With the game’s official release approaching, the director of God of War Ragnarok talks out about the vintage NES games that affected it. Though the game has inspired things like a hand-painted God of War advertising on a train in Bucharest, it’s amazing to see the clear relationship between it and gaming legends of the past.
There was never any question that God of War: Ragnarok would make ripples in the gaming world, particularly after its predecessor completely reimagined the franchise and its primary character. Despite introducing Kratos to a new generation of gamers and renewing a famous franchise, the game’s origins in past masterpieces are unmistakable, and they have finally been explained.
During an interview with IGN, God of War: Ragnarok director Eric Williams, a lifelong game design fan, mentioned five NES classics in particular that are woven into the DNA of the new release. The described games span from the obvious to the unexpected. The original Legend of Zelda is, without a doubt, one of the actual primordial progenitors of most games that can even be loosely labelled as “adventure” games. Collecting mythological, magical things such as God of War: Ragnarok’s Draupnir may be linked back to Zelda’s quest for the original iteration of the Triforce.
Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest is influenced by Zelda, with much exploration and surprises, some of which are very confusing. It also adds a fair dose of myth and legend as foes and friends in a video game. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is a little more unexpected impact, since it gives a model for how to make an exciting and hard boss fight many years after its debut, which is important for a God of War game. Given that riddles aren’t one of God of War: Ragnarok’s strongest points, solid bones of boss design are a must.
The final two inspirations begin with River City Ransom, which has long been seen as a forerunner to other major series such as Grand Theft Auto. According to Williams, its most essential addition to God of War: Ragnarok is the notion of “theme” and bringing in little touches to emphasise the such theme. The methods in which Kratos maintains his Spartan identity are part of the concept, and gamers may applaud RCR for its constancy.
Finally, and perhaps most shockingly, Baseball Stars is the game’s sixth main influence. Its main contribution is a strict economy, as well as the basics of useful video game data. Modding talents, among other stat-enhancing stages, are very crucial in God of War: Ragnarok, thus it’s fair to say Baseball Stars’ lesson was well learnt.
