God of War 4 to Explore Norse Mythology: Will Kratos Battle Thor?

Sony has a number of studios that are working hard behind closed doors on a range of titles, some we know about, others have yet to be officially unveiled to the rest of the world. One of those studios is Sony Santa Monica. The studio created the God of War series and is known to be have been working on a fourth numbered installment since 2014.

Two years ago, creative director Cory Barlog confirmed the team was in early stages and heavily hinted that the game would more likely be a reboot as opposed to a sequel. Considering protagonist Kratos has spent previous games killing all the Greek Gods you can think of, it’s not surprising that he needs to find enemies in a completely different world. A cryptic message by an industry insider, along with leaked images, suggests where the God of War franchise could go next.

The often trusted NeoGaf user known as Shinobi, who was not long ago seen suggesting that the next Call of Duty title will be set in space, posted a teasing tweet suggesting what is in store for Kratos’ next adventure. Over two messages, Shinobi said “Across the rainbow bridge…to the halls of Valhalla. My boy. #GodofWar4.” If the message is to be believed, God of War 4 will be based around Norse mythology. Valhalla is a majestic hall situated in Asgard and ruled over by the God Odin. You may already know that if you’re particularly clued up on Norse mythos or you’re a fan of Marvel’s Thor. Could the God of Thunder be a potential foe for Kratos?



In Norse mythology, half of those who die in combat are chosen by Odin to travel to Valhalla and the other half go to the goddess Freyja’s field Fólkvangr. Based on concept art images that have also found their way online, the story of Odin and Freyja could be potential locations in God of War 4. The pieces of artwork have gained so much attention that the artist’s website, the original Imgur album that contained them, and NerdLeaks who shared them, were all taken offline. After which, Shinobi expressed regret at sharing the information as according to IGN, NerdLeaks may have bypassed a password protected webpage to gain access to the images in the first place.

One of the images appears to be an early character model of the new Kratos. He bears the same body ink as the God-slayer, with the only aesthetic difference being a beard as well as wearing Viking furs – and being armed with an axe. It’s being suggested that the axe will not only be used as a weapon but also to cut vines and create bridges to traverse the environment. Polygon have also been examining the images, claiming they indicate Kratos will visit Alfheim and Vanaheimr, two of the Nine Worlds of Norse mythology. The site also suggests a prison location is noted – and that green, life-restoring health runestones have been identified.





Sources close to Polygon have apparently informed them that the artwork is legitimate; however, Sony has yet to make an official comment and is likely non-too pleased about the sensitive information having been shared ahead of time. First Mass Effect Andromeda gameplay video leak and now this?

Game companies just can’t keep things undercover for long these days.

 

I think this makes some logical sense. He's completely obliterated the Greek/Roman gods. I'm guessing it'll be setup so that one of the Norse gods (most likely Loki) will become aware of this and will try to use/trick him into eliminating Odin, Thor, etc. so he can claim the throne. Just like in the original series, the plan will backfire and he'll go apesh*t and get his revenge against all the gods. The guy's basically a mythological serial killer at this point.