(Credit: Sony Santa Monica)
At the most recent State of Play (one that also provided fresh Marvel's Wolverine gameplay), Sony gave PlayStation 5 owners a belated Mother's Day present with God of War: Laufey. The showcase confirmed that the rumored God of War spin-off does indeed replace the original hero, Kratos, with Faye, his deceased wife and the mother of his son, Atreus. The lengthy reveal featured a lot of cutscenes and some gameplay as Faye battled her way through an afterlife featuring deities of various religions. It was a first look at Sony's latest prestige tentpole, but this protagonist swap could add new depth to one of PlayStation's most established brands. After years of God of War games obsessed with fatherhood, God of War: Laufey should be a title that delves into the depths of motherhood. And I'm hoping that it leans in that direction, big time.
Mom of War
The 2018 God of War reboot didn't kick off the "dadification of video games," something I've been a bit preoccupied with since becoming a gamer father, but it is arguably the most prominent modern example. It took Kratos, star of action games all about mindless bloodlust, and reinvented him as a somber patriarch trying to atone for past sins and raise his son in peace. The focus on fatherhood is so singular that the game opens with Faye, the mother, already dead. The game is a quest between father and son to spread her ashes, so her memory drives the narrative. As a result, Faye isn't seen as an active parent except for flashbacks.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with any of that. It could be seen as an example of the medium maturing as both players and developers age and start families. But this view of parenthood feels incomplete if it sidelines the person who, you know, actually gave birth to the child. By making Faye the playable star, God of War: Laufey should balance the scales and deepen the characterization of this rare video game mama bear.
I want to know what she feels after being taken from her family, if and how that impacts her action-packed odyssey through this realm of the dead. I have hope. Deborah Ann Woll returns to star as Faye, and Daredevil Disney+ viewers know she's more than capable of giving a terrific, emotive performance. "We’ll always tell stories about Kratos," said Ariel Lawrence, Game Director on God of War Laufey, in an interview with IGN. "But I think for us, it was just a chance to talk about somebody who was so pivotal to the beginning."
The nature of the God of War franchise offers unique opportunities to explore motherhood in intriguing ways. Alongside Faye, these reboot games also feature Freya, Baldur's mother and an antagonist to Kratos, as an example of overly protective parenting. Furthermore, after games exploring Greek and Norse mythology, God of War: Laufey appears to expand the mythological canvas even further, with Faye encountering Asian, Egyptian, and South American gods. Previous God of War releases highlighted religions where the ultimate god is very much a Father, be it Odin or Zeus. Perhaps Laufey will branch out into more matriarchal spiritual beliefs, positing that the mystical forces that created life are perhaps more analogous to the fairer sex.
The Mysteriously Missing Mothers
Even if God of War Laufey doesn’t fulfill all this potential, simply raising the question of motherhood in gaming helps the medium broaden the artistic subjects it wants to tackle. It's a trend I’d like to see continue because video game moms are still almost nowhere to be found.
The ratio is lopsided, but there are many playable female characters in games, from retro heroines like Chun-Li and Lara Croft to recent icons like Aloy and Ciri. The upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI, sure to be one of the most successful games ever made, features a playable female character. However, that list of ladies gets much smaller once you start looking for mommies.
There are admirable exceptions. Like Freya, Mother Miranda in Resident Evil Village embodies the dark aspect of a mother's unending love for a child. Mother Brain is a main Metroid villain, but Samus ends up the more maternal figure as she cares for the infant Metroid. Rosalina in Super Mario Galaxy guides lost star children after the death of her own mother. The Bayonetta franchise celebrates motherhood as a continuity between generations of powerful women. Recent indie darling 1000xResist shows the fraught connections between mothers and daughters. The Boss, the greatest character in Metal Gear Solid 3, is both a literal mother to Ocelot and a spiritual mother to Snake. And of course, who can forget Cooking Mama? But I shouldn't need to plumb the depths of my gaming knowledge for just a handful of examples.
Mothers Have a Place in Video Games, Too
As an outside observer, I find motherhood to be a fascinating and powerful phenomenon. It's an experience shared across time by countless people, including many gamers, but remains fertile, unexplored material for the video game medium. I'm sure plenty of folks will be content if God of War: Laufey is just another action game with a slightly faster and more nimble character. But to me, that would be a huge missed opportunity considering what this divine feminine swap could truly represent. It's time to break the dad monopoly on gaming and bring blockbuster AAA production value to the inner and outer journeys of a mythical mother.