God of War: Ragnarok trailer reveals a menacing Thor as the key villain

We first glimpsed God of War: Ragnarok nearly one year ago, but we've now gotten our first look at the game in detail, with its latest showing during the PlayStation Showcase. God of War: Ragnarok's story picks up sometime after the events of the previous game, with an older Kratos and Atreus trying to survive in the frozen landscape as Ragnarok approaches, and with the Norse god Thor seeking vengeance against the father and son. 

The new trailer shows off the changed landscape of the original game, while also detailing some of the new areas you'll get to visit. Along with using wolves and a sled to traverse frozen lakes, you'll be able to take your boat to new towns, where you can interact with townsfolk. But of course, there's plenty of monsters and villains to fight, and the father and son team is still just as capable of taking down the different threats.

We also got a detailed look at the story, with Kratos and Atreus, who's grown into a young adult, at odds with each other. To make matters worse, Freya, a former ally turned antagonist is now after Kratos, forcing the duo on the run. To further complicate things, Thor has sent minions after Kratos, and they'll be using lightning-infused weapons to try to take him down.

One of the more standout reveals in the trailer was the appearance of Thor, who was teased in the 2018 game's ending. In Ragnarok, Thor is performed by actor Ryan Hurst, who previously appeared in Remember The Titans and Sons of Anarchy. Hurst joins actors Christopher Judge (Kratos) and Sunny Suljic (Atreus), as one of the lead characters of the game. His brief appearances in the trailer make him appear as a menacing villain --  a far cry from his Marvel incarnation -- which will make for an interesting change from what mainstream audiences will know of the Norse god Thor.

On social media, the developers also shared a first look at the key art for Thor, and he's got a very different look than most were expecting of a Norse god. However, God of War's unique take on Norse mythology is what made the 2018 game so interesting and fun, and we can't deny that Thor's appearance in the trailer was incredibly menacing.

The trailer for God of War: Ragnarok was a lengthy look at the game, and it really delivered in showing the scope of what's to come with the sequel. The 2018 God of War was something of a restart for the vaunted franchise, and it proved to be among the PlayStation 4's best games. The brief trailer we got last year was short on details, all it showed was a logo, and a 2021 release date, which we now know was a bit more optimistic than they expected. The game's been shrouded in mystery ever since, with the only update coming in June when Santa Monica Studios confirmed the game was being moved to 2022. 

"We've made the decision to push that game out to next year, to ensure that Santa Monica Studio can deliver the amazing God of War game that we all want to play," said Herman Hulst, the head of PlayStation Studios.
For more on the latest from the PlayStation Showcase, be sure to check out our roundup post, which details everything we've seen so far.