At Studio Santa Monica, one of our guiding phrases is "We like our fans." Whether it's cutting-edge reactions, insightful videos, or costumes, knowing that there is an audience that appreciates every detail of our work motivates us to create something worthy of a God of War fan.
Cosplay is an important part of our community and they've been around since the first game was launched in 2005. Over the years, we've seen how much time, love and dedication it takes to create one character. The characters in God of War often have a lot of different materials, levels, and details to consider. One thing we learned is that the best starting point for any participating player is a good reference for the characters they play!
With that in mind, we're happy to finally present the new official God of War Ragnarök cosplay guide for Kratos and Atreus.
With that in mind, we're happy to finally present the new official God of War Ragnarök cosplay guide for Kratos and Atreus.
After checking out the new guide, be sure to check out the interview below with Santa Monica Studio Art Director Raf Grassetti on how the team updated Kratos' designs. and Atreus in God of War Ragnarök!
The Official Guide to Kratos and Atreus Cosplay
To show our appreciation to all of the God of War cosplayers who have used Kratos and Atreus over the years, we wanted to make our latest God of War Ragnarök guide more comprehensive than what we did with God of War (2018).
We worked with our great artist and SMS writer, B dedicated Boy Artist Romina Tempest, to create a guide that not only provides the in-depth references players need, but also allows us to play more in the world. . God of War looks at cartoons through the lens of our character.
cosplay community partner
Image source: Carlos Adama تصوير
While we know visual references are key, we also wanted to give the experience of a couple of cosplayers in our community to share the resources and tips they got while creating their own costumes!
Image credit: Picture of the laughing ghoul
We are pleased to collaborate with Opal Ink Cosplay (Atreus) and Jonny Mathers - Baldsasquatch (Kratos), who produced amazing versions of Kratos and Atreus in 2018.
They've put together a wealth of costume designer reference resources as well as official cosplay guides, not to mention they'll be posting videos documenting important parts of their creative process on their own channel.
Interview with Technical Director Raf Grassetti
The new Kratos and Atreus designs I've seen for God of War Ragnarök are the culmination of months of iteration among the talented characters and concept artists at the Santa Monica studio. Atreus in particular presented us with a unique challenge and opportunity, several years after the last match.
To discuss our winter hero's appearance in God of War Ragnarök, Artistic Director Raf Grassetti guides us through some of the major choices made along the way.
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Grace Orladi: Let's start over with the first phase of God of War Ragnarök's development. When you see that there will be a time difference between characters between games, what's the first thing that comes to mind in terms of what that means for the graphics of Kratos and Atreus?
Raf Grassetti: It's great to be able to revisit and costume our heroes by thinking about what they've been through since the last time we saw them. Knowing that they trained on their own and without the Huldra brothers' help, we're back to a simpler, more popular costume on how to make their own armor.
You can see it the way it is sewn, in the choice of material and how it withstands harsh weather conditions.
Kratos concept art by Rafael Grassetti
We've established that God of War Ragnarök begins during the Fimbulwinter event. Midcard, where Kratos and Atreus live, is covered with snow and ice. How does this affect the team's design choices?
We included several elements to describe the character's journey from the end of God of War (2018) to the beginning of God of War Ragnarök. The cold is definitely a very important factor, you can see it for example in the Atreus costume, where the skin is turned inside out to protect it from the cold and Kratos also uses the skin of a bear.
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In God of War (2018), the team dramatically changed Kratos' appearance to fit the new environment, while retaining the character's signature elements that made him instantly recognizable.
With Kratos' Norse-era design shaped in players' minds, what considerations or challenges do he face in updating his appearance for God of War Ragnarök?
Since God of War Ragnarök is a sequel, we knew we didn't want to change Kratos completely, so several choices were made to update his appearance to reflect the new setting. We decided to keep his right shoulder strap and make his iconic tattoo visible.
Although Kratos looks like his version in God of War (2018), the 3D model has been completely reworked to improve PS5 quality, and all map and costume details are made from scratch.
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When it comes to visual storytelling, what aspects of Kratos' character are most important to conveying through the design and how do you do it?
