God of War Laufey Revealed With Extended Gameplay Trailer Showcasing New Protagonist, Setting and Combat System

Sony and Santa Monica Studio have finally revealed God of War Laufey, the next mainline entry in the God of War franchise. Just as leaks had suggested, the action-adventure title follows the journey of Faye, Kratos' wife from the Norse saga, into the afterlife following her death in God of War (2018). God of War Laufey does not have a release date yet, but developer Santa Monica said it would launch on PS5 soon.

Santa Monica shared a first look at God of War Laufey with an uninterrupted 20-minute gameplay reveal at the State of Play broadcast on June 2, showcasing the new afterlife setting, a new series protagonist in Faye, and completely new action-focussed combat system.

God of War Laufey Story and Setting

God of War Laufey follows its titular protagonist into Everywhen, the afterlife of the gods, after her death in God of War, the first game in the Norse saga that began in 2018.

“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,” Santa Monica's description of the game on PlayStation Blog reads.

“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.”

God of War Laufey Gameplay and Combat 

Aside from a new vibrant world that features gods and demons from different mythologies, Laufey also mixes things up in the gameplay department, making melee combat more fast-faced with a touch of Devil May Cry-style aerial combos.

Faye is a lot more nimble than Kratos. She can double jump, kick enemies in the air, and unleash a flurry of aerial attacks, before slamming them down. Santa Monica said that approach combined “the movement and fluidity of the Greek era with the Norse era's approach to world-building and close ties with characters.”

“Odin was haunted by the prophecy of his demise during the events of Ragnarök, obsessively pursuing knowledge of something beyond the afterlives of mortals,” Santa Monica said about the premise of the game. “In God of War Laufey, we explore the answer to that question: What happens to the gods when they die?”

Laufey will fight gods and creatures from different mythologies
Photo Credit: Sony/ Santa Monica Studio

The gameplay reveal showed two gods that served as foes to Faye: Sekhmet and Begtse, two gods from Buddhist and Egyptian mythologies. Faye must take on wrathful gods and creatures in the Everywhen, uncover mysteries of afterlife, and find her way back home. It is unclear if the story will focus on Faye reuniting with Kratos and Atreus. However, Kratos showed up in the gameplay reveal a couple of times.

In her journey through the afterlife Faye will be accompanied by Phranque, a cosmic cube that also houses the main weapon of the game, a mysterious sword tied to enchanter ribbon named Rue. The gameplay showed Faye wielding the sword and taking on multiple enemies. The focus of the combat system seems to be on agility. Santa Monica said Faye's combat was built to maximise lethality, power, and fluidity.

Faye can easily move between ground and air and utilise her Golden Hand for defensive and offensive moves, along with her melee weapon. Using her Golden Hand, Faye can also manipulate the souls of her enemies. She can knock out a foe's soul out of their body and attack it directly and even knock it into other enemies. Santa Monica said the combat seen in the reveal trailer was limited to an early section of the game. The studio will share more in the future.

Faye will be played by Deborah Ann Woll, while Jack Quaid will voice Phranque. God of War Laufey is being directed by Ariel Lawrence. The game will launch exclusively on PS5 soon and is currently available to be wishlist on PlayStation Store.