While the future of the franchise is currently unclear, a God of War game set in Egyptian mythology could take advantage of a unique feature introduced in Ragnarok. The latest entry in the mythological saga takes players to all Nine Realms, each with their own unique content to tackle and mechanics to discover. The lush realm of Vanaheim features a day/night cycle, for example, and this feature could help adapt a prominent aspect of Egyptian myth.
[Warning: the following article contains spoilers for God of War Ragnarok.]
Vanaheim, the overgrown realm of the Vanir gods, is God of War Ragnarok’s biggest and best area. The sequel’s story first takes Kratos there to secure his alliance with Freya, with players later returning for a climactic showdown with Heimdall. Vanaheim is packed with optional content, too, which players can discover by exploring its beautiful rivers and accepting side quests. The Crater, a large self-contained open-world region, only adds to the scale and splendor that God of War Ragnarok’s greatest realm has to offer. Vanaheim also includes a unique day/night cycle, which could be reused and expanded upon should the series bring Kratos to the deserts of Egypt.
God Of War Ragnarok Adds A Day/Night Cycle To Vanaheim
Unlike the other eight realms featured in God of War Ragnarok, Vanaheim features a unique day/night cycle that players can manually control. The beautiful God of War Ragnarok version of Vanaheim is home to the mythic Skoll and Hati, a pair of magical wolves who chase the sun and the moon. Once Kratos and Atreus recover the stolen moon they can use this legend to their advantage, visiting shrines to manually call the wolves and switch Vanaheim between day and night. This mechanic plays a key role in several puzzles, with certain obstacles or paths disappearing at night or during the day.
A Day/Night Cycle Could Bring Egypt’s Duat To God Of War
Expanding upon Vanaheim’s day/night cycle from God of War Ragnarok would be an excellent way to recreate the Duat, the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology. Like the Underworld and Helheim from past God of War games, the Duat is filled with resident gods and wandering souls looking for eternal rest. Considering Kratos’ history of visiting the afterlife, a God of War sequel set in Egypt would no doubt let players explore the Duat. The Egyptian realm of the dead is typically portrayed as a mirror image of the living world, however, so traveling to and from the Duat could be as simple as flipping a switch.
A God of War game set in Egypt could use a mechanic similar to Vanaheim’s day/night cycle to let Kratos cross into and out of the Duat. Ra, the Egyptian Sun God, is said to travel across the living world during the day and the Duat at night. This means that manipulating the sun could let Kratos cross between the worlds of the living and the dead, just as summoning Skoll and Hati switches Vanaheim between day and night in God of War Ragnarok. God of War sequels that explore Egyptian mythology could include the living world and the Duat as two massive mirrored worldmaps, rather than featuring multiple smaller realms.
If the God of War franchise does intend to tackle Egyptian mythology, adapting Ragnarok’s day/night system would be a great way to implement the Duat. The Egyptian realm of the dead is home to many gods and creatures, making it an ideal location for the series to focus on. The separation between the living world and the Duat is associated with the path of the sun, making God of War Ragnarok’s Skoll and Hati cycle a perfect parallel.
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