Sacred Symbols+, Episode 250 | God of War: Ragnarok Review Discussion and Spoilercast
Added 2022-12-13 17:00:10 +0000 UTCThe biggest PlayStation exclusive of 2022 is undoubtedly God of War: Ragnarok. Whether measured by critical or commercial success, Ragnarok has already blown away an audience of millions with its amazing gameplay, beautiful aesthetic, compelling performances, and surprisingly deep story. To discuss the many intricacies of Santa Monica Studio's seventh completed project, the Sacred trio gathered with regular contributor Rick Hoeg for a lengthy chat that -- as you may have guessed -- spoils the adventure in its entirety. We truly get into the weeds here, so it goes without saying: If you haven't beaten God of War: Ragnarok, or if you want to go in blind, you absolutely shouldn't listen to or watch this. For everyone else, feel free to join our pantheon as we try to stave off the end of all things.
Comments
Came back to listen to this one again after another play through of the game… Jesus Christ, Hoeg. Let others speak
Adam Barnes
2024-03-07 02:57:36 +0000 UTC** SPOILER: The Kratos statue being worshipped in the re-written prophecy (along with the iconography surrounding it) appears to be Egyptian. So my guess is that the next main line GOW game -- should they decide to make one -- will be in Egypt. But before that, I would expect an Atreus/Sindri adventure a la Lost Legacy where Sindri is the villain/antagonist.
Kevin Cooper
2023-03-20 15:39:03 +0000 UTCThank you guys, my favourite spoilercast so far. I had no idea those poems were referencing games 😂
Aladin_Run
2023-01-25 08:10:01 +0000 UTCYou're so fucking fast
Aladin_Run
2023-01-25 08:09:15 +0000 UTCJust platinum’d the game at 43hrs with 100% completion. I think this game is a solid experience. Atreus’ gameplay moments sucked. If they were more forward in their gameplay then it would’ve made that experience better. Atreus was a better character this time around. I really enjoyed how they wrapped it up and where Thrud may go with the hammer. Odin, Thor, Freyr, and Heimdall were great! I hope Freya is the partner moving forward, I enjoyed her and Mimir companionship.
Samuel Zamora
2023-01-06 14:38:53 +0000 UTCThe dualsense hurts my hands, when playing for long hours, the dualshock didn’t as well as the xbox controller… About Jesus being the final boss, imagine if Kratos nails him to the cross then Jesus say “Ohhh, not again” 😱
Marco Maluf
2023-01-03 18:11:12 +0000 UTCI thought this game was amazing. Easily my game of the year. I thought the story was excellent, showed actual character growth, and felt real. So much of gaming consists of characters that don’t seem grounded at all and never say or do what real humans would. I think Ragnarok nailed that possibly better than any other game I’ve ever played. There are countless small details too. Nods to older GoW games, things that happened or were mentioned/alluded to in the last game. Overall, I could go on for hours about how awesome this game is.
Michael Ferrari
2022-12-24 08:36:14 +0000 UTCAlso, Chris fuckin killed it on this episode. Awesome insights.
Andrew Christensen
2022-12-22 15:09:52 +0000 UTCI like Hoeg and his insights on stuff... But I just got to this spoilercast (and I was very excited to do so as I turned it on immediately after finishing the game), and I felt like Hoeg was just far too overpowering in the spoiler cast, and I felt like we didn't get to hear enough of Chris and Dustin, who at the end of the day I like listening to even more than Hoeg. Great work, and in many ways this is your best spoilercast yet, but I just wanted to mention that Hoeg has to tone it down.
Andrew Christensen
2022-12-22 15:08:05 +0000 UTCAm I silly? Where is the video of this?
SteveBoxTM
2022-12-22 12:58:22 +0000 UTCAgreed.
Daniel Cumba
2022-12-21 01:43:45 +0000 UTCThey certainly have a number of ways they could have written themselves out of that. Glad it didn't go down like that, though.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-21 01:37:05 +0000 UTCNoted.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-21 01:36:40 +0000 UTCThank you!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-21 01:36:33 +0000 UTCIt's good to explore a spectrum of opinions and tastes.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-21 01:36:29 +0000 UTCThe funeral was really sad.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-21 01:36:19 +0000 UTCI Platinum'd after we recorded.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-21 01:35:54 +0000 UTCThey all mentioned they don’t remember seeing the magic boat again. None of them saw the Crater?!?!
