God of War Ragnarök

The axe. I could write the whole review about the axe — throwing it, hearing the thunk, calling it back to your hand mid-combo. Ragnarök has the most satisfying moment-to-moment combat I've felt in years, weighty and precise without being fussy.

But the reason it lands is Kratos and Atreus. Underneath the spectacle it's a quiet, careful story about a father terrified of who his son is becoming, and the writing never fumbles it. The single-shot camera — no cuts, the whole game — keeps you locked into them.

It's a touch less surprising than the 2018 reboot; it's iterating, not reinventing. A couple of the realms drag. But when it's firing — and it mostly is — it's the complete package: combat, story, and craft all pulling the same way.