Throughout God of War Ragnarok, players are frequently treated to a series of fun little Easter eggs and references. These will often refer to events from the previous games, other aspects of Greek and Norse mythology, or even other video game properties entirely, with the Kvasir set of poems being particularly memorable. However, there’s one Easter egg in God of War Ragnarok that’s hiding in plain sight, and it’s Atreus’ Midgardian friend Skjoldr.
God of War Ragnarok’s Skjoldr is a Subtle Reference to The Legend of Zelda
About a third of the way into God of War Ragnarok, players will take control of Atreus as he makes his way to Asgard, believing he can peacefully avoid the titular cataclysm if he can just reason with Odin. At the foot of Asgard’s monumentally high wall is a small village populated by Midgardian refugees who have been told to flee Midgard during Fimbulwinter. In this village, Atreus meets a young boy named Skjoldr.
Upon meeting God of War Ragnarok’s Skjoldr, players probably won’t think twice about the character. He seems like a pretty normal kid, and his appearance seems pretty conventional for the setting. However, upon closer inspection, players may notice that Skjoldr bears a pretty striking resemblance to a legendary Hyrule hero. Skjoldr’s outfit sees him wearing a bright blue tunic, with white highlighting all around the neck and sleeves. Brown belts wrap around his hips and a white undershirt can be seen underneath the tunic.
Though it isn’t immediately obvious, Skjoldr seems to be wearing an outfit that’s heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Link. In Breath of the Wild, Link’s iconic front-cover outfit sees him wearing very similar clothes, with a bright blue tunic with markings on it, brown belts, and a dirty white undershirt. To top it off, both characters share long blond hair. While this could be just a fun coincidence, on a recent episode of Kinda Funny’s “PS I Love You” Spoilercast, God of War Ragnarok’s director Eric Williams hinted that Skjoldr’s appearance was in fact a reference to The Legend of Zelda’s main hero. Specifically, he replied with “hey, I didn’t put him in those clothes” when asked about the reference.
God of War Ragnarok’s Legend of Zelda reference is one of the better references to the franchise out there, as it chooses to keep the tribute incredibly subtle. This stops the reference from getting in the way of any emotional or story beats, but also rewards those who are paying close attention to each of the game’s hidden details. Over the last few decades, many games have decided to reference the incredibly influential Zelda series, but it’s often a little too obvious, with countless Indie games parodying the “It’s dangerous to go alone, take this” line. Further, multiple AAA titles like Skyrim just overtly include weapons and armor items that are ripped straight from the iconic adventure series. Sometimes, the most rewarding Easter eggs are those that are the most subtle.
God of War Ragnarok is available on PS4 and PS5.
