If you, like me, spent the entire first act of God of War (2018) grieving a character you never actually got to meet, the latest Sony State of Play would have come with an exciting note. Santa Monica Studio unveiled God of War: Laufey—a full PS5 entry and not a side-scrolling spin-off—with a staggering 20-minute gameplay showcase that confirms Faye, Kratos’ wife and Atreus’ mother, is the protagonist. Deborah Ann Woll of the Daredevil-fame returns to play this character in the latest PlayStation title.
As seen at the top of God of War 2018, Faye's body is cremated and her ashes scattered. Turns out that was not the end. She awakens in an afterlife realm called the Everywhen, stripped of some of her former power, and with a mission: protect the plans she laid for Kratos and Atreus before the wrong gods, from multiple mythologies, can unravel them.
From the gameplay trailer, it feels as if combat is much more agile and precise rather than the earth-shaking brute force we associate with when we play as Kratos.
Faye wields a magical, "mysterious" sword and uses her powers freely. She is quick, graceful, and very aerial in a way the series has never let anyone we can play as be. So far, it also looks like we will keep getting cameos of Kratos in the game.
In God of War: Ragnarok, Faye was more of a memory, a sort of plot cameo helping Kratos. But this is something else!
The one thing that I found really quirky yet not distracting is this new character called Phranque, a "curious cosmic cube with a sincere nature," voiced by Jack Quaid of The Boys fame. Yep, a sentient cube. Looks like Santa Monica is going wild with this one.
Deborah Ann Woll, best known as Karen Page from Daredevil, voices Faye, a casting choice that makes a lot of sense for a character who is simultaneously warrior, mother, and, as multiple social media users have theorised for years, the founding queen of Jötunheim itself.
Three months ago, a Reddit user u/TheMorse_ laid out months ago how lore entries and Norse texts, specifically the name "Nál" used for Laufey in the Prose Edda, point to Faye being Bergelmir's wife and the oldest frost giant in history. If the game confirms that, it would make her story, surviving the birth of Jötunheim, outliving a king, watching her people fall to Odin, and then placing her bets on a Spartan god and their son, one of the most remarkable arcs in gaming. No release date has been confirmed yet, though 2027 is widely expected.
But for now, enjoy this wonderful trailer as we at the Gaming desk fire up our copies of God of War and God of War: Ragnarok for one more run.
