The God of War series has gone through a surprisingly eclectic journey in the two decades since Santa Monica Studios first introduced us to our favorite Spartan warrior. From the classic Greek tragedy of the first title to the cathartic power fantasies of its sequels – not to mention a humanist redemption arc in the most recent duology- it seems like there’s a God of War experience for every single kind of gamer.
However, one thing that has remained constant during all these years of pantheon-slaying is the franchise’s penchant for brutal boss battles that usually end in blood-soaked executions. In honor of the recently announced remake of the original God of War trilogy, and Prime Video’s series adaptation on the way, we think that this is the perfect moment to look back and celebrate six of the bloodiest and most disgusting kills in God of War history!
As usual, this list is based on personal opinion, but don’t hesitate to comment below with your own gory favorites if you think we missed a particularly gnarly kill.
With that out of the way, onto the list.
6. Heimdall – God of War: Ragnarok
I was never much of a Norse mythology fan, so I’ll forever associate Heimdall with the sultry sounds of a golden-armor-clad Idris Elba in the MCU, but even I was aware that Sony’s take on the Norse God of Foresight was meant to be a subversion of his usually wise demeanor. Of course, Heimdall’s new and infuriating personality is meant to provoke players into a fit of rage alongside Kratos himself, with their inevitable duel making for one of the most impactful moments in the entire game.
From slicing off limbs to squeezing the very life from Heimdall’s body, there’s no denying that things get pretty violent, but it’s really the emotional stakes that make this such a vicious fight. In fact, the only reason this kill ranks so low on the list is the fact that it’s not quite as over-the-top as some of Kratos’ other gruesome interactions with villainous divinities.
5. Aegaeon/Megaera – God of War: Ascension
Here’s a hot take for long-time GoW fans: I actually enjoy God of War: Ascension just as much as the other spin-offs. Sure, it suffers from awkward power-scaling due to its nature as a prequel, and the story simply isn’t as strong as the other games, but in the end, the formula still works – and that includes the gory boss battles.
One of my personal favorite fights here has to be the multi-part encounter against both a mutant arm of the multi-limbed giant Aegaeon and the vengeful Fury Megaera, with this grueling example of simultaneous combat requiring plenty of maiming, amputations, and impalings until Kratos is finally done silencing the wretched pair of enemies.
4. Baldur – God of War (2018)
Regardless of whether or not you prefer the old God of War formula or the recent toning down of the series’ mean-spirited violence, I think we can all agree that having an immortal being repeatedly hassle the player while taking on unimaginable levels of punishment was an incredibly clever idea for a game all about the consequences of blind rage.
While Baldur’s whole invincibility shtick would have gotten old after a while, finally taking him down in that brutal final battle is made even more thrilling due to the hours and hours of gory build-up. That’s why I can still remember that chilling neck-snap like it was yesterday.
3. Zeus – God of War II/III
I know including both fights against Zeus in the same entry seems like cheating, but you have to understand that it’s precisely the complete experience of getting your ass kicked by your dad and then returning from the literal depths of Hades twice that makes the climactic showdown so shocking.
When Kratos’ rage becomes so great that the camera itself changes to first-person perspective to reckon with what you’re doing – as Zeus’ death also brings about the final stage of the Greek apocalypse – there’s a split second where the screen is filled with blood and players might find themselves realizing that they were actually playing as the bad guy all along.
Now that’s brutal.
2. Helios – God of War III
I used to play that original God of War III demo on a loop back before a friend of mine finally lent me the full game (PS3 games weren’t exactly affordable here in Brazil at the time), so if there’s one gaming memory that is absolutely burned into my retinas it’s Kratos’ incredibly violent murder of the Greek God of Sight.
From blasting him out of the sky to beating him to a pulp and finally ripping Helios’ shining head from his shoulders like a piece of lukewarm string cheese, this moment was a perfect microcosm of the kind of gory thrills that GoW3 had to offer.
1. Cronos – God of War III
My favorite moments in the God of War franchise involve Kratos taking on enemies many times larger than him, so it stands to reason that Cronos remains my favorite boss fight in the entire series. It also happens to be one of the most violent as well, with Kratos killing the titan from the inside out in a lengthy sequence where you maim his innards, remove fingernails and finally end Cronos’ misery in a spectacular display of Spartan Rage.
The best part is remembering that this gigantic boss is technically carrying a significant part of the first God of War game on his back, making the whole thing feel weirdly nostalgic for long-time fans!