God of War Ragnarok sneaks in a reference to a forgotten fighting game featuring some of the best PlayStation characters, with a few exceptions.
God of War Ragnarok is by far one of this year’s best games, whose quality is rivaled only by Game Awards’ Game of the Year winner Elder ring. High praise for it God of War Ragnarok is focused on the game’s story and characters, though there’s a much smaller aspect of the game that’s just as enjoyable. Ragnarok has some gorgeous Easter eggs that reference some iconic PlayStation games, but there’s also a reference to one of the platform’s biggest flaws.
Scattered throughout the Nine Realms are Kvasir poems, each of which references a specific PlayStation game. Most celebrate popular and beloved first-party titles such as The last of us, Horizon zero dawneven MLB the show. However, beyond the poems, there are other allusions to PlayStation’s vast and celebrated history Ragnarok nods to a much more controversial game that attempted to collect beloved characters: PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale.
PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale was Sony’s attempt to take down a Smash Bros. competitor
Then Super Smash Bros. was less about the third-party crossover characters and more about Nintendo’s iconic library of games clashing, Sony tried to get in on the action. PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale was a platform fighter with a wide range of iconic characters, such as Sweet Tooth from Twisted metalSackboy van Little big planet, and of course Kratos. The idea was certainly promising, although the game failed to captivate a captive audience.
There are several reasons why All Star Battle Royale failed, but one of the biggest weaknesses was the game’s selection. While there were plenty of certified PlayStation all-stars, longtime fans quickly noticed some significant absences. Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Lara Croft were absent, despite being three characters that defined the original PlayStation era. There were also some serious issues with the game’s fighting mechanics, forcing players to focus on building super to take down opponents with finishers.
Kratos remembers his time as a PlayStation All-Star, albeit reluctantly
The reference to All Star Battle Royale in Ragnarok is easy to miss, as it takes place while Kratos and Mimir are traveling through Midgard on a sleigh. Mimir asks Kratos about a tournament the latter participated in, where he battled “… beasts, villains, princesses, the undead, automatons, and the greatest musician in history.” While this may seem like a strange event from Kratos’ past, Mimir actually refers to several different characters All Star Battle Royalethe grid.
Specifically, Mimir is likely referring to Ratchet as the beast, Nathan Drake as the villain, Fat Princess as the princess, Sir Daniel Fortesque as the undead, and Raiden as the automaton. Mimir’s final reference is the most direct, as “the greatest musician in history” is a pretty obvious reference to PaRappa the Rapper. Mimir then asks Kratos if the rumors about this tournament are true. Kratos’ response is simply, “I…wouldn’t speak of this.”
While it’s only a brief exchange between the two characters, it’s a really fantastic way to pay some respect PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale tried to do while still acknowledging the game’s flaws. While the game certainly lacked some PlayStation icons, it still managed to bring together some absolutely beloved franchises. Too much, Ratchet & Clank, Little big planetand Sly Cooper are as synonymous with PlayStation as Tomb Raider or Spyro.
Some fans think that Mimir is actually referring Mortal Kombat 9, where Kratos appeared as a guest character. While the “greatest musician in history” part of Mimir’s dialogue makes this unlikely, it’s worth noting that Kratos states during this exchange that he’s “fought in a lot of tournaments.” Kratos didn’t just come in Mortal Kombatbut his first fighting game appearance was actually supposed to be a PlayStation Vita exclusive, Soulcalibur: Broken Fate. While this exchange is a funny bit of dialogue for eagle-eyed fans to enjoy, both lines seem to confirm that Kratos’ crossover appearances are (somehow) canon within God of warworld.
