Santa Monica Studio has finally revealed God of War Laufey, the next mainline entry in the God of War series, during today’s State of Play, which closed out with 20 minutes of gameplay. Wishlisting on the PlayStation Store is open alongside the reveal.
The game follows Laufey, also known as Faye, the warrior and wife of Kratos. After her funeral, Faye awakens unexpectedly in a strange land and finds that the plans she made to protect Kratos and Atreus are now at risk. To save them, she has to fight through the afterlife of the gods, a realm called the Everywhen, where gods from across mythology compete for power in a land overflowing with dangerous magic.
The Everywhen ties back to a question Odin chased during the events of Ragnarök, as he obsessed over what lies beyond the afterlives of mortals: what happens to the gods when they die. It is the birthplace and endpoint to which all magic returns, a transcendent realm above the ones the series has shown, where gods and creatures from different mythologies coexist, not always peacefully. Faye encounters two of them early on, Sekhmet and Begtse, neither friendly toward a stranger. With the natural flow of magic disrupted, leaving proves difficult, and Faye has to uncover the realm’s true nature to find a way home.
Deborah Ann Woll reprises Faye, having played the character in God of War Ragnarök, and leads the cast. Faye is joined by two companions she meets shortly after waking: Phranque, a curious cosmic cube played by Jack Quaid, and Rue, an enchanted ribbon guardian played by Perlina Lau who is tasked with keeping a powerful sword out of the wrong hands. Together they head deep into the Everywhen against gods and creatures drawn from across mythology, as well as beings native to the realm.
Faye carries the title Golden Hand of the Jötnar, the most powerful protector of the Giants of Jötunheim, and is a warrior who has proven equal to Thor. Her combat is built around lethality, power, and fluidity, building on the modern God of War system while pulling in classic Greek-era DNA, and she moves freely between ground and air without interrupting the action. As the former owner of the Leviathan Axe, she is no stranger to legendary weapons, and in the Everywhen she earns Rue’s trust enough to wield the guardian’s sword. Her soul abilities, rooted in her time as the Golden Hand, are amplified in the afterlife of the gods, letting her strike with her golden palm to detach a foe’s soul, then attack it directly or knock it into other enemies.
Santa Monica Studio’s head of creative Cory Barlog and game director Ariel Lawrence sat down for an extended interview covering the reveal, how the idea for a Faye game came together, and the studio’s long-term creative vision for the franchise. The studio says it will share more about the afterlife of the gods as the game approaches release, whenever that may be.
