Santa Monica Studio does not enable its accessibility settings by default; rather, it gives them and lets God of War Ragnarok users to choose what their ideal gaming experience will be. Santa Monica Studio noted in a statement that it has worked with Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and many prominent people as consultants to advance accessibility in gaming as part of a “industry-wide endeavour.”
Santa Monica Studio does not place a premium on difficulty, like From Software does with their RPGs. That isn’t to say that the developer isn’t giving difficulty alternatives for people who want them. The “Give Me Balance” difficulty balances combat and narrative equally. From there, players may choose to make the game more or less tough, with two choices emphasising less fighting and two emphasising more combat. “Give Me God of War” is intended to be “as challenging as possible,” and it is only accessible after you have completed the game.
Certain online groups are likely to be divided by God of War Ragnarok’s accessibility features. Finally, players that need or want mid-boss checkpoints, as well as any of the other hundreds of accessibility improvements, will have them. That is all Santa Monica Studio want from God of War Ragnarok gamers.
