Looking at the game's credits, Zack didn't rush to exit the game.
This was because games from Nebula Games, and other large-scale games like it, usually had a small easter egg after the credits rolled.
And this "New God of War," which took us to Norse mythology, had left so many unanswered questions in its content. So, he figured there might be a final easter egg to clear things up for players.
He controlled Kratos and his son Atreus, using the Bifrost bridge to return home as prompted.
He saw a dilapidated small wooden house with drafty wooden walls. The large hole in the ceiling, made by Baldur's hammer, still hadn't been fixed.
"Seriously, Kratos is a God of War, but his living conditions are so basic?"
"Freya's place was also a rundown wooden house, but that giant turtle tree, all the surrounding plants, and the massive underground area made her place seem richer than Kratos's!"
"This big Bell difference really shows the gap between locals and outsiders."
Watching Kratos's house, Zack couldn't help but sigh.
They were both gods, so why were their living conditions so different?
Thinking about it, the only difference was that Freya was a native god, and Kratos was an outsider.
As Zack mused, Kratos and Atreus in the game lay down to rest.
The journey to scatter ashes had left them exhausted, both physically and mentally.
As Kratos and Atreus lay down, Zack's vision suddenly went dark, and then a line of text appeared: Years Later.
Kratos and Atreus were jolted awake from their sleep. Outside, lightning flashed, and the wind howled.
The large hole in the ceiling, smashed by Baldur, had been fixed.
But in the next moment, it was struck by lightning again.
The same spot, the same hole. The difference was the visitor.
Kratos, holding the Leviathan Axe, rushed out.
At the doorstep of his home stood a burly man in a black robe, silent, surrounded by crackling lightning.
"Who are you!"
Amidst the thunder and wind, Kratos shouted his question.
The other person remained silent. The mysterious figure simply threw back his cape.
The next moment, a hammer crackling with lightning was shown in close-up, and then the game ended, returning to the initial loading screen.
"Thor's Hammer! Is that Thor? Kratos and Atreus killed Thor's son, and now his dad is here for revenge?"
Recalling the scene, Zack immediately recognized him.
Lightning and thunder, along with Thor's iconic weapon, Mjolnir.
Even though his knowledge of Norse mythology was limited, combined with the previous story of "God of War," Zack instantly knew who this person was.
"Now we'll have a hammer to play with in the sequel!"
"In Norse mythology, Baldur's death is what started Ragnarok. Now Kratos killed Baldur, triggering Ragnarok early, and Thor has appeared. The next installment should be the official war against the Norse gods!"
Zack was a bit excited.
According to the story of God of War's Greek saga.
It was similar.
In the first game, he killed the God of War, Ares, and here, he killed Baldur.
The sequel would surely be the official war against the Norse gods.
If nothing unexpected happened, Thor's hammer would probably become another toy for Kratos later on.
After all, having a variety of weapons was a hallmark of God of War.
Compared to the Greek era of God of War, the only thing Zack found disappointing about the new "God of War" was the lack of many toys.
Besides his bare hands, shield, axe, and chain blades, only his son's bow and arrows were really usable.
Although the game had corresponding runic magic, it was indeed a bit monotonous compared to the various magics and weapons of the previous installments.
Now, in this final, easter egg-like cutscene, the camera focused on the hammer. It was clearly meant not only to hint at the identity of this mysterious figure but also, perhaps, to imply that in the next game, players could control Kratos to beat up Thor and snatch his Thunder Hammer as a toy.
It wasn't just Zack who was excited. All players who had completed the "New God of War" were enthusiastically discussing the game's content online.
After all, so much had changed in this new "God of War" – the gameplay, the style, and all the plot holes.
Of course, what players discussed most was Kratos's future.
The mural depicting Kratos's death became the main focus of player discussions.
"Holy crap, Kratos is going to die? I can't accept that!"
"Those who say Kratos will die are too young. It's not the first time Kratos has died. In Greece, he practically went to the Underworld every time."
"Didn't you hear Mimir's head say? Fate doesn't affect Kratos."
