Sony’s Santa Monica studio has announced a new mainline entry in the God of War franchise, God of War Laufey.
Announced during a State of Play with 20 minutes of gameplay, God of War Laufey stars Faye (Laufey the Just), Kratos’s Norse wife and the mother of Atreus.
The demo opens with Faye’s death in the first God of War remake, then shows her somehow reborn and captured by a mysterious faction. The demo concludes with melee action gameplay as Faye takes on various otherworldly foes.
A synopsis for the game reads: “Death was supposed to be the end, but for Laufey (Faye), warrior and wife to Kratos, a new adventure is just beginning. Awakening unexpectedly in a strange land after her funeral, Faye discovers the plans she put in place to protect Kratos and Atreus are now at risk.
“To save the ones she loves, Faye must fight through the afterlife of the gods — the Everywhen — where ruthless gods from across mythology vie for power in a land overflowing with dangerous magic.”
According to Santa Monica Studio, Laufey features “intimate, brutal combat”, “exploration of a rich, beautiful world,” and “story at its heart”.
The game has a female director, Ariel Lawrence, a 17-year Santa Monica veteran who’s worked on every God of War game, notably acting as producer on Ghost of Sparta and Ascension.
The game explores the afterlife of the gods, the Everywhen, which is described as the “birthplace and endpoint to which all magic returns” and “a location in which gods and creatures from different mythologies come together, and not always in harmonious coexistence”.
Laufrey/Faye, again played by Deborah Ann Woll, is joined by cosmic cube companion Phranque, played by Jack Quaid, and Rue, an “enchanted ribbon” played by Perlina Lau.
“We’ve shown a brief look at two of the gods Faye will encounter in the Everywhen — Sekhmet and Begtse, both decidedly less than friendly towards a new face suddenly appearing in their midst,” wrote community manager Grace Orlady.
“Faye quickly discovers that despite the impossibility of awakening from death in a place that defies everything she thought she knew, it may prove even harder to leave while the natural flow of magic has been disrupted.
“Paradise or prison — Faye will need to uncover hidden mysteries about the true nature of the Everywhen throughout her journey if she is to have any hope of finding her way home.”
According to the game’s developer, Laufey will build on the strengths of the modern God of War combat system while “injecting some old school, classic DNA of the Greek era”.
“Laufey will feel fresh, yet familiar to fans of the series,” it said. “By allowing Faye to move easily between ground and air without halting the action, we’ve refined a hyper-responsiveness to her combat that we can’t wait for players to experience when they get their hands on the controller for the first time.
“Her increased mobility adds a ton of offensive and defensive tools to turn battles against even the fiercest gods to her favor.”
Santa Monica Studio’s last major project was 2022’s God of War Ragnarok. Santa Monica creative director Cory Barlog, who helmed 2018’s God of War but stepped aside for the sequel, is understood to be working on the new game.
It was previously revealed that Santa Monica Studio is working on a new franchise within the God of War universe, thanks to the LinkedIn profile of a former writer.
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