Alec Rock
2022-12-19 16:17:20 +0000 UTCI listened at work so I might’ve gotten distracted and missed it but did they not mention the Crater at all in this? One of the most memorable pieces of side content I’ve ever played. Great lore in there too.
Alec Rock
2022-12-19 15:40:14 +0000 UTCThe prophecy with Kratos’ death always rang hollow to me. This man has literally come back from death several times. Not the brink of death, full on death. I assumed if he was gonna die, it wouldn’t stick.
Daniel Cumba
2022-12-18 05:48:46 +0000 UTCJust some feedback here...If hoeg is on another one of these multi-person episodes that I believe he needs to tone it down a lot. I really wanted to hear dustin and Chris but Hoeg was so overpowering in every conversation of this episode
Tyler shift
2022-12-17 17:32:06 +0000 UTCSolid discussion, and as others have mentioned Chris killed this one. Where does GOW go next? In his rounds Eric mentions that if you look at Tyr’s poses during the after credits stuff, it’s a big hint to what they’re thinking. The poses he does seem to indicate the next pantheon is Asian inspired.
NeO JD
2022-12-17 14:39:32 +0000 UTCIt was good to hear Hog’s opinions but I just couldn’t disagree more with a lot of his points. Chris had a lot of insightful points about the story and the characters and it surprised me that Hof for some reason didn’t want to see things that same way. I feel as though people hold games like this to such a higher standard compared to others whereas if a different random studio would have made this game it would have 0 complaints. Other games come out that have major performance issues get a pass.
Tazmaniandevil
2022-12-16 23:39:05 +0000 UTCThe panel kratos sees at the end where he is being worshipped as a peaceful rebuilder is actually the original mural depicting his death but it was painted over by Angrboda. Chris' analysis is spot on -- Kratos' choices have reshaped his character and thus his potential fate. Angrboda is showing him a new way he can view himself The scene at the funeral is also such an interesting choice for a true ending. The ending is happy, but the credits roll only after we revisit one of the costs of war -- a hole in our world left by the ones lost to war
James McGivern
2022-12-16 23:34:55 +0000 UTCClassic Dustin W!
David D
2022-12-16 17:39:51 +0000 UTCYeah, Dustin's idea is dope. The idea of a preemptive strike on the god killer. Love it.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-16 17:36:25 +0000 UTCHe did great! Thanks for noticing.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-16 17:36:10 +0000 UTCThank you kindly.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-16 17:36:04 +0000 UTCWhat does this mean.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-16 17:35:58 +0000 UTCChris was great on this spoiler cast, after finished Ragnarok I read through Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology book which really highlighted to me how cleverly Ragnarok integrates Kratos and the myths. As for the future, I love Dustin's idea of an invasion from different mythologies. In particular I'd love to see some Celtic Mythology representation, I'm biased being Irish but there's plenty of great material there, including a very rare Goddess of War. A Kelpie actually appears in Ragnarok when you visit the Norns which is straight out of Celtic Mythology, so they've definitely had some cross pollination within the God of War universe, not to mention Mimir being Scottish in this interpretation, and the Triskelion appearing in 2018, lots of potential!
David D
2022-12-16 16:20:27 +0000 UTCChris was absolutely tremendous on this spoiler-cast. I resonated deeply with a lot of his views and insights on this game. It’s always a pleasure to listen to his passion for the art form.
Joseph Joule
2022-12-16 11:59:17 +0000 UTCThanks for having Hoeg on th show, I loved his take on the game! It's great to have so many different opinions about the game. I haven't played Ragnarok yet, but he echoed how I felt about 2018. I'm pretty sure I'll have the same opinion when I play Ragnarok. Oh yeah, I love Hoeg's analogy about a friend/family member who overstayed their welcome. It's pretty on point for alot of modern games.
Peter Pham
2022-12-16 08:39:47 +0000 UTCJust wanted to say Angraboda is Doc Mcstuffins
Clint
2022-12-16 07:19:33 +0000 UTCThat would be dope.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-15 16:02:08 +0000 UTCThanks!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-15 16:02:04 +0000 UTCEh. Not every game is genre-defining or even great, so I don't feel the need to do that, personally.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-15 16:01:51 +0000 UTCGlad you enjoyed it. =)
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-15 16:01:36 +0000 UTCI’m fairly sure there was a hint towards a Central American setting in one of the lore collectibles.
