A new DLC for God of War: Ragnarok, Valhalla, is coming on Dec. 12, announced at the 2023 Game Awards. To everyone’s surprise, the DLC will be free and feature roguelike-inspired gameplay.
“God of War: Ragnarok Valhalla is an adventure that blends GoW:R combat with elements inspired by the roguelike genre for an emotional, unexpected, and fun new twist,” said Game Awards executive producer and host Geoff Keighley. The God of War games have traditionally been hack-and-slash and story-oriented titles. Still, it seems the devs at Santa Monica Studios have decided on something new and refreshing for the long-running fantasy franchise.
From what we can see in the trailer, Kratos appears to have a unique cutscene for when he respawns between individual runs. The cutscene also has Mimir saying, “No shame in what just happened; it’s all part of the process. Let’s go again,” which further implies a traditional rinse and repeat style of gameplay present in most roguelike and roguelite games.
According to Sony’s blog post written by Santa Monica’s lead community manager Grace Orlandy, the DLC will feature “an unraveling and repayable adventure with unique twists inspired by the roguelite genre.” He further adds that Valhalla will be an “epilogue” taking place after the events of Ragnarok in which Kratos goes through “a deeply personal and reflective journey.”
Players will be able to access Valhalla at any point in the story, and it’s deemed a “separate experience” from the main game, Orlady says. It won’t be locked away behind progress, unlocks, or anything of the sort, providing Ragnarok players with a fresh and unique take on the game’s combat and world that can prove a nice break from the main story.
God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla launches for free on the PS5 on Dec. 12.
