Watching the game's credits roll, Zhang Yi didn't rush to Exit Game.
Because generally, games released under Nebula Games, or other major titles, often have a small easter egg after the credits finish playing.
And this New God of War set in Norse mythology had, in terms of game content, literally dug countless pits. So he guessed there would probably be an easter egg at the end, or something to answer players' lingering questions.
He guided Kratos and his son Atreus, following the prompts, back home via the Rainbow Bridge.
What greeted his eyes was the dilapidated little wooden hut, the drafty wooden walls, and the large hole in the ceilingâleft by Baldur's punchâthat still hadn't been patched.
"Seriously, Kratos is a freaking war god. How come his living conditions are this primitive?"
"Freya's place is also a broken-down shack, but that turtle-tree house, the surrounding flowers and plants, and the massive underground space make it feel way more affluent than Kratos's side!"
"Guess that's just the difference between a local native and an outsider."
Zhang Yi sighed with emotion as he observed Kratos's dwelling.
They're both gods, so why is there such a huge disparity in their living standards?
Thinking carefully, the only difference was that Freya was a local deity, while Kratos was an outsider.
As Zhang Yi sighed, in the game, Kratos and Atreus lay down on their beds to rest.
This journey of scattering ashes had left them utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
As Kratos and Atreus settled into bed, Zhang Yi's view suddenly plunged into darkness. Then, a line of subtitle appearedâYears later.
Kratos and Atreus, startled from their sleep, awoke to thunder and lightning outside, with fierce winds howling.
The large hole in the ceiling, punched through by Baldur, had finally been repaired.
But in the next instant, it was immediately struck by a bolt of lightning.
Same location, same hole, but this time, a different visitor.
Kratos, wielding the Leviathan Axe, rushed outside.
Standing silently at his doorstep was a tall, broad-shouldered man in a black cloak, surrounded by countless bolts of lightning and thunder.
'Who are you!'
Kratos shouted the challenge over the roar of thunder and wind.
The figure remained silent. The mysterious person simply flicked his cape backward.
At that moment, a war hammer enveloped in lightning received a close-up shot. Then, the game ended, returning to the initial loading screen.
"Mjölnir! So this is Thor, right? Kratos and Atreus killed Thor's son, and now the old man's coming for revenge?"
Recalling the scene just now, Zhang Yi immediately recognized the figure.
Lightning and thunder, combined with the thunder god's signature weapon, Mjölnir.
Though he only had a basic understanding of Norse mythology, paired with God of War's previous story, Zhang Yi instantly identified who this person was.
"Looks like the next game will have a hammer to play with!"
"In Norse mythology, Baldur's death triggers Ragnarök. Now Kratos killed Baldur and triggered Ragnarök early. With Thor appearing now, the next game should officially start the war against the Norse gods, right?"
Zhang Yi felt excited.
Judging by the God of War Greek mythology storyline:
It was pretty much the same.
In the first game, they killed the war god Ares. Here, they killed Baldur.
The subsequent work would definitely be the official war against the Norse gods.
If nothing unexpected happened, Thor's hammer would probably become Kratos's toy in the later stages as well.
After all, diverse weapons were one of God of War's hallmarks.
Compared to the Greek-era God of War, the only aspect Zhang Yi felt slightly critical of in this new installment was the lack of varied weapons.
Besides bare hands, shield, axe, and Blades of Chaos, the only other thing to play with was his son's Bow and Arrows.
Although the game featured matching rune Magic (attack type), compared to the previous entries with their variety of Magic (attack type) and weapons, it was indeed a bit monotonous.
Now, in this final easter egg-like scene, the camera deliberately focused on that hammer. Clearly, besides reminding players of the mysterious person's identity, it likely carried another implication: in the next game, players could control Kratos to beat up Thor and take his Mjölnir as a toy.
Zhang Yi wasn't the only one excited. Online, every player who had Cleared the Game was enthusiastically discussing the game's content.
After all, the changes in this new God of War were enormousâGameplay, style, and various pits.
Of course, the main topic of discussion among players was Kratos's future.
That mural depicting Kratos's death became the core point of player discussions.
"Damn it! Kratos is going to die in the end? I can't accept it!"
"Saying Kratos will die just shows you're too young. Kratos isn't a First at dyingâhe nearly visits the underworld every time in the Greek era."