TheSissyOfFremont
2022-12-15 14:38:05 +0000 UTCChris was on point, it seems like he picked up on a lot of what was being put down in Ragnarok. Hoeg seems to have got stuck on the fate stuff sadly, also if you look at that last panel it was supposed to have been Thor standing over Kratos body but was painted over when fate was changed. Either way love the spoiler casts and bringing guests on for them, keep it up 😊
Kano
2022-12-15 08:04:32 +0000 UTCRagnarok is a good ass video game. A masterpiece.
Sean Y
2022-12-15 06:52:40 +0000 UTCGreat spoiler cast, enjoyed the discussion. One thing I’d like for the future is if a guest is present that we can get some background on what they would define as generation defining games in various aspects: narrative, gameplay, world design. I appreciate and respect critical takes but I wish I had an idea of “this aspect didn’t didn’t nail its landing compared to X game IMO”. This game is so much better in multiple aspects than 90% of other releases in general, I think that’s undeniable, would be nice to acknowledge that while dissecting it down to the thinnest details.
Jason K
2022-12-14 23:58:35 +0000 UTCWell, you're wrong. We just didn't discuss it at length (the boat comes up). (I've since gotten the Platinum.)
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 23:42:47 +0000 UTCThanks! He'll be back.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 23:42:04 +0000 UTCMan, Chris is always really insightful . From the sounds of it.. it looks like literally no one on the spoiler cast did the crater area in vanahiem. Its acutally the largest area in the game. You use the flying boat that Freyr gives you to get to it. Some really great dragon fights there.
william planas
2022-12-14 21:00:13 +0000 UTCChris channeling his inner Conor Mcgregor with the “Who the fuck is that guy?” line. Hoeg is getting some hate in these comments, but I thought he did an awesome job. Would love to have him on more spoilercasts in the future.
Mattveego
2022-12-14 20:13:48 +0000 UTCI thought he did a great job, too.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 19:30:35 +0000 UTCChris was carrying this spoiler cast and felt like he understood the story beats more than y'all did which is funny cause usually Chris is the one to not go in very deep. Enjoy the days off guys. Thank you for the shows.
Asique Alam
2022-12-14 19:23:52 +0000 UTCThanks for listening.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 18:57:50 +0000 UTCI know there is some apprehension about Hoeg’s views on the game but I think if you feel that way you owe it to yourself to give it a listen. Everyone had great points (most notably, Chris) and Hoeg was great. For me, loved the story and gameplay. Hate hate hate the fast travel and map. Trying to cleanup the remaining trophies to get the platinum was a CHORE having to climb walls to get to a spot just so I could go to another location. Also, I think everyone agrees, fuck that Yak sequence.
Shortsoptional
2022-12-14 17:52:42 +0000 UTCI liked Horizon more, too.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:39:16 +0000 UTC=D
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:39:07 +0000 UTCIndeed. =)
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:39:04 +0000 UTCThank you!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:38:56 +0000 UTCDefinitely.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:38:52 +0000 UTCLOL.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:38:48 +0000 UTCIt is!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:38:38 +0000 UTCHe did great!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:38:35 +0000 UTCGood lord.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:38:32 +0000 UTCThank you.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 17:38:28 +0000 UTCI enjoyed Horizon much more. Kratos is too stiff during combat.
Michael
2022-12-14 16:59:09 +0000 UTCChris playing open worlds games in the most New Yorker mindset is hysterical
Trevor Bolstad
2022-12-14 16:17:24 +0000 UTCGreat episode - love having Hoeg on. One of the rare games where each person had a different takeaway.
GameSimp
2022-12-14 13:50:38 +0000 UTCAt about 1:04 in the audio
Rich Price
2022-12-14 10:13:51 +0000 UTCGreat episode guys. I didn't enjoy GOW 2018 so won't be playing this, but it was great to hear your thoughts and takes on Ragnarok. Really enjoyed hearing Hoeg speak where his legal expertise isn't required for a change :)
Luke Douglas
2022-12-14 09:01:37 +0000 UTCChris dropping bars on this spoilercast
O
2022-12-14 05:52:01 +0000 UTCKratos vs Aliens next
Mr. Plow
2022-12-14 04:23:47 +0000 UTCNow that the spoiler cast is out can someone tell me what podcast beyond titled their show? I didn’t see it
LuisTheTruest
2022-12-14 04:07:43 +0000 UTCHaha, mythology is just ancient fan fiction. Never change Colin
Big Swingin' Rick
2022-12-14 03:47:15 +0000 UTCLoved this episode, thought Chris especially did a great job!
