God Of War Ragnarok's Launch Trailer Is Brief But Action Packed

One of this year's most anticipated games has finally dropped its launch trailer. "God of War Ragnarok," the follow-up to the widely acclaimed 2018 reboot of the mythic hack-and-slash series "God of War," will be hitting PlayStation on November 9. Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) just readied the ground with a short, pulse-pounding teaser; it isn't giving away much, but what it has shown should remind returning gamers what they loved about the new "God of War" and hook players into the ongoing saga of Kratos, Atreus, the Norse pantheon, and the end of the world.

Atreus narrates the 30-second teaser. Details are thin on the ground, but it's clear "Ragnarok" will build on the themes of its successful predecessor. What is revealed of the plot borrows heavily from Norse mythology, namechecking the apocalyptic Fimbulwinter, mighty struggles of gods and demons at the end of the world, and, well, Ragnarok (via Britannica).

The real news on "Ragnarok" is what isn't there. The developer seems to be sticking with what made the 2018 game work. The visuals are still powerful, the camera is still over the shoulder, and we see a similar rhythm of story beats and action sequences. A few frames suggest a new female character may be joining the father-son duo. That and some welcome accessibility features seem to be the biggest changes teased in the video.

Like "God of War," "Ragnarok" will deliver an excellent MOCAP and voice cast. Fans will be happy to hear that Christopher Judge and Sunny Suljic are returning as Kratos and Atreus, as are Alastair Duncan as Mimir and Danielle Bissuti as Freya. Per IMDB, Asgard's biggest names will also appear in "Ragnarok": Thor and Odin are both in the cast. Ryan Hurst, late of "Friday Night Lights," "Sons of Anarchy" and "The Walking Dead," will be playing the non-Marvel thunder god, and Richard Schiff, an Emmy-winning character actor probably best known for "The West Wing," will portray Odin. The latter makes a shadowy appearance and delivers a few voiceover lines around 9 seconds into the trailer.

In short (and 30 seconds is very short), we're expecting "God of War: Ragnarok" to deliver more of what made the original brilliant. The title will drop on November 9 for PS4 and PS5 and is available for pre-order now.