God of War Laufey has all the usual ingredients of a modern first-party triple-A PlayStation exclusive, and goodness me, does it look incredible. Capping off this week’s State of Play in spectacular fashion with a 23-minute gameplay showcase, the upcoming game directed by Ariel Lawrence will tell a story that runs alongside the 2018 reboot and its sequel Ragnarok.
I know it’s being marketed as ‘the next game’ in the God of War franchise, but to me, it feels like a companion story that will not only tell its own worthwhile tale, but also fold that into the stories of current era God of War. Faye’s journey of accepting death and working her way through this beautifully twisted vision of the afterlife runs alongside Kratos and Atreus as they deal with the grief of losing someone irreplaceable.
Faye’s opening line of ‘I never got to say goodbye’ feels like a mission statement similar to our previous heroes ascending a huge mountain to spread her ashes, driven by a bittersweet desire for one-sided reconciliation.
God of War Laufey Has Been Playing The Long Game All This Time
Taking place in a mysterious realm known as ‘Everywhen’ where myriad mythologies collide across a gorgeous yet dangerous vision of the afterlife, Faye makes her way through a huge gateway and soon finds herself imprisoned by evil forces beyond her comprehension.
Two of the gods featured heavily in the gameplay reveal appear to be Sekmet, the Goddess of War in Ancient Egypt, and Begtse, the Mongolian/Tibetan Deity of War. This suggests that different gods of war from a swathe of pantheons have entered the afterlife and continued to wreak havoc and pursue ultimate power — in some cases even forming alliances.
If Everywhen is home to several different mythologies, I am curious whether Faye is going to encounter Ares from the original God of War or a number of other gods from the OG trilogy who were banished to the underworld by Kratos all those years ago. The reboot (along with Ragnarok) is deliberately nebulous when it comes to how Faye and Kratos met.
Perhaps she will stumble across some of his sins while doing everything she can to protect them on their journey of collective grief, much like the synopsis suggests: ‘Faye discovers the plans she put in place to protect Kratos and Atreus are now at risk.’
Imagine having to fight through the afterlife not only so you can say goodbye, but your loved ones on the other side can as well. The last thing I want, though, is for this game to end with Faye finding some way to return to the mortal coil. It’d feel awfully contrived and undermine so many powerful themes of the previous two games.
But what I wouldn’t mind is seeing how Faye’s actions in Laufey influence the events of 2018 and Ragnarok, even in subtle ways, such as our heroine suggesting a path forward that loved ones can walk without worry. Her presence is always felt in both games, but to know we are the ones responsible for this in retrospect would be supremely poignant.
Kratos, Atreus, And Faye Are All In This Together
Since the earliest interviews promoting God of War (2018), its director, Cory Barlog, has talked about how he wants every single game in this universe to feel connected and serve to tell a single yet compelling interlinked story. It feels far-fetched to imagine he was planning to make a title like Laufey all those years ago, but if he was, all the connections we were seeing now make a lot of sense. There is a moment in the gameplay showcase where an ethereal Kratos shows up to help Faye up from the floor after an explosion, only for him to disappear just as quickly.
In Ragnarok, Kratos is seemingly killed in his first encounter with Thor, only for the God of Thunder to bring him back to life for another round. This could be a huge coincidence, but both the timing and framing of both scenes feel intended to match one another perfectly. I just don’t think the timeline makes sense though, since Faye only just entered the afterlife. Others note moments in the reboot where Faye is seemingly calling out to Kratos from far beyond, or maybe she was even the one who blew the horn after escaping Everywhen at some point.
Considering how this rebooted series has harkened back to its own history previously, making similar connections in the future for the sake of narrative feels perfectly plausible. If anything, it would serve to make the overarching story seem more complete.
I love this idea that Kratos and Atreus are quietly mourning Faye back in the real world while Faye is busy going twelve rounds with several pantheons in the afterlife. Get it, girl.
What I want most is to see more of the person Faye is beyond a loving mother and wife with a vital connection to the world of giants. I want to see her history, her flaws, her drive, and all the things she puts first now her life is over, and a new one is beginning. I even want to watch her become best friends with the Jack Quaid Jelly Cube.
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Explore Laufey's place in the God of War universe: subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth analysis, lore connections, character breakdowns, and theory reads that deepen your grasp of Laufey and the franchise. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.It will also be fascinating to see if it recontextualises events and characters we’re already intimately familiar with thanks to an all-new perspective. Emotional video game narratives like this should challenge the player, and God of War Laufey is in an ideal position to do just that.
Like Follow FollowedGod of War Laufey
Action Adventure Hack and Slash RPG Systems Developer(s) Santa Monica Studio Publisher(s) Sony Interactive Entertainment Prequel(s) God of War, God of War Ragnarok Franchise God of War Number of Players Single-playerWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITAL
