God of War is one of the strongest franchises under the banner of PlayStation Studios and the most recent title was a massive success, making it a worthy sequel. However, it is far from perfect, and some fans have had enough of one silly criticism.
Santa Monica Studio had the opportunity to fully realize the Nine Realms in the sequel, and the gaming community already anticipated it to be stocked to the brim with side content. Other players complained about the odd pacing, but failed to realize these activities could be played between major story missions.
The Side Quests Are Not the Issue With the God of War Sequel
The gaming community is optimistic about the franchise’s future given the positive reception of the two most recent titles. Fans have been waiting for some form of announcement as to where Santa Monica Studio will take the players beyond the Norse Saga.
Some hoped Summer Game Fest would provide more information, unfortunately, Cory Barlog went on record and stated no God of War content would be shared during the event.
The previous game had side quests which Barlog likes to call jobs and given the grander scope and scale of the sequel, the developers did not hold back, adding an impressive amount with great rewards like loot and experience points, but not everyone was a fan of it.
Some players are in it for the story while some want to explore every crevice of what the game has to offer. Pacing can be subjective and greatly depends on how a player navigates the world, or realms in this matter, and it can be tricky to get a perfect balance of side content and main story missions.
Perhaps players should not disregard the side content and treat them less than the main objectives. Some side missions reward players with more stories behind certain characters and add an extra layer of depth for players to have a better understanding of the lore.
God of War Ragnarok Is Flawed in the Best Way Possible
An argument can be made that the side content was not the solution to the poor pacing. Some felt the narrative was an emotional rollercoaster that had a few high and low moments mixed in between, making it hard for players to become invested.
Despite the flaws, many believe God of War Ragnarok is the best PlayStation first-party title. Sony even pitted Marvel’s Spider-Man against it, and the game won by a landslide.
Pacing can be difficult to perfect, especially in massive semi open-world games filled with content, but the developers pulled through.
Perhaps the developers could get the right balance between main missions and side content in Cory Barlog’s secret project. Fans need to understand the complex nature of game development and play at their own pace.
What are your thoughts about the pacing in God of War? Let us know in the comments!
