In the space of 6 short months, thePS5’s revolutionary DualSense controllerhas repeatedly staked its claim to being the most “next generation” aspect of the entire console. Even though Sony’s latest system is still in its infancy, developers have already progressively topped each other in the race to show off just how much the controller can enhance a player’s level of immersion. No one has quite so assuredly knocked that out of the park better than Housemarque and its latest shooter,Returnal.
All eyes are now firmly set on Sony’s internal first party studios to see how highly anticipated PS5 exclusives, likeGod of War: Ragnarok, take advantage of the DualSense’s sophisticated motors. At first glance Santa Monica Studios’ melee dominated game doesn’t share too manyobvious similarities withReturnaland its roguelike shooting mechanics. However, scratching away at the surface to examine how Housemarque have specifically taken advantage of the controller’s features, makes it possible to speculate on how players could theoretically end up connecting with Kratos.
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Kratos’ Itchy Trigger Fingers
Returnalreally stands out from the shooter crowd when players get to experience the full depth that the DualSense’s adaptive triggers offer, in comparison to more traditional controllers. Instead of each trigger having a single stage and subsequent use, both offer two unique functions depending on how hard the player chooses to press down. Holding half way with the left for example enables the action to be zoomed in on for more precise shooting, while a full squeeze allows each of the game’s guns to unload their devastating secondary fire modes. On paper that sounds like a tricky sensation to get used to, but in practice it works more and more intuitively as time goes on. With Insomniac Games implementing a similar feature set withinRatchet and Clank: Rift Apart, there appears to be a movement from within Sony’s first party studios that’s prioritizing experimentation with the DualSense’s triggers.
Even thoughGod of War: Ragnarokwon’t be a shooter, at least not in a traditional gun based sense, there’s still more than enough scope to expect equally creative uses for the triggers in the action-RPG. Combining Kratos’ light and heavy attacks onto the R2 button seems like a logical first step for Santa Monica Studio to explore, and would potentially free up the R1 button for other moves and combos to be mapped to it. While potentially a little more cumbersome, shifting the block/parry button onto the left trigger alongside the zoom function could theoretically work in the same manner, and would open the door for older powers and abilities to return to the franchise. Even thoughSanta Monica’sGod of Warfranchise has always historically had impeccable controls, it would be out of character for the studio to sit still and not take into account what teams like Housemarque have already achieved on the PS5.
A Boy and His Bow
Much of the speculation going intoGod of War: Ragnarokhas centered around Karatos’ son, Atreus, and the possibility that players might get the chance to inhabit his shoes for parts of the game. During the events of the first Norse mythology inspired entry, the young archer’s coming of age played a pivotal driving force in the game’s narrative, and is only set to become more important as Thor and apocalyptic Ragnarok draw nearer.Santa Monica concept artist Samuel Matthewsrecently acknowledged in an Instagram post that aThe Last of Usstyle Ellie and Abbey/Joel dual-playable character twist could be a potential option. Showing that the studio has at least flirted with the idea of letting players directly control Atreus.
The list of games any playable version of Atreus could draw inspiration from mechanically, has steadily grown over the course of the PS5’s short life.Returnal’stwo stage trigger implementation is just one way that an archery based control scheme could be made to work on the DualSense, and would allow for easy switching of arrow types and magic abilities on the fly. If Santa Monica decides instead to deviate from that path, and make Atreus unique from Kratos’ theoretical move set, there’s alternate options the studio could take inspiration from instead. Titles likeAssassin’s Creed Valhalla,andThe Pathlessespecially, both adapt the tension of the Dualsense’s triggers while players use bows, maximizing satisfaction and tactile feedback. It’s not too hard to imagine that something similar would work well with Atreus’ likely arsenal of weapons, provided he doesn’t adopt a fighting style more akin to his father, or the MCU’s incarnation of his character.
God of War’s Haptic Axe Throwing
The DualSense’s adaptive triggers aren’t the only feature of the PS5’s controller that make it feel more alive than a traditional handset. Haptic Feedback plays a significant role in the immersive process too, and shouldn’t be ignored by players or developers alike.Returnalin particular does an excellent job subtly implementing the feature, with the DualSense rumbling constantly to varying degrees of severity to simulate a variety of different interactions. Claims from developers likeGuerrilla Games who sayHorizon Forbidden Westplayers will be able to feel every blade of grass, thanks to Haptic Feedback, aren’t too much of a stretch to believe when games likeReturnalare already simulating the feel of rain in-game.
It’s in this area that Santa Monica Studio have the largest amount of freedom to potentially experiment with, and do something similar providedGod of War: Ragnarok’sstory allows it. Opening chests, equipping armor pieces and runes are just a handful of common occurrences that could be made to feel extra meaningful thanks to the DualSense. Beyond that there’s also scope for Haptic Feedback to play a role in combat too. Throwing the Leviathan Axe in 2018’sGod of Warwas already a deeply gratifying experience, and one that should become even more satisfying provided players can physically feel its return to their hands.
Audio Excellence
Often forgotten about due to the fact it was also a feature of the DualShock 4, the audio speaker on the DualSense should hopefully play a more evolved roleinGod of War: Ragnarokthan its predecessor did back in 2018. Housemarque have once again laid a solid foundation that all manner of developers could theoretically follow when it comes to making games for the PS5.Returnal’scontroller audio, as well as 3D enabled sound more generally, are excellent throughout the game and help build extra layers of immersive atmosphere. Little details like being able to hear when a gun has its alt-fire mode available again, go along way to keeping a players attention engrossed on the moment to moment combat at the same time too.
God of War: Ragnarokcould go down a similar route in theory, with special abilities and combos being seemingly obvious candidates to receive some form of helpful audio cue from the DualSense. Santa Monica have earned a reputation for bringing every aspect of game together, be it in narrative, combat, or visual storytelling sense, so seeing how they uniquely combine all of these with the DualSesne is a truly exciting prospect.
God of War: Ragnarokis currently set to launch on PS5 later this year.
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