God of War's soft reboot in 2018 ushered in a new era for our favorite troubled Spartan. No longer would we have fixed-position camera angles, double jump platforming, or new weapons at every major boss. Instead, God of War transitioned to an over-the-shoulder third-person game in a sprawling Norse landscape. It was less of a hack and slash and more of a methodical and grounded action-adventure.

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There were many things familiar about the game, despite all of the changes. Kratos was as ruthless and brutal as ever, but he seemed to be a bit more reserved than the grandiose antihero we played as in his past adventures. He, and the game, seemed to take themselves more seriously. While we have found a pleasant and near-perfect home in the rebooted sequel universe, we hope these things might make a brief return to the series, successfully transitioning from one generation to the next, even if only for novelty's sake.

7 Unlockable Costumes

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Cod of War. It's a criminal pun that God of War II developers committed themselves to using. Nearly every Playstation 2 and Playstation 3 era God of War included extra costumes that not only altered how Kratos looked, but modified his health, mana, power, and more.

While the new God of War had RPG-lite elements such as armor and customization, it never felt unrealistic. If they want to continue with a more down-to-earth approach, they could enable throwback skins or different armor sets for Kratos that aren't quite as strange as a walking human fish. Perhaps they will give us a secret costume, much like Spider-Cop in Insomniac's Spider-man.

6 Modifier Artifacts

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Alongside the various orbs and upgrade objects in past iterations of God of War, there were also items you could pick up and equip that would change the function of the game after first completing it. These artifacts functioned as cheat codes and could enable Kratos to have infinite rage, unlimited magic, or decrease how much damage he would take.

With modern releases like Control and Modern Warfare 2 Remastered allowing for cheats, it's time that cheats and game modifiers made a comeback. Sometimes you want to be most powerful character in the room, and sometimes you don't want it to even be a competition. Bestowing Kratos with more power or zany modifiers could see replayability of Ragnarok skyrocket, especially with a New Game+ feature.

5 Combat Arena

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God of War helped establish a combat flow that was more of an art form than anything else. It joined the ranks of Devil May Cry and Sekiro combat for being incredibly intuitive, functional, and a beauty to watch. The only thing missing was a place to practice using it. The Muspelheim Trials fill the need for trials similar to other games, but it could be heavily expanded upon to give Kratos an extra challenge.

Part of the experience in fighting and hack 'n' slash games is the ability to perfect your form and prepare for a variety of situations. Training dummies and trials help give you a space to practice, although we wouldn't want any training dummies to come alive.

Working under modifiers heightens your senses and makes you hyperaware of each button press you have to do, all while staying within the challenge parameters set against you. Further trials and challenges would be a welcome addition to the chaos that God of War Ragnarok is sure to bring.

4 Quick Time Events and Minigames (Not Those Ones!)

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It is no secret that Kratos led a life of debauchery during his stint as Ares' servant and fallen God of War. Besides the obvious and often distasteful acts he did to receive red orbs and power up, there were a few minigames and quick time event style implementations that might be fun to return to again.

Whether he fought a major boss or tougher enemy, Kratos often had the chance to finish them off in gruesome style, rewarding him extra orbs for power, health, or magic. While finishers are in the new God of War, there have yet to be minigame-style elements that reward you with extra resources. If Santa Monica Studios could find a way to ground some of the arcade-like aspects, it might be a good fit.

3 Double Jump

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The latest God of War release did away with a traditional jump button, disabling your ability to jump and double jump to get that one out-of-reach collectible or reach that far platform. The new game replaced its traditional platforming with painted ledges, objects, and other interactable items that helped you traverse a more grounded landscape.

While a jump or double jump function could mess with the camera or functionality of Ragnarok's locations, we think it would be interesting to see how the maneuverability of both eras could merge together. Taking this a step further would see Kratos receive another set of Icarus wings for large, open-world traversal similar to Breath of the Wild.

2 Environment Camera Shots

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If you've played any of the previous God of War games, you will know that set pieces helped establish the areas you would be traveling through and some of the foes you would come up against. While the cameras are often hovering above Kratos, these old environmental shots zoomed out and spanned a great area to create a sense of awe.

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Each shot acted as a window into the world that you were about to step into and helped separate each unique area of the game. While the newer God of War pulls the camera in closer to Kratos, certain moments might warrant a return to form for our continued journey through the Norse realms and beyond. If the recently revealed Ragnarok key art is any indicator, Santa Monica Studios is on the right track.

1 More Weapons

Kratos holding Axe at an enemy God of War

One of the greatest joys of the earlier God of War games was the variety of weapons and powerups that they offered you. Before or after nearly every major boss, Kratos was bestowed a unique weapon or powerup won in battle against his foe.

God of War introduced the Leviathan Axe, Guardian Shield, and reintroduced the Chaos Blades, while also allowing Kratos the use of his fists. Atreus helps fill the need for greater variety in combat, but a return to new and unique weapons would help make Ragnarok even greater. The polish that Santa Monica Studios has shown in their combat style makes this a must as even one or two new weapons would add extra layers to the finished product.

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