PETA Wants To Add A Sixth Mode To God Of War Ragnarok
"God of War Ragnarok" was beloved by both critics and fans alike. It dominated the Game Awards 2022 nominees, receiving 10 nominations across various categories. The Metacritic score for the game settled at 94, which is pretty exceptional. However, not everyone was won over by the story about Kratos and his son, Atreus. In fact, PETA was unimpressed by the five different difficulty options, leading the group to call for a new game mode entirely.
PETA is an animal rights group that has taken issue with several video games over the years because of violent depictions of animals. In the past, PETA has gone after "Far Cry 6" and even had issues with "Animal Crossing: New Horizons." Now, the group set its sights on "God of War Ragnorak."
On November 17, PETA tweeted out to Santa Monica Studios and the Editor-in-Chief at The Gamer to add an animal-friendly mode to the newest "God of War" title. A short video containing a boss fight was included, explaining that PETA saw several issues with the wolf boss, Garm.
Garm's poor living conditions
The conditions that the giant wolf, Garm, was found in set PETA off. Chained up in the freezing cold with no food or water isn't good for any animal, and PETA wasn't too happy to see Garm like that. Additionally, the fact that Kratos had to defeat Garm in order to get by didn't sit well with the group either, and PETA specifically asked for a way around Garm without having to harm it.
Fans weren't too happy with this call for action. Many thought the idea was over-the-top, especially considering that Garm is a mythical creature in a video game and not a real-life creature that's suffering. Several users had to double-check that it was PETA tweeting and not a parody account. Others pointed out other games that depict abuse against certain animals, such as the "Donkey Kong" and "Mario" games. One user, @Janderpiti, had a unique problem, pointing out that the clips with Garm were spoilers for people who hadn't had a chance to play the critically-acclaimed game.
It is worth noting that players can pet a dog in "God of War Ragnarok." While not every animal is able to be loved on, the ferocious-looking Fenrir can be given some chin scratches in the endgame. While this doesn't make up for the treatment of Garm for PETA, it may be the closest the game will get to a PETA-mode.