God of War: The Pros and Cons of Atreus Potentially Being Aged Up Again (2024)

The God of War franchise has showcased a variety of moments in Kratos' life, and one of the most important thus far has focused on his relationship with his son Atreus. Atreus was first introduced in 2018's God of War, and his relationship with his father often sees the two butting heads but ultimately respecting one another.

From the beginning, Atreus was clearly headstrong, and this was further illustrated in Ragnarok when the character regularly ventured out on his own to Asgard to meet with Odin. Between the events of 2018's God of War and Ragnarok, Atreus saw a jump in age that showed players how the character was starting to grow into his powers and slowly become more mature. The next God of War game could easily age up Atreus again, and there are a variety of pros and cons to this possibility.

The Pros and Cons of Making Atreus Older in the Next God of War

The Pros

• A more mature version of Atreus
• Greater control of his powers
• Ready to take up Kratos' mantle

One of the biggest benefits of making Atreus older in the next God of War is that players would get to play as a more mature version of the character. It's been quite compelling to see Atreus grow so far and exploring realms as an adult could offer a fresh new perspective for the character. At the end of Ragnarok, Atreus ventured on his own to search for the remaining Giants, and whatever this journey holds is sure to teach a lot of lessons that will make him a more well-rounded person.

A major focus of Atreus' story in Ragnarok was how he was starting to grow into his powers. As a way to utilize his rage, Atreus can shape-shift into animals, most notably a wolf and a bear. Atreus being older almost definitely means that he would have gained better control of these shape-shifting powers and may have even discovered new animals to transform into. An older Atreus means that players would get to see how his powers and abilities have evolved to make him a god to be reckoned with.

Currently, there is no official confirmation about another God of War, but one possibility is that the story may be setting up Atreus to eventually take up his father's mantle in the overall narrative. If this ends up being the case, an older Atreus would be far more suited to follow in the footsteps of his father than his age in Ragnarok. In Ragnarok, Atreus had begun to mature and become more independent, but he was still nowhere near ready to lead his own story.

The Cons

• Missing time between entries
• Potentially saying goodbye to Kratos

A big con of making Atreus older in the next entry is that it means there will be a lot of missing time between Ragnarok and its follow-up. There's no telling how long Atreus will be on his own as he searches for Giants, but it would be a shame to miss out on that if the jump in age is significant. Atreus' journey could definitely take years, which means players could see an older Atreus still looking for Giants, but that still means there are several years left unaccounted for.

Unfortunately, the most obvious con in an older Atreus would mean that Kratos may be on his way out. There are plenty of theories about an Atreus-led God of War game, and if this happens, it's probably because Kratos has either retired voluntarily or has been killed.

Getting to see an older Atreus would be an exciting new look into the character, but there are also some serious downsides to consider. Although it would be great to see the character grow into a well-rounded and powerful individual, it also has major implications for the franchise's future.

God of War: Ragnarok

$49 $70 Save $21

Franchise

God of War

Platform(s)

PS4 , PS5

Released

November 9, 2022

Developer(s)

Santa Monica Studio

Publisher(s)

Sony

Genre(s)

Action , Adventure

ESRB

M For Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

How Long To Beat

26 Hours

Metascore

94

PS Plus Availability

N/A

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