{"id":1969966,"date":"2026-06-03T12:09:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1969966"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:09:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:09:03","slug":"god-of-war-laufey-is-bringing-back-the-original-trilogys-faster-combat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1969966","title":{"rendered":"God of War Laufey is bringing back the original trilogy&#8217;s faster combat"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br 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src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/god-of-war-laufey-classic-cover-1.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"god-of-war-laufey-classic-cover-1.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Sony Santa Monica, Eurogamer.<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/sherif-saed\">Sherif Saed<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-06-03T12:09:03+00:00\">June 3, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"b36c55a8-5753-4700-a490-cbeab36ac7e6\" data-name=\"God of War Laufey\" data-follow-text=\"Follow God of War Laufey\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following God of War Laufey\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow God of War Laufey\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following God of War Laufey\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow God of War Laufey\" title=\"Follow God of War Laufey\"><br \/>\n  Follow God of War Laufey<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Though it takes place in the same world as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/god-of-war\">2018 God of War reboot<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/god-of-war-ragnarok\">God of War Ragnar\u00f6k<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/god-of-war-laufey\">God of War Laufey<\/a> surprisingly borrows some of the most defining characteristics of the original trilogy.<\/p>\n<p>Developer Sony Santa Monica set out to create a game that combines the character-driven storytelling, and narrative focus of the Norse era with the acrobatic, stylish gameplay of the Greek era.<\/p>\n<p>The developer touched on a few of its goals with the upcoming action game in a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.playstation.com\/2026\/06\/02\/first-look-at-god-of-war-laufey\/\">blog post<\/a> shortly after the reveal, and it gives us an insight into what the team considers the broader pillars of the series.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"God of War Laufey - Introducing Faye | PS5 Games\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/szwYBVY7FsU?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/szwYBVY7FsU\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">God of War Laufey &#8211; Introducing Faye | PS5 Games<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=szwYBVY7FsU\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>It&#8217;s clear from watching <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/god-of-war-new-series-entry-kratos-faye-playstation\">the extended gameplay demo<\/a> that Faye plays completely different to Kratos. To anyone familiar with the Norse era of God of War, that was particularly surprising; this may be in the same engine, but we&#8217;re not working with the same systems, here. After snatching the sword from the corpse of a long-dead warrior, one of the first actions we see her perform is a dodge-counter. Her animations, and the rhythm with which she engages her enemies, are already faster than the majority of combat moves in the Norse era.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Immediately afterwards, Faye slides into an air juggle, a move which harkens back to the Greek era. As the footage goes on, we see her combo grapples into air juggles into ground slams. If you squint, it looks like a lighter version of Devil May Cry, which incidentally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/2004\/06\/10\/god-of-war-interview\">was a big inspiration for the classic trilogy<\/a>. Compare that to the Norse era combat&#8217;s Souls inspirations, and the contrast becomes clear.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/god-of-war-laufey-reveal-screen-6.jpeg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"2560\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"god-of-war-laufey-reveal-screen-6.jpeg\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"2560\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Sony Santa Monica, PlayStation.<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;One of our top priorities throughout the development has been handcrafting a uniquely fresh feel for Faye\u2019s gameplay that will also meet the high expectations fans have for the series,&#8221; the developer explained in the blog.<\/p>\n<p>While the camera may not appear to be as pulled back as you might expect from a game with that cadence of action, it <em>does<\/em> zoom out on occasion &#8211; especially when the character is airborne, and when performing certain attacks. Faye&#8217;s smaller stature compared to Kratos also helps with readability.<\/p>\n<p>That fluidity in movement is clearly intentional, with the developer outright admitting to &#8220;injecting some old school, classic DNA of the Greek era&#8221; into how combat works in the new game.<\/p>\n<p>From what we&#8217;ve been able to see, the focus on ramping up the speed, and responsiveness of combat hasn&#8217;t come at the expense of how chunky, and hard-hitting animations are. This is especially visible early on in sword combos, as well as when Faye uses her J\u00f6tunheim golden palm.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/god-of-war-laufey-reveal-screen-7.jpeg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"2560\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"god-of-war-laufey-reveal-screen-7.jpeg\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"2560\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Sony Santa Monica, PlayStation.<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One of the earliest, and loudest, criticisms the God of War reboot received from long-time fans, was how different its combat felt from what they&#8217;ve come to expect from the series. Slowing down the action, and creating a new rhythm was a deliberate choice on the part of Sony Santa Monica, but many wanted a version of the classic action built with the new tech.