Kratos has been through a lot and his designs still reflect that. He was more interested in functionality than graphics, so many decisions were made about his design for practical purposes. Certain fruits exist depending on their use in combat, for example a shoulder strap with a metal strap that protects his dominant arm and a bracelet can be used to protect them if necessary.
We've also included touches from her past, like the red fabric of the Spartan skirt, that hint at her origins. All design elements have been deliberately chosen to make Kratos believable as a character.
Is there an aspect of Kratos' design for God of War Ragnarök that you're particularly proud of or that you want players to pay attention to?
At the end of God of War (2018), Kratos removed his bandages and freed himself from the winds of Jötunheim, revealing his scar to Atreus. This was a very powerful moment for the character, so we decided to put a piece of the headband that Kratos keeps at home on his new gear to get attention. On his right bracelet you can see how he uses it to melt armor.
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Enough Dad, let's move on to the boy! Atreus has had a growth spurt or five since God of War (2018), sure has had a few birthdays, and has had some new digs since we last saw him. Can you tell us how we think about the first project of the ancient Atreus?
It's always fun working with Atreus, being able to collaborate with the writers and seeing the characters grow gives us a lot to play as artists and that choice reflects in his performances.
More than Kratos, we know that training will have a huge impact on him, so he needs to be better equipped to protect himself. With Atreus we can also play more with design elements for visual purposes only and make it fun.
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Were there any unique challenges the team faced while iterating the new Atreus design?
Kratos is so creative that we had to make sure to find out what made Atreus unique so he could stand by the great man and be known. This is not an easy task. We ended up focusing on the things we think make God of War (2018) design special and building on those pieces.
What made you decide to go with the ultimate trend we saw in this Atreus cosplay guide?
We knew we had to keep the pieces that symbolized her parents, including the yellow Atreus scarf representing Faye and her red skirt from Kratos' Greek dress.
We also wanted to keep the "X" shape on the chest because it was one of the most memorable images of her little girl's outfit. From this base we discover many different variations.
Dela Longfish (the main character concept artist) had some great designs for Atreus and what we're seeing now is the development of several iterations to find the perfect version.
Illustration of the Atreus concept by Dela Longfish
When it comes to visual storytelling, what aspects of Atreus' character are most important to convey through his design?
Atreus is a teenager and we wanted to make his clothes a way to express himself, especially since he makes a lot of his clothes. It is important to us that the designs of our characters reflect the era in which they lived, so the use of fashion materials, embroidery and color should be grounded but not overly restrictive.
We always try to strike a balance between realism and the amazing designs that make God of War characters so iconic.
Atreus in the last game had different colors. In God of War, Ragnarök seems to lean more towards bright colors. What made the team want to go in this direction with design?
At this point in his life, Atreus is trying to figure out who he is, and color choices play with the theme. Giants Yellow is powerful and something we've been using since God of War (2018) to hint at what's to come in terms of his legacy.
His father's influence is shown in his red striped belt, aggressive red arrows and red bow - you'll be able to see how this influence affects his future progression in God of War Ragnarök.
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Is there an aspect of Atreus' design for God of War Ragnarök that you're particularly proud of or that you want players to pay attention to?
Atreus is a product of his environment and the people around him. One cool detail that most people won't notice is Kratos' tattoos which can be seen through his armor designs.
On his left arm / shoulder you can see a tattoo of Kratos cutting the outfit - like a father, like a son.
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A message to the God of War cosplay community?
One of the most rewarding things for the artist is to see the co-stars do a great job recreating these characters. We do it wholeheartedly to give fans characters that seem reasonable and it's great to see people so close that they decided to dress up.
I know how much work it takes to complicate things, so thank you and thank you all.
If you decide to join a character from God of War, don't forget to tag Santa Monica studio on social media or use the hashtag #GodofWarRagnarok! We are always glad to see your work.
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For the latest updates on God of War Ragnarök, be sure to follow Santa Monica Studio on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Head over to the official Santa Monica Discord Studio to join the conversation with other fans.
God of War Ragnarök launches on November 9, 2022. Pre-order your copy here.