God of War: Ragnarök is debuting on PC this week, two years after its release on PlayStation consoles. And while higher graphical fidelity, smoother framerates, and the eventual (and likely hilarious) mods are all reasons for console players to look on in envy, one PC-exclusive feature, in particular, will likely trump them all.
The computer version of God of War: Ragnarök includes the option to reduce how often non-playable characters suggest hints for puzzles in the world. It is a welcome change to those frustrated by how unwilling the game was to let players figure out a way forward on their own.
While the original release allowed players to extend the time limit they had to solve certain puzzles, developer Sony Santa Monica never addressed complaints about overly eager banter aimed at assisting the player along the journey. Many games will have player companions lend a hand or word of encouragement to help stuck players. But God Of War: Ragnarök’s way of doing it was particularly egregious, as Kratos’ son Atreus and others often revealed puzzle solutions within mere minutes of encountering them.
In a game that does such a strong job of realizing its world of Norse mythology, it was a bummer to have moments where players slowed down to soak things in immediately interrupted by a character convinced you needed help. It was at its worst when Atreus would chime in before players could realize there was a puzzle to solve.
The ability to reduce banter isn’t the only thing PlayStation is including in this PC port. Cinematic audio descriptions will be added as an accessibility feature for players with low vision.
Both features will be exclusive to the PC for the time being. PlayStation did confirm that they will come to the console versions of the game in a future update, but didn’t specify when.
God of War: Ragnarök is the sequel to 2018’s God of War reboot. Sony Santa Monica’s reboot shifted the edgy, at times juvenile tone of the original trilogy, and to a more serious, character driven tale about guilt, responsibility and parenting. The sequel is the epic conclusion of Kratos and Atreus’ tale.
God of War: Ragnarök marks the second high-profile single-player PlayStation game to hit PC this year. Back in May, Sucker Punch’s samurai-themed open-world game Ghost of Tsushima debuted to rave reviews and sales. Sony also released both Helldivers 2 and the ill-fated Concord at launch, finding great success with the former.