Mike W
2022-12-14 02:34:16 +0000 UTCTo dive more into gaming outlets spoiling things, in a “Before you start playing” article on Kotaku the writer spoils the fact you get the spear, which obviously happens over halfway through the game
The missing Blizzard breast milk
2022-12-14 02:24:28 +0000 UTCChris is so spot on here with the remixing of the traditional myth. While it has distinct differences, it manages to adapt the stories to fit GoW's narrative. A masterclass in adaptation. Great work, gentlemen.
Paul McFerron
2022-12-14 01:40:55 +0000 UTCReach out to him!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 01:37:48 +0000 UTCHe did great!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 01:36:39 +0000 UTCHmmm. Could be!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 01:36:34 +0000 UTCI don't agree at all.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 01:36:23 +0000 UTC=)
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 01:36:18 +0000 UTCThank you.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-14 01:36:13 +0000 UTCHoeg’s critiques regarding the issue of fate in the game would make total sense to me if it weren’t for the mission with the Norns. The point of that quest (in my interpretation) was to show that the only reason “fate” exists is because people are predictable and don’t change. I believe the director said that “fate” changed when Kratos truly changed his nature (connecting to the nature vs form discussion) and told Atreus to open his heart. Loved the episode either way, but would be curious to hear his thoughts on that.
Jeremiah
2022-12-14 00:27:16 +0000 UTCI wanted to give some major kudos to Chris in this episode. I thought he was very insightful in his inteperpretations of the overall plot of the game. You could tell he was really dialed in. Hoeg was great as well, of course. It's probably the best spoilercast I've heard in a while.
Billy Wright
2022-12-13 22:52:08 +0000 UTCI interpreted the end a little bit different. The fact that the panels didn’t open into another realm like the others did made me think this wasn’t an actual “prophecy” the way the others were. I saw this as Freya drawing what she thought Kratos COULD be.. a God that is beloved. A path towards that with Kratos drawn in her gold ink.
Cristian R
2022-12-13 22:33:41 +0000 UTCThis game deeper than last of us part 2 no cap
Rory Powers Right Areola
2022-12-13 22:01:18 +0000 UTCThe Uncharted Puzzle comparisons had me dying at work LOL
DDTJOESTAR
2022-12-13 21:50:55 +0000 UTCI feel like this is one of the most layered games PlayStation has put out, in terms of its storytelling. So much nuance and vulnerability with its characterization. Also love the way they use Mimir to give lore and context for the world in real time, such a brilliant tool for narrative. Loved hearing Christopher’s perspective here, it’s nice to hear the funny man express his emotional side. Great discussion!
Gurnico
2022-12-13 21:50:42 +0000 UTCYeah, I really dug that side quest a lot.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 21:04:41 +0000 UTC<3
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 21:04:34 +0000 UTCIt's a great quote.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 21:04:31 +0000 UTCYeah, wish there was a NG+!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 21:04:24 +0000 UTC=)
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 21:04:16 +0000 UTCMy heart breaks for our own Chris Ray Gun when he said he didn’t do the whale side quest in the first region. One of the best areas in the entire game.
John
2022-12-13 20:59:38 +0000 UTCawesome
Trevor Myers
2022-12-13 20:41:19 +0000 UTCI want "Atreus... You were better as the square button" on a t-shirt 😂
joefray_
2022-12-13 19:49:50 +0000 UTCThis is one of the few games where I explored more after beating the game. So much is added to the map that I was still finding new things watching my friend play. Great post-completion content besides no NG+.
Hidari Shotaro
2022-12-13 19:31:48 +0000 UTCI hope Dustin’s gravestone says “here lies Dustin. Killed by water”
Oliver Johnson
2022-12-13 19:31:18 +0000 UTCI thought so!
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 19:19:34 +0000 UTCThat's a real bummer.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 19:19:30 +0000 UTCThank you.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 19:19:25 +0000 UTCRick did do Returnal with ya
MJ SKA BOI
2022-12-13 19:18:05 +0000 UTCWhen I saw that headline from podcast beyond I was so mad but I had a tiny inkling about the twist. When I saw the headline I knew what it was immediately. It was especially annoying because a hour into my next play session is when the twist happened.
