Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Hidden message by God of War director finally found: Sequel on the way?

Aaron Mamiit
By

The hidden message in a series of tweets by God of War director Cory Barlog in April of this year has finally been found, and it may be teasing a sequel to the highly-acclaimed PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Barlog took a trip down memory lane on Twitter, taking his followers through the development of God of War from “scribbles and notes on a board” to the game’s release. The tweets were filled with photos of the journey and heartfelt messages.

Recommended Videos

Reminiscing about how crazy the last 6 yrs has been so I thought I would create a GOW BTS THREAD of photos + thoughts. Buckle up, gonna’ be long.????

It all started out as scribbles and notes on a board and a stack of note cards. Big board image is an early breakdown of the story. pic.twitter.com/a1iZB0SllK

— Cory Barlog ???? #Raising Kratos (@corybarlog) April 21, 2019

Related

Apparently though, the tweets were more than just messages of appreciation and gratitude. Redditor Kayfriso, in a thread created on the game’s official subReddit, spotted that if you take all the first letters of the first word in Barlog’s series of tweets, a phrase appears: “Ragnarok is Coming❤”

That heart at the end makes the message a bit less ominous, but one thing remains clear. In Norse mythology, on which God of War is based, Ragnarok is the end of the world, with a final battle leading to the death of gods, and destruction brought about by natural disasters. Kratos and Atreus, the father-and-son duo of the game, will have their hands full in facing such an apocalypse.

This is not the first time that the phrase has appeared. Just before Barlog posted the tweets, a PlayStation 4 theme to celebrate the first anniversary of God of War was released. Kratos and Atreus are on a boat, on which the message of “Ragnarok is coming” is etched at the side — without the heart.

The hidden messages may be hinting at a sequel, possibly titled God of War: Ragnarok. While there is also a chance that it will be DLC for the current game, such an apocalyptic event might not fit into an add-on.

It may be awhile before Sony Santa Monica makes an official announcement on a God of War sequel though. It will not be during E3 2019 for sure, as Sony has decided to skip the event for the first time. For all other publishers, including Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Nintendo, here is the press conference schedule for the annual video game event.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…
God of War Ragnarok: all Ratatasks and rewards
Kratos and Atreus sail on water in God of War Ragnarok.

As pressing a matter that the end of the world (aka Ragnarok) is in God of War Ragnarok, there's always time to diverge from the main path and do some side activities. The game is a realm-hopping adventure, and essentially every place you visit has something optional you can do. There are main side quests, called Favours, but also smaller objectives you can do throughout your playthrough called Labours.

Many Labours are tied to your skills or various collectibles, but there is one special set called Ratatasks. Named after the caretaker of the world tree Yggdrasil Ratatoskr, this mystic squirrel will present you with four categories of tasks, each with multiple tasks, tiers, and rewards for completion. There are a ton of these, so knowing which ones to go for if you want the best rewards will save you quite a bit of effort. Frost up your ax and get ready to unleash your Spartan rage as we go over every Ratatask and their rewards in God of War Ragnarok.
How Ratatasks work

