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God of War Ragnarok shares a key strength with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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God of War Ragnarok’s main story is memorable, but some of the smaller moments are what have stuck with me most since completing it. I’m not just talking about its moments of quiet, but its optional Favors as well. These sidequests can be entirely ignored, but skipping them is a mistake as they contain some of the game’s best scenes. It’s a trait that God of War Ragnarok shares with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, one of the best RPGs of the last decade.

In some large RPGs, sidequests can often boil down to boring fetch quests, or they simply may not have as much polish put into their writing. As a result, they can feel like content bloat that does more harm than good to the game’s pacing. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and God of War Ragnarok avoid this problem by elevating these sidequests, making the entire adventure feel more cohesive and ensuring that the small moments stick out as some of the best.

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More than a side thing

Like God of War Ragnarok, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features a lengthy main story full of memorable characters, set pieces, and boss fights. While those alone would have made it a strong RPG, it’s remembered as an all-time great because of how rich its world is, something that’s reflected in its side content. There were quests like Ghosts of Past, which pays off the character arc of Witcher 2 character Letho, but it’s entirely possible to finish the game without ever seeing it.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Nintendo Switch China Chinese retailer
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Others, like Return to Crookback Bog, turn what could just be some fun supernatural fights into a chilling tale about abuse and broken families. While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s main narrative is strong, these side moments are what make it a game that sticks with you years after release. I can already tell the same will be true of God of War Ragnarok, as some of my favorite missions in the game are entirely optional Favors.

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An early game Favor called The Weight of Chains sees Kratos, Mimir, and Atreus freeing a giant Lyngbakr sea creature that Mimir imprisoned while working with Odin. They manage to break its chains, but find that it now struggles to move and do what it used to. This sidequest takes a series of somewhat standard combat encounters and puzzles and spins them into critical aspects of a memorable tale. The Weight of Chains reflects on how Kratos and Mimir’s reckless actions have had irreversible consequences, but they now have an opportunity to be better people in the future.

Another standout Favor called Secret of the Sands, where Kratos and Atreus free a trapped jellyfish-like creature called a Hafgufa, is also quite beautiful. The short story shows what Kratos will do to be able to spend more time with his son in the face of Ragnarok. However ordinary these sidequests may be from a gameplay standpoint, their narrative relevance and level of polish are on par with some of God of War Ragnarok’s main quests. This high effort even applies to some side missions that wholly exist with NPCs in the game’s overworld, ones that aren’t even built around huge set pieces. For example, there’s The Lost Treasure quest.

The Hafgufa flies away in God of War Ragnarok.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

At its core, The Lost Treasure just tasks Kratos with opening two chests. It’s a simple task that’s still stuck in my mind a week after I’ve beaten the game because it tells a relevant, tragic tale about a father and son who failed to communicate. That attention to detail is what can make a game special, and it’s something that both God of War Ragnarok and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt have in spades.

Of course, not every developer has the resources to create optional content delivered with this much depth. In those cases, less may be more, as I’ll commend a game that keeps what side content it does have interesting more than one that pads out the game completion runtime with meaningless grinds.

By lovingly crafting sidequest content on the same level as the main story, these RPG worlds feel livelier, and otherwise menial missions become enthralling moments. Games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and God of War Ragnarok have set a standard for the rest of the genre to follow; hopefully, big 2023 RPGs like Forspoken, Final Fantasy XVI, and Starfield are taking notes.

God of War Ragnarok is now available on PS4 and PS5.

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Tomas Franzese
Tomas Franzese
Gaming Staff Writer
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
The Witcher 3’s long-delayed current-gen update launches this December
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As promised, CD Projekt Red will release the current-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- Complete Edition this year, on December 14. This update will go live across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and is free to anyone who already owns the game on previous-gen.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 
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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.

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Use your skills
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