God of War Ragnarok picks up three years after the events of 2018’s God of War, with Kratos and Atreus doing their best to survive Fimbulwinter and growing dangers beyond their home in Midgard. The two are thrust into a new journey in an effort to halt the coming apocalypse, while Atreus tries to learn more about Loki’s destiny. It sees the father and son duo reunite with the likes of Freya, though initially under more hostile circumstances, while finding themselves in the proverbial crosshairs of Odin and Thor.

Aside from Kratos’ relationship with Atreus, his relationship with Freya is a focal point of Ragnarok’s narrative as it shifts from hostile to familial over the course of the game. It is reflected in the dialogue and interactions, which several players have picked up on which highlights how the pair’s respective journeys mirror each other. Reddit user Stash0606 points out the dialogue following the Nidhogg boss battle, in particular, which is lifted nearly word-for-word from an interaction Kratos and Freya had in 2018’s God of War.

Both scenes highlight how these two characters understand where the other is at each respective point in the narrative. The original scene subtly shows how Freya understands Kratos’ distrust of gods, relating how she had also suffered at the hands of the Aesir and Odin. Santa Monica then turns the dynamic around in the sequel, with Kratos understanding how all-consuming revenge can be and sees Freya starting to walk the same path he walked in Greece.

The parallel appeared to have gone over several players heads, though they commented to Stash’s post they had largely forgotten about the interaction from 2018’s God of War. On the other hand, a few players said they picked up on it immediately and even pointed other callbacks from that same scene. User Uchiha-uchiha-no-mi points out how Freya and Baldur’s reaction to the respective spells being broken are the same to reflect their familial bond as mother and son. It speaks to Santa Monica Studio’s care and attention to detail in God of War Ragnarok, something which has been a consistent point of praise from players and critics since the game released.

God of War Ragnarok is currently available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

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