The Game Awards have all but concluded and many game developers were left with feelings of fulfillment seeing their hard work pay off. Gamers and fans were also sharing in the joy as The Game Awards featured long awaited sequels and expansions to their favorite games. In addition, there were many unforgettable moments during the ceremony itself ranging from long speeches to unprecedented events. In the end, everybody celebrated the big winner of the night. A lot of gamers felt that Elden Ring truly deserved the Game of the Year award. However, some people are baffled at how Elden Ring won compared to God of War Ragnarok considering that overall, God of War Ragnarok won more awards. To justify and explain this phenomenon, we here at Clutchpoints are going to go through every aspect of each game to try to explain why Elden Ring won Game of the Year over God of War Ragnarok.
Gameplay
When talking about video games, the most important aspect to consider is the gameplay. Gameplay makes up the experience a player goes through when they are immersed within the game. In God of War Ragnarok, the players are put into the shoes of Kratos. Kratos wields a bunch of weapons that players utilize to defeat a bunch of enemies that approach them. Aside from that, the game features an open world environment and terrain that players can explore to uncover more lore. When it comes to the combat, the combat is very fluid and satisfying. Each weapon swing and combo feels like there is weight to them. The bosses in God of War Ragnarok are also no slack as they require skill to complete. The boss fights are also not hollow as the boss fight is a story in itself with character driven actions happening at every moment. That is to say, the gameplay revolves around telling the story of Kratos and his experiences. Considering how deep of character Kratos is, the gameplay made sure to deliver the experience to the players.
On the other hand, we have Elden Ring. Elden Ring is known as a Souls game among the populace. This means that it features very difficult bosses with different kinds of mechanics that the player must think about. In short, it is definitely not an easy game. What separates Elden Ring from the other games in the Souls series is that it features an open world that can be explored by the player. The UI contributes to that sense of exploration as it lets the players feel the world as they go through it. Unlike in God of War Ragnarok, the players do not play as an already solidified character. Instead, players take on the mantle of a nameless character that represents the players themselves. This may sound a bit cliche but starting as a nobody who will eventually grow into somebody is a great feeling in video games. It gives a sense of fulfillment like no other. Because of this, compared to God of War Ragnarok, it features more flexibility in combat and fighting style. Because of this, each combat situation will feel different depending on the build the players choose to go with. In addition, just like in every Souls game, the bosses in this game are astoundingly difficult yet interesting. The difficulty does not get frustrating and it feels like there is a sense of learning with every death. When a boss finally goes down, it gives the brain a full blast of fulfillment that feels unlike any other.
When comparing the gameplay of these two, God of War Ragnarok and Elden Ring both have exceptional gameplay. However, Elden Ring takes this spot as it gives more creativity to the player and the bosses are more complex in design compared to God of War Ragnarok.
Story and Setting
When looking at the narratives of both games, it can probably be automatically assumed that God of War Ragnarok takes this spot as Elden RIng’s lore can be a bit too complex to swallow. However, complex as it might be, its lore and narrative is something truly to behold when diving into it. Compared to God of War Ragnarok, Elden Ring does not focus on a singular character’s journey. Instead, it features a building of the world around the player as they continue to traverse through the story. There are many aspects of the lore in the world that players have to piece together. Aside from this, when it comes to storytelling, Elden Ring does it in the most unique way possible. When fighting the different bosses in the world, the background music changes. That is because this music is essentially telling the story of the boss and how they got there. It was truly a unique experience of listening and understanding who the boss is when looking at the soundtrack. It also does not stop there. There are also many hidden pieces of lore hidden around the terrain and piecing them together gives a brand new perspective on who the characters in the game are.
Meanwhile, in God of War Ragnarok, the narrative focuses on Kratos and his son Atreus as they go through the different realms meeting with different gods from the Norse pantheon. Compared to the story of Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok is a more personalized story that focuses on the growth of each individual character. This is especially evident with Kratos and his son. Kratos is trying to make up for his past and be a better person. He has gone through a lot of painful experiences that he does not want his son to go through. He knows the consequences of doing such things and wants his son to be better. Atreus on the other hand is more focused on finding the truth. Atreus wants to learn about his identity as a god and wants to know what that entails. Aside from that, there are matters of trust and conflict that arise when these two objectives clash. There is also the matter of fate and trying to understand what it really is. In the God of War series, prophecies and fate have always played a big part in how individual characters make decisions. In God of War Ragnarok, it is also a constant theme. Kratos seeks to defy fate and be a better person while Atreus wants to know what these prophecies mean. These different themes all come into play beautifully and help shine a brand new light on the characters as they go through their journey. When it comes to the world of God of War Ragnarok, the world also has many secrets to tell. Little tidbits of lore and mythos are hidden around the world and can be interacted with when they are found.
When comparing the two, it is difficult to pick which one is better as both are top tier storytelling with thought provoking themes. In addition, both tell a different kind of story. God of War Ragnarok tells the story of a man and his son in their journey across the nine realms while Elden Ring tells the story of the world and how it can be fixed. With this in mind, it is very difficult to judge between the two. However, there is a stark difference when looking at each game individually. Elden Ring may be part of the Souls series but it is still its own game with its own self-contained story. On the other hand, God of War Ragnarok is part of the story of God of War. Looking at the games individually, Elden Ring is a bit better since despite being an individual game, Elden Ring was able to tell the narrative of a whole world. In God of War Ragnarok, the story is also great on its own but the fact that it only becomes that much more heavy is due to knowing the experiences of the character from the previous games.
Conclusion
All in all, this is not to say that God of War Ragnarok is a bad game. Instead, it can be said that God of War Ragnarok should be enthralled in the Hall of Fame of the greatest video games of all time. It just so happens that its main competitor is just a better game when compared with each other.
For more gaming related content, check out the gaming section of Clutchpoints.
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