With each new entry in the God of War series, it seems more and more obvious that no deity can stand in Kratos's way. From Greek gods to Norse gods, the God of War has proven his mythic superiority against all manner of divine foes. That said, there is a clear difference between the Kratos who fought the Greek pantheon and the one who now faces Ragnarok. In the latest installment of Santa Monica Studios' epic saga, God of War Ragnarok, Kratos appears weaker than before. Not only is the ghost of Sparta a little easier to handle this time around, but it seems the other gods have a much easier time standing up to him than their Greek counterparts.
RELATED: Superman vs. Kratos: Does the God of War Stand a Chance?
Since the 2018 revival, it's clear that this is a very different Kratos than the one we remember from games like God of War III. The question of Kratos' waning power isn't just a fan theory or some sort of speculation: it's one of the central aspects of the plot of 2018 God of War.
After the defeat of Zeus and his cohorts, Kratos' quest for revenge was finally over, and his desire for battle went with it. It was time for the God of War to embark on a new adventure: trying to live like a “normal” human – which is not easy after decimating an entire pantheon.
By the time we see Kratos in the series reboot, the man who once fought gods and monsters on a daily basis was more of a nomad than a warrior. Fatherhood and the loss of a second wife also took a toll on Kratos, limiting his once legendary strength to a fraction of its potential.
Some minor spoilers for God of War Ragnarok: the story takes place years after the events of the previous game. Kratos then fought even less than before, devoting his life to Atreus and surviving the Fimbulwinter, the eternal winter that precedes Ragnarok.
The harsh winter and lack of real motivation for combat are perhaps the reasons why this new Kratos seems a little less powerful than the one from the Greek era, although he is still more than capable of putting down a beating to one or two gods.
From a game design perspective, there's also another key reason why Kratos needs to feel weaker in this entry, and that's because Ragnarok isn't just another Kratos story – Atreus is much more central to the plot than the God of War this time.
This is also the first time players will have the opportunity to play as Kratos' son, and the developers had to make sure the experience was almost equal. In many ways, Atreus seems even stronger than Kratos, but this may have been done on purpose to make players feel more comfortable in Atreus' sequences.
RELATED: 12 Things You Need to Know About God of War Ragnarok
So, if Kratos gets weaker and weaker over the episodes, this is only part of the progression of the series. Perhaps it's time for Kratos to retire, which the ending of Ragnarok unequivocally confirms. But we may have to wait to see if Atreus becomes the next “God of War.” After all, the Egyptian gods aren't going to fight themselves.