STACK #218 December 2022

GAMING REVIEWS

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GOD OF WAR RAGNARÖK

ACTION ADVENTURE MULTIPLAYER

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Sliding back into the well-worn boots of Kratos to bash, slash and smash through scores of enemies across the nine realms to challenge the gods of Asgard never felt so satisfying - or looked so good. Kratos, the titular God of War, is beginning to show the weight of his life choices. He

reluctantly picks up his axe again in defence of his son against the might of Odin, and the ominously rumbling presence of Thor. Atreus, still reeling from the previous game’s big reveal, is pursuing clues to uncover his true nature, and thrusting himself blindly into all sorts of dangers. Visually, God of War Ragnarök is gorgeous. Cranking up the graphical wizardry to 11, you may find yourself staring at your own reflection in a puddle. It just looks magnificent, and the nine realms with their signature environments all feel distinct and lived in. Enemy types are some of the finest that you’re likely to experience. There are

diverse unit types in each realm, and the game truly shines when they’re combined in a dizzying display of technical brilliance. To counter the cornucopia of courageous combatants,

NORSE CASTING A shining light of

Kratos has a huge bag of tricks. The fabulously brutal Leviathan Axe makes its triumphant return, along with the signature Blades of Chaos, to bring devastation down upon adversaries. Combining these with different types of specialty shields, Kratos becomes an armoured tank of intimidation. This is a game that understands the journey is as important as the destination. Exploring each realm and solving some of the particularly tricky puzzles takes time. You need to luxuriate to make the most of the experience. God of War Ragnarök is everything that was great about the 2018 outing, enhanced, streamlined, and expanded. It’s a fun and emotional experience that ticks every single box on the must-play checklist. DN

Ragnarök is the stellar cast. Christopher Judge (Kratos) and Sunny Suljic (Atreus) get much more to do, and they revel in it. Plus, the more we can talk about Ryan Hurst (Thor) and Richard Schiff (Odin), the better. What fabulous characters to join what is an already superb cast.

SONIC FRONTIERS

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There’s always been a bit of a dichotomy with Sonic the Hedgehog. He’s the speediest of his kind, yet he’s been confined to quite claustrophobic levels. In Sonic Frontiers , the little blue fella finally gets to really stretch his legs and run wild. It isn’t an open world game, however, at least according to Sonic

Team genius Takashi Iizuka. He prefers the term ‘Open Zone’... Think a collision of PlayStation’s legendary Shadow of the Colossus and the various LEGO games and you’d be tuning into the right wavelength. Story-wise, Sonic and pals are slurped into a curious digital vortex, dumping them in the vicinity of the Starfall Islands. While Sonic remains stoically, well, Sonic, his friends are trapped digitally. Naturally it’s up to Sonic to not only rescue his intrepid pals, but also to collect those Chaos Emeralds in order to make any headway. Mechanical foes up for a bit of serious

biffo are soon encountered, and the character design here is quite sinister. These things are the kinds of creations that nightmares are fuelled by! But, as always, Sonic is up for a challenge, and armed with his very handy new ‘Cyloop’ ability, he can literally run rings around more basic opposition. Many adversaries require puzzle nous to defeat, and that goes for several other encounters. The five islands are jam-packed with activities, as well as things to collect. The areas are sprawling, and packed with classic Sonic styled rails, rings, scalable walls and propulsion pads. The big one for fans of classic Sonic is the various portals that send Sonic careening into Cyber Space, which are various outbreaks of more traditional, confined level gameplay. Sonic the Hedgehog playing out in wide open spaces? Believe it – and believe that it can be an utter blast. Gotta go vast! AF

IN WITH FLYNN We’re not going to divulge story secrets, but it is good to know that Sonic Team handed comic writer Ian Flynn the task of penning the main tale that unfolds. Playing out via non-intrusive cutscenes, they quickly suck you into the world of Sonic’s latest adventure and make you care about what’s unfolding.

12 DECEMBER 2022

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