What is Going On With God of War: Laufey?
On June 2, PlayStation released its State of Play, showcasing many new updates and revealing upcoming action-packed titles such as Marvel’s Wolverine, Until Dawn 2, and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. One unexpected reveal was God of War’s newest installment: God of War Laufey. The game follows the journey of Faye, Krato’s wife and Atreus’s mother, as she travels through Everywhen, the afterlife of the gods, to get back to her family. Although some fans were excited for this newest chapter in the God of War series, there is has been some discourse within the fandom that has left many questioning Santa Monica’s decision regarding the continuation of the franchise with a whole new protagonist.
The Tale of Faye
Before we discuss the drama, let’s discuss Faye and her importance to the God of War series.
In both God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök, Faye was a woman of great mystery and secrets. All that is known about her is from the stories told by the people she crossed paths with including Kratos. Prior to her death, Faye was known as Laufey the Just, a Frost Giant who rebelled against the evil Aesir and the All-Father, Odin. Odin, driven by paranoia, sought to enter Jötunheim to steal secrets of the Giants and learned about their powers of precognition to change his fate. Laufey sided with the God of War, Týr, to hide the path to Jötunheim to save her people from Thor’s wrath. Unfortunately, her efforts failed as Odin ordered Thor to exterminate all the Giants in Midgard.
After bringing about the destruction of Olympus and restoring hope, Kratos ended up in Midgard, where he eventually crossed Laufey, who was going by the name “Faye” and lived among mortals. The two eventually fell in love, and she gave birth to their son, Atreus or Loki. Using her power of foresight, Laufey devised a plan for her family’s future. Before her death, Faye asked Kratos to spread her ashes across the highest peak of all the realms. Despite being husband and wife, Faye and Kratos kept many secrets from each other. Kratos and Atreus were unaware of Faye’s true identity and heritage until they reached the home of the Giants and discovered a mural that chronicled their entire journey, including the future. However, one fragment of the mural depicts a future Atreus cradling a dying Kratos in his arms.
After the end of Ragnarök, Kratos and Atreus meet with Angrboda, who shows them a hidden Jötunn shrine that tells more about Faye’s prophecy. It is discovered she had destroyed part of the mural upon learning her family’s future and went against her people to change it to ensure that future never comes true. In a side quest, Kratos discovered a frozen lightning bolt within a destroyed village in Vanaheim. The lightning bolt resembled the one that was made with his fight with Thor when his Leviathan Axe clashed with Mjölnir. Kratos meets the spirits of the deceased villagers, who tell him what happened to their village. It is revealed that the village’s destruction was caused by a fight between Thor and Faye. Upon learning the slaughter of her people by the hands of Thor, Faye entered a blind rage and clashed with the drunk God of Thunder, causing the lightning bolt to appear. Their wrath becoming a destructive force that killed everything and everyone around them. The battle ended in a stalemate, but Faye was remorseful about how her rage caused the death of many innocent civilians.
Following her death, Faye’s soul arrived in Everywhen. However, Faye had assumed she would have been in the Light of Alfheim. Fearing her plans are now compromised, Faye has to travel through this strange new realm to ensure her plans to protect Kratos and Atreus come true.
The Controversy
So, why has this game earned so much polarizing backlash and skepticism?
The biggest complaint is that the new title does not star Kratos as its main protagonist. Undeniably, God of War is nothing without Kratos and his story as a tragic fallen god filled with hatred, to his redemption as a father, and his acceptance of his past. For fans, imagining another God of War without him is inconceivable. Most assumed the most natural direction in continuing GoW’s story is following Atreus as he embarked on a solo quest to find the remaining Giants scattered across the realms. Some have argued that Faye is not that interesting of a character as she was hardly present in both games. Over on Twitter, there is a certain crowd who feel this direction is too “woke” in replacing a male protagonist with a female “girl boss”.
Replacing a beloved title game protagonist with a completely new character has rarely been met with a positive reception in the gaming community. The most infamous example of this is the “Raiden Effect” in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, in which the Legendary Spy, Solid Snake, was replaced with Raiden. All marketing for the game anticipated the comeback of Solid Snake, which got players hyped for another chance to play as him again. When Metal Gear Solid 2 was released in 2001, fans were not happy that the silent spy was replaced by the young, chatty rookie Raiden. Snake was only playable during the game’s prologue, and players found Raiden extremely annoying and whiny as his talking disrupted the pacing. Creator Hideo Kojima stated he deliberately deceived players with pre-release trailers to subvert fan expectations and mirror the game’s core themes of information control, AI, and manufactured reality. Needless to say, his statement was not met with a positive reaction from the fans.
In Devil May Cry 4, many fans did not greet the newest devil hunter, Nero, with open arms as they perceived him as just a watered-down edgelord version of the charismatic Dante. Eventually, Nero slowly won people over as the game progressed with his emotionally motivated story and combat mechanics. The same can be said about Viola in Bayonetta 3. Although some found her an endearing punk goofball that contrasted well with Bayonetta’s confident attitude, her sudden placement in the story felt jarring, and fans were not impressed with her inheriting the “Bayonetta” name after Cereza’s death at the end of the game. However, unlike those three titles, Faye already has an established character and lore, which is a positive since players will not go into the game completely blindsided.
Another concern is the notion of God of War: Laufey being a “spin-off” game. However, according to Santa Monica Studios, the game is actually a mainline game that is supposed to be the “next chapter of God of War,” now told through Faye’s perspective. The game is set to run parallel with the events of God of War (2018) and Ragnarök, as it was important for their players to start on the same page. God of War director Cory Barlog stated he has been wanting to tell Faye’s story for about 10 years. God of War Laufey’s director, Ariel Lawrence, understands how deeply God of War is intertwined with Kratos and the fan’s deep connection with him and his story. She views the skepticism in a positive light, saying she is grateful players care enough about the franchise to voice their opinions and hopes they will eventually embrace Faye.
The Potential
Despite all the controversy, God of War Laufey does possess the potential to become a title that could stand alongside the other God of War games. In hindsight, frankly, everything God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök could not have happened without Faye. Her mysterious actions drove the entire narrative of both games as she manipulated fate to ensure her family’s survival to allow them to choose their own fate and continue her rebellion against the Aesir and Odin after her death. Even if she was not physically present throughout both games, Santa Monica Studios has exceptionally painted Faye as a character who was mysterious yet profound. Now that we are going to play as her, we can finally see who she is, her secrets, and her drive to protect the two people she loved the most.
Within the 20-min preview of the game, there are already so many questions regarding what is Everywhen and who are gods that inhabit it. Two in which are seen are two other gods of war, the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet and the Mongolian god Begtse who seem to be the rulers of this new world. Perhaps other gods may appear such as some from the Greek pantheon and maybe Thor might make an appearance? In seeing the gameplay, Faye’s combat style is exactly as Kratos had once said to Atreus, “She fought beautifully.” She moves with incredibly fluidity being both fast and lethal with chaining air combos and soul-stealing strikes. Her style is more acrobatic which is a great contrast to her brualtizer husband. Hopefully when the game release, fans will eventually change their minds about Faye and give the game a chance.
What do you think about God of War Laufey? Do you think criticism of the game is overblown, or are there some valid points concerning this new addition to the God of War series?
🪓Share your thoughts and theories in the comments below!🪓
