God of War’s Greek Return Would Have to Deal With a New Challenge

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home April 1, 2025 6 Views 6 Min Read
God of War's Greek Return Would Have to Deal With a New Challenge
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Modern God of War is defined by several factors, not the least of which being its radical shift away from Greece and into the realms of the Nordic gods. In retrospect, this was a rather elegant creative choice by Santa Monica Studios, introducing a slew of interesting new ideas to the God of War lore while also ensuring that this distinct chapter of the franchise doesn’t retread old ground.

Now, it would appear that God of War is revisiting its old haunts. According to Jeff Grubb of Giant Bomb, there’s a new Greek God of War game in the works, unrelated to the long-rumored remasters of the original trilogy. Grubb claims that this new Greece-set game will be a “side-story,” making it more manageable post-Ragnarok and possibly serving as a stopgap before the next large-scale entry in the series. There’s certainly potential here, but there are also several risks, including a story that feels derivative and risk-averse: Kratos has already reckoned with his messy history in the last two games, not to mention the Valhalla DLC. But one more mechanical, practical issue could pose a greater obstacle for this rumored project.

This Greek “side-story” would align with the older rumors of a God of War half-sequel, which many assumed would be similar to Spider-Man: Miles Morales in scope and ambition.

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God of War’s Return to Greece Could Come With a Combat Problem

God of War’s Greek Pantheon Doesn’t Have Many Villains Left

Over the course of the Norse saga, Kratos has come to terms with his guilt and vowed to be a better, more responsible man moving forward, remembering his misdeeds but ultimately forgiving them. This is what modern God of War is all about, and returning to Greece could serve as a nice ribbon on this personal journey: Kratos could apply what he has learned in a direct and practical manner, helping to rebuild the damage he caused and possibly make amends with certain injured parties. This could make for a great narrative, but what about gameplay?

For better or worse, God of War lives and dies on the back of its combat. Puzzles and story content are all well and good, but if Kratos has no one to fight, then there’s not going to be a whole lot of meat on the bone, as it were. The problem is, Kratos has decimated most of the Greek pantheon already, devastating Greece itself in the process. In short, there are painfully few enemy forces for Kratos to oppose. And if he were to go toe-to-toe with the remaining gods, such as Artemis or Aphrodite, it would greatly undermine his personal journey in the Norse saga, as he would just be visiting more destruction on his homeland.

A Greek God of War Could Introduce a New Pantheon

There could be a clever solution to the aforementioned narrative and combat issues: introducing a new suite of gods. There has long been speculation about where God of War could take players next, as the series has already set a precedent for multiple coexisting mythologies, while directly referencing some. If there really is going to be another Greek God of War, Santa Monica could opt to make one of these new pantheons the villains, taking advantage of Greece’s vulnerable state, thereby prompting Kratos to return as a savior.

This approach would kill (at least) two birds with one stone: Kratos would have new enemies to fight, and he would be able to redeem himself as a hero rather than a vengeful force of destruction. In the process, Santa Monica could tee up the next chapter in the God of War story, integrating yet another real-world mythology.

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