchise entry, simply titled God of War, was a canonical successor to God of War III and served as a spiritual reboot. The intimate story focused on Kratos trying to overcome his violent past so he could become the best possible parent for his son, Atreus.
The long-awaited sequel, God of War Ragnarok, debuted late last year and wrapped up the two-part Norse Saga. This most recent entry was PlayStation’s fastest-selling game, so it’s safe to say that Sony Santa Monica won’t leave this franchise dormant for long.
So we must ask an important question as we sail away from the Nordic lore's icy shores: Which mythology will God of War tackle next? We have some theories, but tread carefully; Ragnarok spoilers are to follow.
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Do Tyr’s Tapestries Hint at Future God of War Games?
In God of War (2018), Kratos and Atreus find many tapestries depicting various pieces of Norse lore. This environmental storytelling fleshes out the world and gives ominous background information about the characters that the divine duo meet later in their adventures.
There are two tapestries depicting Tyr, the Norse god of war, interacting with different peoples. One of those tapestries features Tyr giving a device to a group of Greeks, and just south of that are three boxes with imagery that alludes to the Aztec, Egyptian, and Japanese cultures.
In another tapestry, we see Tyr holding the unity stone surrounded by four symbols: Omega (Greek), the Eye of Ra (Egyptian), the Triskelion (Celtic), and a Hidari Gomon (Japanese Shinto). They represent polytheistic religions, faiths that have their own gods of war.
God of War Ragnarok didn’t elaborate on these tapestries or what Tyr was up to in Greece. Still, those images are enough for us to speculate about what's next for the series.
Kratos vs. the Aztec Gods
Instead of using a single creation myth, Aztec mythology offers several variations. The Legend of the Suns is an Aztec origin story about the many failed attempts by the gods to create the world we know today. According to this legend, the gods follow a pattern of creating a world, fighting over who gets to be the sun, and then destroying the world. They rinse and repeat until the gods must sacrifice themselves to the final, fifth sun, which is the age we live in today.
During these various ages, many other cool pieces of folklore happen. For example, the gods created a giant fish called Cipactli during the first sun, and the earth was made from its body. There was also a race of giants that possessed enough strength to uproot trees from the earth. After each age, the surviving humans became the new animals. The moral of the Legend of the Suns is that the gods must work together, and only through their sacrifice can the world they've been trying to create for thousands of years flourish.
There's potential for huge boss battles and wild environments if Santa Monica Studio placed the next God of War game in these creation myths. Perhaps the Aztec giants uproot the world tree, causing upheaval in the Nine Realms. Maybe the only way to pull Kratos from benevolent god retirement is if a new apocalyptic fate threatens his newfound people. Or Kratos and Atreus could find themselves living during one of the Aztec gods' failed attempts at creating a world.
A blue-and-red bird sits atop a pyramid on Tyr's tapestry. This most likely represents the Aztec hummingbird of the south, Huitzilopochtli—the Aztec god of war. Key offerings for Huitzilopochtli involve bloodletting and ritual sacrifice. It's hard to say what role Huitzilopochtli could play in a future God of War game, but we're willing to bet that the deity will make an appearance since it's directly featured on that tapestry.
Kratos vs. the Celtic Gods
Celtic mythology has several characters that would make terrific God of War villains. For example, the Tuatha De Danann are a race of gods descended from the Mother Goddess Danu. These gods are a video game designer's dream.
Their druid chieftain and father figure is the Dagda, who is described as a large, bearded man wearing a hooded cloak. He carries a magic staff that can kill with one end and bring life with the other. His wife is the Morrigan (aka the Phantom Queen), the goddess of fate, death, and destiny. The Morrigan can see the future, so she assists soldiers on the battlefield (and knows when the world is going to end).
The god of nobility, Lugh of the Long Arm, has numerous video game-esque weapons. His spear takes the form of lightning, and it obeys two orders: one to slay its opponent and one to return the weapon to his hand. He also carries a sword that makes people tell the truth. In addition, Lugh carries a slingshot that lacks magical properties, but he used it to slay Balor, the supernatural leader of the Fomorians (a set of evil, magical beings).
Celtic mythology may be the next logical stepping stone for God of War. It's another European mythos that feels adjacent to the Norse pantheon. In fact, God of War's Mimir is canonically Celtic. With this in mind, it would make sense for Kratos to visit Ancient Ireland.
Kratos vs. the Egyptian Gods
During Devcom 2018, Cory Barlog—director of God of War (2018)—stated that the game was originally going to be set in ancient Egypt. It’s hard to say if this tilts the scales in either direction for Sony Santa Monica to revisit this setting. Still, it’s easy to imagine the country as a backdrop for a God of War game: puzzle-filled pyramids, tombs, gold-clad undead, and sandy dunes filled with mythological creatures.
Probably the most iconic part of Egyptian folklore is the culture’s view on dying. After your death, Anubis, the god of the dead, weighs your heart against Ma’at’s feather to see if you’re worthy of entering the underworld. Imagine what this form of ultimate judgment looks like for a controversial character like Kratos. What would the god of death decide to do with the fabled god killer?
We’ve seen Kratos attempt to put his bloody past behind him, to literally unshackle himself from the chains that bound him to it. Although he appears to have forgiven himself for past actions, what would Kratos' past, present, and future look like when weighed on the scales of judgment?
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Kratos vs. the Japanese Gods
In Japanese mythology, and more specifically in the Japanese Shinto religion, the Kami (Shinto gods) exist in a spiritual realm that's separate from our physical world. Kami must inhabit a tree or another element in nature to interact with humans.
We've rarely seen normal, regular humans in God of War games. When we do, they coexist in the same plane of existence as the gods. As a result, Shinto's binary separation of spiritual and physical realms would be unique to the franchise. It could offer a new way to explore how heroes are remembered as deities, and further examine the relationship between gods and humans.
Shinto mythology also has its own "enemy" featured in its lore. The Yokai are mischievous sprites and spirits that are sometimes represented as monsters and demons. If you've seen any anime or even a Studio Ghibli film, you've seen these creatures interpreted in various ways. Based on the monstrous creatures that appeared in past God of War games, it's safe to assume that Sony Santa Monica would have no issues creating terrifying Yokai, big and small, to pit against Kratos.
Then there's the cool, badass Japanese god of war: Hachiman. As the stories go, this war god was worshiped by the samurai and used kamikaze ("divine wind") to defeat the Mongols. Hachiman vs. Kratos would be a potentially grand fight. Seeing God of War implement bows, katana, and samurai armor would be exciting, too.
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God of War Has a Bright Future
Despite preconceived notions that Norse environments are cold and icy, God of War Ragnarok's Nine Realms offered a wild variety of flora and fauna. So the next game doesn't need to focus on one mythology; it could be an adventure that involves every faith's god of war. After all, Tyr's tapestries didn't show us just one mythos.
Ragnarok is a thrilling conclusion to God of War's Norse Saga, but lingering threads remain. At the game's end, the tapestry portrays Kratos as a beloved god, and we learn that Atreus is on a journey to find the other giants of Jotunheim. What will happen to Thor's daughter, Thrud, now that she wields Mjolnir? It may be too soon for Santa Monica Studio to bid those characters farewell, but the developer could do just that, starting fresh with new heroes in a new world.
God of War no longer needs to be about one angry god and his boy. Whatever the next game is, we're sure it will be a fun, unpredictable mix of ancient cultures, epic adventures, and tear-jerking beats.
For more in-depth video game talk, visit PCMag's Pop-Off YouTube channel. Eager to see the new titles on the horizon? Visit The Best Video Games Coming Out in 2023.
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