Trapgunner
2022-12-13 19:16:48 +0000 UTCHalf way in and this is a really great spoiler cast - particularly impressed with how open Hoeg is to accepting he may have got something mixed up - love Chris’ enthusiasm for the deeper stuff within the game and some great questions from Colin to get conversation stirring.
Sam
2022-12-13 19:02:31 +0000 UTCI did it. =)
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:24:42 +0000 UTCHorizon is a naturally open world game, though. It needs space and time. God of War isn't, and doesn't.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:24:37 +0000 UTCWorking on the Plat myself. Maybe get it today?
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:24:24 +0000 UTCThat's right.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:24:07 +0000 UTCIf you say so.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:24:04 +0000 UTCIt could have been much shorter.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:23:47 +0000 UTCThat's good.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:23:40 +0000 UTCI loved her design.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:23:37 +0000 UTCThank you for your support.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:23:33 +0000 UTCLambasting? LOL.
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:23:27 +0000 UTC<3
Colin Moriarty
2022-12-13 18:23:06 +0000 UTCPleasantly surprised Colin made it. I was thinking Dustin might host this one, but the whole gang is here!
Rich Price
2022-12-13 18:15:05 +0000 UTCLoving the spoilercast! It's a bit surprising to me that Colin thinks the game is too long whereas I had that same problem with Horizon Forbidden West - often feeling like that story was dragging compared to the tightness of Zero Dawn.
Kazden Risk
2022-12-13 17:38:09 +0000 UTCYeah, might skip this one for now if it ends up being overly negative. Interested in fair critique but the negativity around Sony games this gen has kinda worn me out (not from LSM just the general Twitter space/zeitgeist).
Chelsea
2022-12-13 17:36:16 +0000 UTCThe enemy variety was greatly improved in this game. Characters like Brok and Sindri go from fun side characters to fully fleshed out characters with an incredible story in their own right. I also really loved the music, especially in the last 2 hours.
Brannon H
2022-12-13 17:33:40 +0000 UTC"I have had good counsel since then. Brother." Such a great game. Platinumed it and absolutely loved it
DevilsClaw1991
2022-12-13 17:33:30 +0000 UTCThis is one of my favorite games. There is just so much emotion and subtle moments that enhances the story and characters so much. Kratos is somehow an incredibly fleshed out character now. The combat is so much fun, especially when your character is maxed out. I really pretty much every side character. I think this game has my favorite side content, specifically with Vanaheim. The ending is so satisfying that I really hope this is the last God of War game ever, though I doubt it. My big negative is that the map fucking SUCKS. It's just impossible to navigate with it.
Brannon H
2022-12-13 17:30:00 +0000 UTCOver two hours? She's a chunky girl!! Lol
Josh Gamez
2022-12-13 17:24:09 +0000 UTCAnd Hoeg is on this too?? Man this game is gonna get eviscerated.
Daniel Murray
2022-12-13 17:22:50 +0000 UTCGod the negativity from Hoeg again right off the bat
A Hind D
2022-12-13 17:19:28 +0000 UTCRagnarok really felt like a walking sim to me, I liked it much less than 2018, can’t wait to hear this though
Todd Jakaitis
2022-12-13 17:12:20 +0000 UTCI’m horny
Austin Clemence
2022-12-13 17:09:11 +0000 UTCThors daughter Thrud looks like feral kid from Mad Max 2 the road warrior.
Grimm Carousel
2022-12-13 17:08:00 +0000 UTCASTRO BOT is the number one PS5 exclusive for all eternity. 😉😁 But I am looking forward to this spoilercast. Thanks, Last Stand Media folks.
Mysterious (xo) Narrator
2022-12-13 17:06:21 +0000 UTCHell I’m gonna listen anyway of course.
Tyler Floyd
2022-12-13 17:05:22 +0000 UTCOh boy. I hope I can stomach the lambasting Colin and Hoeg will do. Where's Micah to balance this out?
Angel DeJesus
2022-12-13 17:05:17 +0000 UTCOh no. I love Hoeg but he’s been so negative on Ragnorok in his streams and just saying everyone else is wrong. Not sure I can handle the takes in this one.
Tyler Floyd
2022-12-13 17:05:06 +0000 UTC2.5 hour spoilercast? Let's go!
Heretic The Intergalactic Prophet
2022-12-13 17:03:07 +0000 UTC
