God of War Ragnarök contains a poetic Easter egg that references fellow PlayStation Studios title The Last of Us Part 2, which Kratos can uncover. With God of War Ragnarok finally available, eager players can now experience the new surprises waiting for them in the Nine Realms of Norse mythos. As expected from such an anticipated title, fans are already posting and sharing their discoveries of new features and collectibles.
Naughty Dog Central has shared via Twitter one new collectible in God of War Ragnarok known as Kvasir’s Poems, which are entertaining writings themed around different PlayStation games. We Who Remain, Part The Second, is one such poem that speaks of the plot of Last of Us Part II and series protagonists Joel and Ellie. The piece mentions a “bearded, cruel father and his surrogate daughter” that will never know peace from their shared lives of hatred. Players familiar with Last of Us 2‘s recurring themes of revenge and obsession will recognize the poetic allusions to how Ellie became more like Joel after allowing hatred to ruin her life. Along with the title and prose, each poem also features an illustration based on the poem’s subject. In the case of the Last of Us poem, its illustration is the trademark Ellie’s moth tattoo, which she gets in the second game to cover up her scar.
God Of War Ragnarök Pays Poetic Homage To Last Of Us
The Last of Us Part II poem is one of 14 PlayStation-themed compositions that players can find within the game. Other PlayStation games referenced in Kvasir’s Poems include Ratchet and Clank, Uncharted, Death Stranding, and even MLB: The Show. One clever poem, in particular, is a haiku in honor of Ghost of Tsushima. Ironically, creating haikus was also one of Ghost of Tsushima’s more entertaining minigames.
As the Last of Us has many comparable similarities to the newer God of War entries, it seems unsurprising that an Easter egg for the Naughty Dog classic wound up along Kratos’ path. The similarities between the two games in both style and critical accolades eventually led to 2018’s God of War director Cory Barlog and Last of Us director Neil Druckmann getting into a friendly fake Twitter feud over whose game was better. God of War Ragnarok developer Santa Monica Studio has also followed Naughty Dog when it comes to accessibility options, and has made many efforts to follow the examples of Last of Us with Ragnarök‘s own gameplay accessibility features.
As the mythical Kvasir was a traveling sage who delighted in sharing wisdom of faraway lands, it makes finding his poems about other PlayStation worlds in God of War Ragnarök all the more appropriate. It also alludes to a humorous notion that Kvasir may have actually visited the realms of other games on his travels. Between the post-pandemic dystopia of Last of Us Part II and the apocalyptically destined world of God of War Ragnarök, one has to wonder which Kvasir would’ve considered easier to live in.
God of War Ragnarok
- Franchise:
- God of War
- Platform(s):
- PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Released:
- 2022-11-09
- Developer(s):
- Santa Monica Studio
- Publisher(s):
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Genre(s):
- Adventure, Action
- ESRB:
- M
- Summary:
- Ragnarok has arrived in God of War Ragnarok, the sequel to the 2018 game of the year released on PlayStation 4. Three years have passed since Kratos and his son, Atreus, completed their quest across the realms while facing a small handful of Norse gods. However, their actions come with consequences. The Allfather, Odin, is ready for vengeance, and his son, Thor, leads the charge. Atreus, looking to find more answers about his lineage on his mother’s side, embarks on another quest with his father to discover the truth while contending with the wrath of Odin’s realm in this conclusion to the Norse God of War Saga.
- How Long To Beat:
- 26 Hours
- Prequel:
- God of War
