PlayStation’s recent State of Play presentation made waves with the unveiling of God of War: Laufey Revealed With Jaw-Dropping Faye Gameplay!, the next chapter from Sony Santa Monica that will arrive exclusively on PlayStation 5. Rumors had circulated for months about Faye taking center stage instead of Kratos, but the roughly 20-minute gameplay demonstration still ignited fierce debate online.
Before diving into fan reactions, some background helps. Santa Monica Studio laid out its reasoning for the protagonist shift in interviews ahead of the reveal. Those curious about Faye’s backstory can find explainers elsewhere. PlayStation State of Play June 2026 Recap: Marvel’s Wolverine, God of War Laufey, and Every Major Reveal covers the full lineup from the show if you want broader context.
Online reactions to the gameplay were sharply divided. Several users took issue with specific mechanics, particularly stretches where progression seemed to hinge on mashing the R2 button. One commenter, TacticalEA, did not hold back:
I understand that this is a demonstration and everything, obviously Sony wants it to look the best that it can. But maybe don’t introduce it as a 20 minute uninterrupted gameplay sequence that features nothing but hitting the R2 button to advance a cutscene. Also in the boss fight, she clearly takes damage and does not react and does not lose health.
Others felt the footage failed to meaningfully evolve the series formula. Doodelino summed up that sentiment bluntly:
I’ll pass on this one. GoW 2018 was a masterpiece, Ragnarok was great but at the end I felt like I’m a bit tired of the formula and Laufey doesn’t seem to add anything new. Also, I’m not interested in the character.
The protagonist change itself emerged as the dominant flashpoint. David Jaffe, who created the original God of War, aired his displeasure during a recent interview. His critique was sweeping:
That looks so uninspired, and it looks so dull. You have to remember, that is the opening of the game probably, because it says ‘X for New Game.’ It’s possible there’s a prelude, but that seems clearly towards the opening. It’s dead. That game is not going to do well for what they expect it to do.
Jaffe speculated the budget might be scaled back from prior entries, then pivoted to what he sees as lost identity:
God of War, the originals, they had their hooks. It was Kratos as a badass and Greek mythology, violence. And then it wore out its welcome. So Cory [Barlog] comes along with the brilliant idea of evolving it. And that was awesome for 2018. I loved that game. And then you get Ragnarok, which felt like it was running out of gas. And now… yeah.
He pressed further on what he considers a drift into generic territory:
This just feels like Cory or somebody wanted to write a fantasy story. I’m not saying it’s not going to be rooted and grounded in some actual mythology, maybe it already is and I’m just not aware of it. But you’ve lost the gore and the violence that made the first game. You’ve lost the character – you already lost him after 2018 because he changed so much he wasn’t Kratos any more. Now you’ve lost the identifiable mythology of it, and you’ve also lost me with the cube and the little Disney character at the beginning. This seems like just a fantasy. If they would have taken God of War off the title, and you didn’t know the God of War story and there wasn’t Kratos, it was just a story about this goddess who dies, you would not be talking about this game, in my opinion, compared to a lot of other games they showed today that looked a lot more interesting.
His final verdict was characteristically blunt:
This just looks like more of the same s**t. Really f***ing goofy, man. I didn’t like it at all.
Yet the negativity tells only half the story. Plenty of fans voiced genuine enthusiasm. One reader, shoras, argued the sequel surpasses its predecessors:
This looks better than 2018 and Ragnarok in basically every single way hands down. This combat actually looks like what I imagined the original trilogy’s combat evolving into instead of what we got in 2018. Loved all the color and fantastical creatures. Great reveal.
Combat footage near the reveal’s end earned particular praise. Even Jaffe, despite his broad complaints, conceded the fighting looked enjoyable. The narrative framing also won support. Rather than a prequel, Laufey runs parallel to the 2018 and Ragnarok timeline. Reader sirdan357 appreciated that choice:
Actually looks really good. I’m glad this isn’t a prequel story and is doing something new.
A Reddit user named Tulipanzo agreed:
I’m glad it isn’t a prequel, ‘Fey died, she fights through the afterlife’ is a much better hook.
The sentient cube companion, voiced by The Boys actor Jack Quaid, already splits opinion cleanly down the middle. Some players welcome Hughie’s voice tagging along; others brace for irritation.
Redditor Jatacus captured that ambivalence:
This looks great to me and I’m excited for it. I heard some of the rumors and didn’t think we would get something this fast. I’ll say this, though: As of now, I’m not sold the on the Jell-O cube character. I honestly thought it would transform into something else (like it’s real design) at some point during the demo. Maybe it’s inspired by something from mythology we don’t know yet? Regardless, I’ve never seen anything like it, and did not expect something like this in a God of War game. But I trust the studio.
So the discourse stands divided. Detractors cite stale mechanics, questionable design choices, and a lead character they cannot embrace. Supporters counter with vibrant visuals, refined combat, and bold storytelling risks. God of War Laufey Creators Reveal Why Faye Replaces Kratos as the New Protagonist offers additional insight into the creative team’s thinking. These debates will likely persist as more information surfaces ahead of release.
