God of War Ragnarok 2022 witnessed some of the most exciting battles and emotional climaxes in the game. While the main story had its good points, its side quests (also called side quests) were the most memorable moments with the characters. However, the implementation of these optional adventures created problems in the game's development.
Santa Monica Studio decided to create unique side missions with short but captivating stories that highlight the stories of its characters. These quests humanize not only the protagonist Kratos, but also the friends, allies, and family of the ruthless God of War he finds after completing his journey through Olympus.
We sat down with lead player investment designer Anthony Demento and lead writer Rich Gobert to discuss the implementation of some of the game's most memorable side quests.
Serving the big picture
God of War Ragnarok's side quests are not only around the world, but with larger themes of more important characters and journeys.
“This time we have a better understanding of what we want sidequests for. And I think the desire of many developers is to create the world and its lore,” says Gobert. “While it's definitely part of the project, we didn't want it to be the center of attention. It creates those characters and themes and critical paths, stories and side quests Stories are pieces of a larger puzzle. This lore and world-building should be the result of character studies, not the other way around. It's very easy to get lost in the details if they don't relate to the characters because they're easy to relate to. "
Favre's first game, In Service of Asgard, is a perfect example of this approach. In this quest, Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir come across Mimir's past misguided attempts to gain Odin's approval, specifically convincing the dwarves of Svartalfheim to build a mining resource digger for Odin. The mining has come at a cost, polluting the region and draining Vertalfame of resources, and now Mimi wants to undo the damage to heal the kingdom and clear her conscience.
Favor not only explores one of Mimi's deepest regrets, adding more context to her deep hatred for Odin, but also reflects the larger theme of not running away from the past, something Kratos struggled with. While Kratos isn't the focus of Charity, completing this side quest allows the team at the Santa Monica studio to shed new light on the ancient God of War, helping Mimir right the wrongs of his past service under his evil masters. - addressing larger themes of both characters, including personal responsibility and regret.
"It's about being on target with your themes and having your secondary characters serve as a mirror for your protagonist, leading you down the wrong path or warning you about what might happen if a character goes down the same path," Gober continues. A reflection of your character, and of course we apply this philosophy throughout our stories, including side quests and how they should serve the bigger picture.”
Search is constant
When designing the side quests for God of War Ragnarok, the Player Investment team had to make a few important decisions before creating the story. "When and where should these quests be launched? Questions such as "Will the characters driving the story have the same motivations before and after Ragnarok?" It has to be answered in development.
The idea was to make the world dynamic and alive, giving players the freedom to choose the time and pace of their exploration;
"We wanted the world to feel connected and alive," said Dimento “We never want the player to regret the decision not to complete a side quest as soon as it becomes available, or if they decide to return to it after completing the main story. We want them to be able to play the content and enjoy the interaction. with this."
But with this design philosophy, the team had to consider difficult changes such as characters leaving the team;
God of War Ragnarok has a larger cast than previous games, but most of them are confined to certain parts of the story, so we started looking for constants. Characters we can trust to help us in some of these quests. This was the one. Big problem with side quests, but it was fun. It was resolved. Serving Asgard, we tried it for the first time to see if it would work, I kept going to the writers and they agreed to Mimi's suggestion. There were times where we left early, but then rewrote things so the research was still there. while he was there."
Those of you who finished the main story know that the team had to consider an additional level of difficulty when creating facilities that could be played during or after the main story. Side quests don't allow for a constant, but rather multiple characters to help Kratos have an interesting perspective on the situation.
A perfect example of this is the disastrous grace, the weight of chains. This side quest highlights another mistake from Mimir's past when he tried to influence the Patriarch at the expense of the innocent; In this case, a cetacean trap called a lingbak. After removing his goblins to make oil for Odin, rather than kill the creature or risk the High Priest's wrath by releasing him, Mimir kept Lungbakr chained for centuries, hoping that his death would resolve the situation. To Mimi's surprise, the group discovers that Lingbakar is still alive, imprisoned in eternal torment. They decide to help the creature, hoping that it will live out the rest of its days free.
At first glance, some might miss the important role this favor plays not only for Kratos and Mimir, but also for other characters like Freya and Atreus.
"This film was very rewarding for us because it reflected the whole cast," says Gobert. “It was obvious to Mimir and Kratos because they were literally imprisoned. But it's also a reflection of Freya, who has been imprisoned in Midgard for so long and before that in a toxic marriage. And the same is true of Atreus, the allegorical son trapped in a familial mandatory role from which he so desperately wants to escape.
No matter when or with whom you complete this quest, the team has specially designed it to give you a deeper understanding of these characters using a theme that suits everyone.
Showing character growth
Side quests are optional by definition, so Santa Monica also had to think about how to shape Kratos' personality. His career since the last game has changed from a stoic realist to a more caring and sympathetic father. While Kratos experienced a lot of personal growth in God of War (2018), the team knew it wasn't just a place to make an old plea for coolness;
"This Kratos buff allowed us to do side quests," Demento said. “I don't think they will work with the laser killing machine that they used in the previous games. But we kept him at bay by giving him personal reasons for going on this side quest."
“He generally had a miraculous intention to do good. Otherwise, it will be wrong. Gobert continued. “Especially early in the game when he's less unselfish and more defensive of what he has. But later in the game, it is implied that he does these side quests for selfless reasons. So building that motivation from the start helped reduce the extra strings. Had to write to explain his changing intentions throughout the main story.'
Secret of the Sands is one of those favors where Kratos does a good deed for personal and selfless reasons. Atreus begins to hear screams of pain, sending the search party on an adventure to free a creature called Khafgufa from its prison. "Secret of the Sands" - first half of two parts, ending with "Song of the Sands"; Both show how much Kratos has grown as a father and how he takes into account Atreus' personal values;
“Kratos' character development continues until you decide to think outside the box and do side quests. I think that's something that both the player and Kratos can find along the way," DiMento said. "In Secret of the Sands and Song of the Sands, if you do this story with Atreus, he keeps asking Kratos, 'Why are we doing this? doing? Why do you want to help this animal? And then you get this really beautiful, defining moment when Mimir says: "He's only doing this because he wants to hang out with you."
During this reward, you get an extra layer that shows how much Kratos and Atreus' relationship has changed over the years. As Kratos is able to learn and grow as a character, he shows not only that he has a better understanding of what is important to his son, but also an active willingness to act on it without asking Atreus. Kratos ends up helping Hufflepuff because he wants to do something with Atreus that he knows is important to his son.
Group work
Santa Monica Studios' work bringing these side quests to life cannot be overstated. Gobert showed how great it is to bring the game to life and emphasize its themes and give more time to tell stories with its characters. And, according to Dimento, that's thanks to the teamwork of the entire team.
"Everyone in the studio has a very high bar for what we do," Dimento said. "That drive to do great work drives all of us. The ability to bring so many departments together to create that content and do it in a way that's a little bit off the critical path. Taking advantage of what we had was incredibly rewarding. .
God of War Ragnarok is now available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.