"Exactly, fate doesn't affect Kratos. In the Greek era, Kratos tore apart the Fates themselves."
"That's not guaranteed. It's just the death of a protagonist. Do you think Boss Lucas wouldn't dare to do it?"
"Why overthink? Haven't you noticed the key problem? There's been no news about the next 'New God of War' after this, and with this final easter egg, don't you think Boss Lucas is giving us a hint? Sequel? What sequel!"
"Damn it! You're brilliant!"
Players argued heatedly, as it felt like any scenario was possible, and many details in the game were filled with foreshadowing.
Especially the mural at the end, showing Kratos falling into Atreus's arms, with a giant snake emerging from Atreus's mouth, making players' imaginations run wild.
Including Freya, who now harbored hatred for Kratos due to Baldur's death, and the God of Thunder who finally showed up.
All these elements created a feeling of impending doom for Kratos.
But Zack sincerely hoped that, as Mimir said, prophecies wouldn't affect Kratos.
After all, when you really thought about it, Kratos had a pretty tragic life.
In Greece, he was used as a tool by the gods, and in his rage, he slaughtered all of Greek mythology.
Now, in the Norse realm, he was showing signs of being a tool again. That was too much.
It felt like "God of War" could perfectly be renamed "The Rage of the Overworked Employee."
In Greece, Kratos signed a bad contract with the Greek gods, working for them and being oppressed.
Finally unable to bear the exploitation, he flew into a rage, took down his bosses, and decided to move north.
"So, is the main story over like this? It feels like there's still a lot to explore!"
Zack scanned the related game community forums and then returned to the game.
The main story had ascended the highest peak in the Nine Realms and scattered the ashes, ending there.
But that didn't mean there wasn't other content in the game.
The previous Greek mythology trilogy was basically a linear progression.
Like "The Last of Us" or "Uncharted."
You just went from one level to the next.
In terms of the Norse storyline, it was also a linear path.
But the game offered more content to explore.
For example, there were challenges in Helheim, various directions of Midgard's world lake, and various dimensional gates.
The game also had many side quests, allowing players to collect various materials to craft higher-tier equipment.
These were elements that could let players invest dozens more hours.
And for Zack, he had played on the easiest difficulty before. Now, he wanted to try playing on higher difficulties to see what they were like.
Furthermore, given "New God of War's" heavy ARPG elements, Zack also wanted to farm for a powerful set of gear.
Currently, the equipment he was using was just a collection of random pieces found during the playthrough.
With this in mind, Zack reloaded his previous save file and found Mimir's hidden chamber in the Foothills from his previous journey. He encountered his first Valkyrie.
After a brief exchange, Zack's brow furrowed tightly, and he quietly closed the game.
Why?
Because he realized that even on the easiest difficulty, he was no match for the Valkyrie.
He felt like Baldur and the Modi brothers, and all the Norse gods he had encountered, were like children in comparison.
It could only be described as a slaughter.
In front of the Valkyrie, Kratos in his hands seemed like an undeveloped child, completely at her mercy.
Although he hadn't faced the other Valkyries yet, based on the strength of this one, Zack guessed that the others wouldn't be much weaker.
He thought about it. This was the lowest difficulty he was playing on. Were the higher difficulty Valkyries even beatable by humans?
As a player who was well aware of his own skill level, Zack had always chosen the easiest difficulty in games and never played on normal.
The easy difficulty in "God of War" had indeed given him the thrill of mowing down enemies, but this Valkyrie in front of him made him feel the long-lost sensation of being mowed down by a monster.
If saying Kratos was a fake God of War and his son was the real God of War was just a joke before, then fighting this Valkyrie made Zack deeply understand the accuracy of that statement.
In the not-so-spacious Odin's chamber, he was chased everywhere by the Valkyrie. His only means of offense were his son's arrows and magic.
Out of the Valkyrie's six health bars, two were depleted by the time he died, and two-thirds of that damage was dealt by Atreus's arrows.
God of War? Shameful!
(End of Chapter)
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