Santa Monica Studios

God of War Ragnarok wrapped up the series' Norse saga in extremely satisfying fashion — but we're not done yet. PlayStation Studios just announced a God of War Laufey game that stars Kratos' wife Faye (formally known as Laufey), and gave it quite an introduction. We were treated to about 20 minutes of gameplay that appears to take place right at the game's beginning. 

The footage started more or less in the same way as 2018's God of War, with Kratos placing Faye's body on a burning pyre and bidding her farewell alongside their son Atreus. Faye then wakes up somewhere else entirely, and seems to know of the events that transpired. She remarks that she saw the pyre and knew that Kratos and Atreus were starting on their path (from the aforementioned game). She then begins traveling through an entirely unfamiliar realm that we haven't seen thus far, dropping into some battles that have classic God of War combat, though obviously Faye plays a lot differently than Kratos or Atreus. 

Eventually, a lengthy cutscene shows Faye captured by a new set of enemies that again have no resemblance to most of what we saw in the Norse series. A new character, the "cosmic cube" Phranque calls it the afterlife of the Gods. (The PlayStation Blog clarifies it's the Everywhen, a place where gods from across mythologies vie for power.) Some of the minions holding Faye captive do feel similar to undead enemies from earlier games, but the overall setting feels almost entirely unfamiliar.

The preview ends with Faye attempting to use her magic to successfully escape imprisonment — but it puts her right in the middle of a full-scale battle where she gets her hand on an impressive weapon that, at first glance, appears to be just as cool as the Blades of Chaos or the Leviathan Axe. It's a gorgeous blade that she can project and retrieve for some delightful and clever combat options, not dissimilar to the aforementioned weapons from earlier games. Attached to the blade are sentient ribbons named Rue that are meant to keep the sword from being lost to enemies.

Naturally, a brutal one-on-one battle ensues, showing off the full scope of her powers as well as the viciousness of those in the new realm she's stuck in. 

A game featuring Faye has been rumored for a while now, though where exactly it might fit in to the God of War timeline was unclear. Seeing Faye have a new journey that unfolds alongside the events that Kratos and Atreus are dealing with certainly is an intriguing twist.

Sadly, we didn't get a hint of a release window, so we're looking at 2027 at the earliest for this one. Axes and swords crossed for that to happen. For now, at least, there are multiple videos besides the main gameplay reveal that dig into the new cast and development process of this title.