God of War Ragnarok may be a fantastic showcase for modern AAA gaming, but gaming inspiration runs deep.
God of War Ragnarok director Eric Williams discussed the games that helped shape his vision for the PS5 action adventure in an interview with IGN (opens in a new tab). All five are NES titles, some of which you can play right now via Nintendo Switch Online’s NES streaming library.
Williams picks range from predictable to fairly deep cuts. He begins with The Legend of Zelda, stating that “playing in the woods as a kid made this game feel so familiar and fantastic at the same time.”
However, his other choices are actually much more interesting. Williams also quotes Punch-Out!! Mike Tyson, SNK slugger Baseball Stars, the cult classic fighting game River City Ransom, and – perhaps controversially – Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest, a series of games that fans consider the early black sheep of Konami’s wacky, spooky series.
Feeling inspired
Williams’ choice of inspiration may seem odd at first glance, but it explains the reasons behind each one more than adequately. “This game had a pay system that taught me the basics of statistics and economic systems, he talks about Baseball Stars for example.
Other types are not so much of a surprise. River City Ransom (generally known as Street Gangs in Europe) was way ahead of its time. The game featured a non-linear world, unlockable moves, and upgradable stats. His influence can still be found today in works such as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and the successor to the River City Girls series.
Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest was similarly considered more unconventional for its time. But probably not the best. The game feels quite archaic by today’s standards with its confusing world, mysterious progression, and annoyingly coded day and night cycle. Despite this, the game was not without promising ideas, which were later fully realized in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and other “metroidvania” games.
These NES games may be as old as the hills by today’s standards, but it’s clear they still have a big impact. Even with modern AAA games that can’t be removed further in scope and budget. We’re sure many of the other best PS5 games have also taken inspiration from the retro style.
