Sony reveals new God of War game starring Laufey

It's been nearly four years since God of War: Ragnarok, but the series is finally back with a new game that takes a different perspective on Greek mythology. God of War Laufey was revealed in a 20-minute trailer by Santa Monica Studio during May's State of Play showcase and the PlayStation 5 game will star Deborah Ann Woll as Faye (aka Laufey).

There's no release date yet, but the game appears to be well into development.

The trailer begins with the burning of Faye's body, as she ascends into the great beyond. Faye wakes up in an otherworldly decaying place full of unusual creatures. She seems to know exactly what Kratos and Atreus are up to, and is in a hurry to help them. She's attacked almost immediately by some freakish flower creatures who evidently don't know how well she can defend herself. The combat is as brutal as you'd expect from someone who would marry the God of War.

Faye is guided by a curious cosmic cube, played by Jack Quaid (The Boys, Star Trek: Lower Decks), and will journey alongside a ribbon guardian named Rue who is played by Perlina Lau.

How is God of War Laufey different from the PS5 reboot?

"She and Kratos can both hit hard and take hits, so one of our top priorities throughout the development has been handcrafting a uniquely fresh feel for Faye’s gameplay that will also meet the high expectations fans have for the series," Santa Monica Studio's Santa Monica Studio said on Sony's PlayStation Blog.

Laufey appears to take bigger creative risks than the main God of War games. For example, the upcoming PS5 game mishmashes a wider swath of mythologies to tell its tale. The combat is also much more intimate than the other games, Sony says, and is built around fluid, "hyper-responsive" movement. Faye's attacks can transport her between the ground and air seamlessly, allowing for long strings of combos.

Rumors regarding the direction of the next God of War have been floating around since last summer, when leaks suggested the series might revisit Greek mythology but without its typical star, Kratos. Since then, there's been a new side-scrolling game called God of War: Sons of Sparta that turned out to be a dud. The new God of War, which might answer some long-standing fan questions, seems much more exciting.

Who is Faye in God of War?

In Sony Interactive Entertainment's new spinoff, we're actually following Kratos' wife, Faye — or Laufey, a surprise Jötunn soldier. The events of God of War: Ragnarok were set off by a horn that beckoned the colossal serpent Jörmungandr, the harbinger of the end of the world. You know, Ragnarok! And one of the leading fan theories is that the instrument was played by none other than Faye.

The fan theory, which postulates that Faye might be a time-traveling entity that is neither alive nor dead, is a bit bonkers. It also turned out to be spot on, as the trailer repeatedly emphasizes that Faye is stuck in an afterlife for the gods where a true death is nearly impossible.

But we do know that Faye aided Kratos and her son Atreus through the afterlife, so it's not that farfetched. If nothing else, God of War director Cory Barlog has promised to reveal the story behind the horn. And since Barlog is a huge Faye fan, the premise of this new game isn't all that surprising to hardcore fans.

"Faye has way more power than all of them," Barlog said in a 2020 interview. "She is actually the controller of so much within this universe. [...] I don’t know how we’re going to tell this or when we’re going to tell this, but I really want to tell that story of Kratos and Faye meeting."

The God of War franchise has been going strong since 2005, when Sony introduced the world to one abnormally angry Spartan warrior hell-bent against the Greek pantheon on the PlayStation 2. God of War (2018), a more cinematic, mature take, shifted the series' focus to Norse mythology. In it, Kratos is shown raising a son named Atreus as the two go on an adventure to spread the ashes of his late wife. Unlike previous games, players could control a second character, Atreus, which gave God of War's narrative and gameplay a new dimension. The overarching story still circled around Kratos' violent past, but filtered through the lens of fatherhood. God of War (2018) is now regarded as one of the best games of its generation, and is one of the highest-reviewed games on the PlayStation 4. It was ported to PC in 2022 with spruced-up visuals.

The story continued in God of War: Ragnorok as Kratos faced a task more daunting than killing gods: raising a teenage son. This installment didn't try to reinvent the wheel, as its predecessor did, instead building on what already made the new series work. The stakes were high as Kratos sought to stop Ragnarok, or the end of the world, but the game still struck a grounded feel as it honed in on the familial relationships within Norse myth. A free DLC in 2023 introduced roguelike elements to Ragnarok, while also paring its focus on Kratos. It was also the first hint that the series might be experimenting with new directions, as the spinoff does.

The 2022 game was also the conclusion of that new narrative arc, which gives the next God of War game a clean slate without being weighed down by cross-generation support.

Related

While it doesn't innovate on the Metroidvania genre, Sons of Sparta is a worthwhile addition to God of War canon