Read more
God of War Ragnarok has much healthier things to say about parenting

As young creatives in entertainment industries get older and have children, more stories about reluctant but caring fathers are popping up in mainstream media. On the film and television side, movies like Logan and shows like The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan fit this mold. Sony has championed this kind of story on the video game front with 2013's The Last of Us and 2018's God of War, both stories about complicated dads forced to take care of a child (whether their real kid or a surrogate one). God of War Ragnarok, on the other hand, is more than just a "dad game," as it has a solid message that anyone can learn from to improve their personal relationships.
Instead of glorifying a parent-child relationship with some abusive and manipulative tendencies, God of War Ragnarok stresses how important it is to respect, listen to others, and give people space when they need it. Even if you aren't a dad, God of War Ragnarok still has a poignant message about communicating that anyone can take to heart.
This article contains light spoilers for God of War Ragnarok.
Communicating the problem
The typical dad narrative follows a set premise: A fierce warrior with a troubled past must learn to love something on his own. By the end of their journey, they've shared some tender moments with their child, whether they be blood-related or found, and decide they'll do whatever it takes to protect them. While these stories can be emotional and entertaining, they often have some unsavory undertones. These stories tend to herald characters who are overprotective of those they are close to, but justify it by showing that it comes from a place of love.
As a result, some of gaming's worst dads can be over-glorified. The Last of Us' Joel, for example, ends the game as a selfish man willing to deprive the world of a cure just because he doesn't want to lose another daughter. Still, he's remembered as a hero within the series and its fandom, with one of his most misguided lines being used to promote HBO's upcoming TV adaptation ("You have no idea what loss is."). These narratives still work on the whole; they just aren't shining examples of healthy relationships.
https://twitter.com/Naughty_Dog/status/1587837418748657665
Sony games have been getting more thoughtful about this. Joel suffers serious consequences for his terrible actions in The Last of Us Part II. On the flip side, God of War Ragnarok allows Kratos to improve as a person, critiquing his more ignorant actions and thematically offering lessons that anyone can learn from.
Although Kratos seemed to have a better relationship with his son by the end of God of War, we see that he's regressed back to being overprotective and restrictive to Atreus in Ragnarok. That behavior comes even as Atreus is getting older and trying to come to terms with his own identity. Throughout the game's opening, Atreus and Mimir constantly call out when he's not communicating, with Atreus going further and encouraging him to end Fimbulwinter.
Kratos makes it clear that all he cares about is Atreus' survival and spending as much time with him as possible before his prophesied death. He shocks Atreus by going out of his way to help his son free a trapped creature in an early side quest. Still, the first part of God of War Ragnarok highlights how Kratos ultimately struggles to communicate with Atreus, so his actions and comments feel spiteful and selfish, even when he wants to be helpful.

Kratos consistently pushes Atreus away at multiple points in the game, and so he goes on his own journeys. Kratos' failure is no longer because of inexperience; it's a communication issue. Throughout God of War Ragnarok, Kratos must learn that he can still be a guiding hand for Atreus but must also listen to his son and give him space when he needs it. Whether you're a parent or not, that's a good mindset to apply to any personal relationship.
In-game comms 
The dangers of a lack of communication also reflect in other parts of the game. In the side-quest The Lost Treasure, Kratos encounters a father who died while searching for treasure on his own to prevent his son from being hurt. Upon further investigation, Kratos learns that the son also died because he tried doing the same thing with another treasure and didn't let them know. In an effort to protect each other, that father and son didn't communicate and suffered because of it. This otherwise insignificant side-quest thematically stands as a warning for how Kratos and Atreus' relationship could end up if they continue to be dysfunctional and not communicate.
Kratos and Atreus do hit a rough patch before things get better. Atreus ultimately defies Kratos on one of his adventures, meeting a character that he quickly begins to see as a more ideal father figure. He's kinder and more communicative -- though it becomes clear that his comments may have insidious ulterior motives. God of War Ragnarok demonstrates that relationships can't be constructive unless everyone is honest and open with each other.

Read more
Every action game should take notes from God of War Ragnarok’s skill tree
Kratos looks at the Leviathan Axe.

Not every piece of God of War Ragnarok is a step up from its 2018 predecessor, but there's one area where it's an undeniable improvement: action. Like his last adventure, Kratos uses his heavy Leviathan Axe to chop up enemies and his Blades of Chaos to rain hellfire down. Both tools feel the same in the sequel but have been altered with the addition of elemental abilities that bring an extra set of moves and decisions to combat.

What stands out to me most about the game's evolved combat though is something a little less flashy. God of War Ragnarok features a handful of skill trees that let players unlock more combos. That's a bit run of the mill, as it's become a staple of Sony's first-party exclusives in recent years. However, Ragnarok's skill tree goes one step further than most games with a new customization system that encourages players to actually use those skills once they've been unlocked. The feature is so effective that I hope every character-based action game takes notes from it from here on out.
Use your skills
The skill trees in God of War Ragnarok function about the same as any game that includes them. Kratos earns experience points when he slays monsters and those points can be spent to unlock new skills. Both the Leviathan Axe and the Blades of Chaos have their own three-pronged skill tree, as does Atreus. Every time Kratos levels up a weapon using resources, more skills become available to purchase. By the end of the game, players have access to a fairly wide range of moves that'll have them holding down buttons, comboing moves together, and more.

Read more