Lead level designer James Riding said: We wanted to evolve the gameplay in the level spaces – more variety and verticality. In Svartalfheim, you’ve got a lot of places that you go to all within one realm. It’s so much content. It was a little lonely in the last game. So, specifically with Svartalfheim, we’re trying to show this lived world. There are things here besides just you two. Level designer Jon Hickenbottom added: We wanted to show off the dwarves and what they’ve been doing here. They’re using water to propel and move things. Even throughout the different biomes, you can see the dwarves creating huge environments. And then when Kratos comes in, it’s like, how does he bend the environment to his will? According to Game Informer’s Jason Guisao, Svartalfheim will feature sprawling cities like the fabled Niðavellir and amenities like artificial water channels and mine pits. These will factor into the puzzles of God of War Ragnarök, with Kratos needing to use his weapons to get across the environments. For example, the Leviathan axe can freeze geysers, while the Blades of Chaos can dismantle pots. Atreus will also help his father deal with out-of-reach devices. Svartalfheim was not featured in the previous game, as lore explained that Odin had locked the path to avoid the risk of an alliance between Dwarves and the Vanir, the enemies of the Aesir gods. However, God of War Ragnarök includes all of the Nine Realms: Alfheim, Asgard, Helheim, Jötunheim, Midgard, Muspelheim, Niflheim, Svartalfheim, and Vanaheim. The game is set to launch for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on Wednesday, November 9th.
