God of War, to introduce its new Norse mythology—as opposed to the Greek mythology of previous Gods of War—has several chapters of story to hash out. Done up in lavish Celtic-knot leather branding murals, there's a lot to take in.
There's the Vanir tribe of deities with their connection to nature and magic, and then there's the hedonistic Aesir gods. Freya is prominently featured. I've heard of Freya. As usual, interactions between the gods have been contentious for centuries. So Freya of the Vanir tries to break bread, as it were, with the Aesir by teaching them how to plant crops and magically feed all of Asgard. But the magic goes haywire and the Aesir pass the buck on who's to blame, and, by the end of this chapter, Freya becomes a he (?) and stomps off and swears revenge on the gods? Or something?
I feel like an important part of the first chapter hit the cutting room floor. I'm confused. But it's fine. I know the Greek gods (Athena especially) liked to gender swap themselves on occasion, so who knows.
Anyway, nothing like having a good reason for going to war with heaven, especially if you're Kratos. Even if you're Bearded Dad Kratos, now. And even if it's simply because the gods are all fickle and stuff. Here's chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5, taking you through The First Great War, if you're ready to dig into the lore before your axe digs into your enemies.
God of War launches April 20 on PlayStation 4.