<\/p>\n<p>God of War Laufey looks to be promising to deliver just that, and it&#8217;s as welcome as the return of the jump button. Laufey is in development for PS5, but does not have a release date.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Though it takes place in the same world as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/god-of-war\">2018 God of War reboot<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/god-of-war-ragnarok\">God of War Ragnar\u00f6k<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/god-of-war-laufey\">God of War Laufey<\/a> surprisingly borrows some of the most defining characteristics of the original trilogy.<\/p>\n<p>Developer Sony Santa Monica set out to create a game that combines the character-driven storytelling, and narrative focus of the Norse era with the acrobatic, stylish gameplay of the Greek era.<\/p>\n<p>The developer touched on a few of its goals with the upcoming action game in a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.playstation.com\/2026\/06\/02\/first-look-at-god-of-war-laufey\/\">blog post<\/a> shortly after the reveal, and it gives us an insight into what the team considers the broader pillars of the series.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"God of War Laufey - Introducing Faye | PS5 Games\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/szwYBVY7FsU?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/szwYBVY7FsU\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">God of War Laufey &#8211; Introducing Faye | PS5 Games<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=szwYBVY7FsU\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>It&#8217;s clear from watching <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/god-of-war-new-series-entry-kratos-faye-playstation\">the extended gameplay demo<\/a> that Faye plays completely different to Kratos. To anyone familiar with the Norse era of God of War, that was particularly surprising; this may be in the same engine, but we&#8217;re not working with the same systems, here. After snatching the sword from the corpse of a long-dead warrior, one of the first actions we see her perform is a dodge-counter. Her animations, and the rhythm with which she engages her enemies, are already faster than the majority of combat moves in the Norse era.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Immediately afterwards, Faye slides into an air juggle, a move which harkens back to the Greek era. As the footage goes on, we see her combo grapples into air juggles into ground slams. If you squint, it looks like a lighter version of Devil May Cry, which incidentally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/2004\/06\/10\/god-of-war-interview\">was a big inspiration for the classic trilogy<\/a>. Compare that to the Norse era combat&#8217;s Souls inspirations, and the contrast becomes clear.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/god-of-war-laufey-reveal-screen-6.jpeg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"2560\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"god-of-war-laufey-reveal-screen-6.jpeg\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"2560\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Sony Santa Monica, PlayStation.<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;One of our top priorities throughout the development has been handcrafting a uniquely fresh feel for Faye\u2019s gameplay that will also meet the high expectations fans have for the series,&#8221; the developer explained in the blog.<\/p>\n<p>While the camera may not appear to be as pulled back as you might expect from a game with that cadence of action, it <em>does<\/em> zoom out on occasion &#8211; especially when the character is airborne, and when performing certain attacks. Faye&#8217;s smaller stature compared to Kratos also helps with readability.<\/p>\n<p>That fluidity in movement is clearly intentional, with the developer outright admitting to &#8220;injecting some old school, classic DNA of the Greek era&#8221; into how combat works in the new game.<\/p>\n<p>From what we&#8217;ve been able to see, the focus on ramping up the speed, and responsiveness of combat hasn&#8217;t come at the expense of how chunky, and hard-hitting animations are. This is especially visible early on in sword combos, as well as when Faye uses her J\u00f6tunheim golden palm.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt height=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/god-of-war-laufey-reveal-screen-7.jpeg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"2560\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"god-of-war-laufey-reveal-screen-7.jpeg\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7777777777777777\" width=\"2560\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Sony Santa Monica, PlayStation.<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One of the earliest, and loudest, criticisms the God of War reboot received from long-time fans, was how different its combat felt from what they&#8217;ve come to expect from the series. Slowing down the action, and creating a new rhythm was a deliberate choice on the part of Sony Santa Monica, but many wanted a version of the classic action built with the new tech.<\/p>\n<p>God of War Laufey looks to be promising to deliver just that, and it&#8217;s as welcome as the return of the jump button. Laufey is in development for PS5, but does not have a release date.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News God of War Laufey God of War Laufey is bringing back the original trilogy&#8217;s faster combat Old school agility, new school delivery. Image credit: Sony Santa Monica, Eurogamer. News by Sherif Saed Contributor Published on June 3, 2026 Follow God of War Laufey Though it takes place in the same world as the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1969966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1969966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969966\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1969966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1969966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1969966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}