Are We Being Too Harsh On God Of War: Laufey?

The next God of War game is here, and you are not playing as Kratos. You are playing as Laufey the Just, also known as Faye: the warrior giantess and wife of Kratos whose death set off the story of God of War (2018). God of War: Laufey is not a spinoff, either: Santa Monica Studio has confirmed it as the next mainline instalment in the franchise. The premise picks up at the exact moment of her funeral pyre and then diverges sharply, sending Faye into an afterlife realm called the Everywhen instead of a peaceful death.

Now, if you haven't yet seen the gameplay that dropped on the 3rd, you've probably heard the noise around it: the game has had people divided into one half calling it a cynical "girlboss" pivot, the other defending it with enthusiasm. If anything, you've also come across the backhanded compliments and passive-aggressive praise around the new GoW character being a woman. You know what I'm talking about here. If you don't, congratulations on your healthy screentime.

Which raises a question worth pondering about before either camp gets too comfortable: how much of the hate is actual hate, and how much of the praise is just reverse psychology dressed up as progressive good taste? Because at some point, we need to see Faye beyond her gender and judge the game for what it actually is.

What We Know About God Of War Laufey So Far

God of War: Laufey was officially announced during Sony's PlayStation State of Play on June 3, 2026. Developed by Santa Monica Studio, it is the next instalment in the franchise: a PS5 entry in which Faye awakens in the Everywhen, an afterlife where gods from all mythological traditions converge "not always in harmonious coexistence."

Deborah Ann Woll, who voiced Faye in Ragnarök flashbacks, reprises the role as lead protagonist. She is joined by Phranque (Jack Quaid), a cosmic cube companion, and Rue (Perlina Lau), an enchanted ribbon guardian. The game is directed by Ariel Lawrence, a 17-year-long Santa Monica veteran who worked on every God of War title.

New additions to the series include a magical sword, aerial mobility, and a very Docter Strange-esque soul-separation mechanic via the Golden Hand. No release date has been confirmed, although it's rumoured to drop next year. Also, the game is a PS5 exclusive, with no PC version announced. Check it out below:

The Backlash, And What It Actually Is

Here is what a significant portion of the negative reaction amounts to: Faye is a woman, and it looks like Kratos is not in the game. The accusations of the game being "woke," the comparisons to "girlboss" franchise pivots, the insistence that a God of War without Kratos is a diminished one... none of this is structural criticism. Any time a franchise built around a male protagonist shifts focus to a female one, sections of its fanbase behave as though a personal debt has been called in.

Plus it's not just men being switched for women we are talking about. Remember the uproar over Hunter Schaffer playing Zelda? That too when she almost looks like it (minus the ears)? The loudest voices are not asking whether Faye makes for a compelling protagonist. They have already decided she does not, simply because she is not Kratos. And all this before a release date has even been set.

Seriously, just go watch that fight with Begtse that comes towards the end of the gameplay and tell me that you were not marvelling at it. This woman is the God tamer to the God Killer, and this is not even retconning Faye: if you remember the flashbacks, Kratos would practically swoon over each and every word that the giantess uttered.

Besides, we really are forgetting just how important Faye is to the later God Of War games. The entire Norse saga was scaffolded on this dead woman's plan. Every map Atreus followed, every step Kratos took, all of it was Faye's architecture to reveal Atreus's identity as Loki (oh wait, was that a spoiler? Dude, it's been too long since the last God Of War game if this makes you cry about being spoiled).

Besides, Faye fixes another problem. If you remember, previous interquels of the franchise, like Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta, and Ascension drew sustained criticism for over-indexing on Kratos' past. Faye as protagonist sidesteps the worry of repeating that pattern with the Norse Saga. Her story is genuinely unknown territory; you are not watching a character whose ending you already know move through events you can roughly anticipate. You are in a new perspective, with new stakes.

But all this is only one part of the discourse. There are many people who are experiencing a newfound love for the character, which is great. But liking a badass overpowered female lead just because she is a woman doesn't make the conversation about the game any better. Once the game comes out, we need to stop in our tracks and introspect: how much of our feelings around this game is centred around Faye (even if we like her) and how much revolves around the actual gameplay?

The Actual Problems

All this is not to say that the game already is a ten out of ten. Yes, we were asking for the series to explore more mythologies, but the multi-mythology scope of the Everywhen also risks going overboard with the mythology buffet. We already have Mongolian and Egyptian traditions within the first twenty minutes. Adding too many traditions simultaneously can muddle the very thing that makes each one worth exploring.

Besides, I can't help but wonder: this non-adult sidekick trend in prestige pop culture might be getting a little exhausting by the time the game releases (* cough* Rocky from Project Hail Mary and Egg from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms * cough*). Phranque and Rue seem charming enough (we have seen much of Jack Quaid's brilliance in The Boys), but whether they genuinely earn their place will depend on how consistently endearing they are across a full playthrough, not just a showcase optimised for first impressions.

So the actual case against this game, stripped of the gender noise, is small and specific. Neither concern justifies the verdict the internet handed down within hours of a 23-minute gameplay reveal for a game that does not yet have a release date.

Kratos has, across the full span of this franchise, been lied to, betrayed, and stripped of everything he loved. He lost his first wife and daughter. He spent decades as a weapon for a pantheon that had no intention of keeping its promises. That he let Faye in, built a life with her, and carried her ashes across the nine realms as a final act of devotion is no small feat for the man he became. That alone should convince us to give a chance to Laufey, without making her a progressive talking point.

Because if God Of War: Laufey does turn out to be a good game, you will be missing out on a lot just for one mental block.