"Didn't you hear what Mimir's head said? Fate has no power over Kratos."
"Exactly, fate has no power over Kratos. In the Greek era, Kratos tore apart the Fates with his bare hands."
"It's not certain though. It's just the protagonist dying. Do you really think Mr. Chen can't go that far?"
"Why overthink? Haven't you noticed a key issue? There's absolutely no news about a sequel after New God of War, plus this final easter egg. Don't you think Mr. Chen is hinting something to us? There's a hammer for a sequel!"
"Holy crap! You're damn right!"
Players argued furiously, feeling that any scenario was possible, with numerous foreshadowing details embedded throughout the game.
Especially the scene where Kratos collapses into Atreus's arms, and the mural of a giant serpent emerging from Atreus's mouth, sparking endless speculation.
Plus Freya, who now harbored Aggro towards Kratos because of Baldur's death, and the thunder god who showed up at the end.
All of this created a sense of impending doom for Kratos.
But Zhang Yi genuinely hoped, just as Mimir said, that prophecy held no power over Kratos.
After all, thinking carefully, Kratos had it pretty rough.
In Greece, the gods treated him as a Tool-man, so he flew into a rage and slaughtered the entire Greek mythology.
Now in the Norse realm, there were signs of him becoming a Tool-man again. This was just too hard.
It felt like God of War could be perfectly titled The Rage of the Wage Earner.
Back in Greece, Kratos signed a shady contract with the Greek gods, working for the gods under oppression.
Finally, unable to bear the exploitation, he flipped the table and chose to drift north.
"So the main quest just ends like this? It feels like there are still many places worth exploring!"
Zhang Yi scanned the relevant community forum, then returned to the game.
The game's main quest climbed the highest mountain in the Nine Realms and scattered the ashesâthat was it, the end.
But that didn't mean there was no other content in the game.
Previously, the Greek mythology trilogy's content was basically linear.
Like the mode in The Last of Us or Uncharted.
One level after another, pushing forward.
Regarding the Norse content, in terms of the main quest, it was indeed a linear path.
But the game offered much more to explore.
For example, Helheim, the various directions around Midgard's Lake of the World, and the challenges of various Conduits.
Including many side quests in the game, allowing players to collect various materials to craft higher-tier gear.
All of these were elements that could keep players engaged for dozens more hours.
And for Zhang Yi, who had previously played on the easiest difficulty, he now wanted to challenge himself to see what higher difficulties were like.
Additionally, as an ARPG with abundant elements, Zhang Yi also wanted to grind and get himself an awesome gear set.
The equipment he was currently wearing was still regular random drops, the kind that dropped during the main progression.
With this in mind, Zhang Yi reloaded his previous game Saves and returned to Odin's Chamber in the foothills from his earlier journey, encountering the first Valkyrie he'd met so far.
After a briefäș€æ, Zhang Yi tightly furrowed his brows, then silently closed the game.
Why?
Because he realized that even on the easiest difficulty, he stood absolutely no chance against the Valkyrie.
Characters like Baldur and Modi, the brothers among the Norse gods he'd encountered, felt like complete pushovers.
It could only be described as a slaughter.
Facing the Valkyrie, his Kratos was like an untrained child, brutally tormented by the opponent.
Though he hadn't faced the other Valkyries yet, judging by the strength of this one,
Zhang Yi estimated the others probably wouldn't be much weaker.
Think about itâthis was the lowest difficulty. How in the world were higher-difficulty Valkyries meant for humans to fight?
As a player with extremely high Self-awareness about his own skill level, Zhang Yi always chose easy difficulty and never touched normal difficulty if possible.
The easy difficulty in God of War had indeed given him the mowing grass sensation, but this Valkyrie made him feel that long-forgotten sensation of being mowed down by monsters.
If previously saying Kratos was a fake war god and his son was the real war god was just a joke,
Now, after fighting the Valkyrie, Zhang Yi deeply understood the accuracy of that statement.
In the not-so-spacious Odin's Chamber, he was chased all over the place by the Valkyrie. His only damage output came from his son's Bow and Arrows and Magic (attack type).
The Valkyrie's six-segment health barâby the time he died, two segments were gone, and two-thirds of that damage was dealt by Atreus's arrows.
War god? That's embarrassing!
<