God of War Ragnarok has received nothing but praise since its release, but PETA has called out Kratos’ brutality against one of the game’s major bosses. Even though the Ghost of Sparta has mellowed out since his journey for vengeance in Greek mythology, Kratos never lost his sense of savagery when protecting those he cares for. This is also the case in Ragnarok, which sees the character encounter some of their fiercest challenges yet.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for God of War Ragnarok.]
Some of these challenges and boss encounters in God of War Ragnarok involve animals, and it's something PETA has taken issue with in a new video ed to its YouTube channel - in particular the fight with Garm. Although the encounter comes to a pleasant resolution, PETA wishes for Santa Monica Studio to add a "PETA mode" that allows players to get past the battle with Garm without harming him. The video depicts the God of War Ragnarok boss battle with sad music, describing how Garm has been left in the cold without food or water, and concludes with a request for a branded "PETA mode" that would enable players to not have to battle the giant creature.
Kratos No Longer Fights For Vengeance In God Of War Ragnarök
Kratos is no stranger to battling ferocious beasts. Whether it's ogres, cyclops, titans, valkyries, and of course, gods, the Ghost of Sparta has confronted them all. However, the God of War's jump from Greek to Norse mythology changed him. Unlike the Kratos players knew in Greek mythology, the Spartan that has settled down in the Norse realms fights to protect, not for revenge. He now only kills when there is no other choice instead of resorting to it the first chance he gets. Garm is a scenario where Kratos attempted to do just that, but the Hound of Hel forced his hand.
Even though Atreus managed to tame Garm and give him Fenrir’s soul, he and Kratos still had to fight the Hel dog in a brutal fashion. The God of War series has never pulled any punches when it comes to its gore and barbarity, but there are those who could become turned off by this. Although PETA has spammed Elden Ring players with animal tips to many's annoyance, its request to Santa Monica - apart from the branding insert - might not be too egregious. God of War Ragnarok already enables players to customize their gameplay experience in multiple ways, so the option to skip encounters players may otherwise find unpleasant to sit through could be a worthwhile feature to implement.
Regardless of PETA's protests, God of War Ragnarok is one of the best games to release this year. The franchise has reached new heights since God of War's Kratos left Greek mythology. The series has yet to cut back on its brutality, and while some may find the encounter with Garm upsetting, in the absence of significant fan demand for the scene to be skipped, it's unlikely PETA's request will be implemented.
Source: PETA/YouTube
