God of War Ragnarök is one of the most widely-esteemed games of 2022 and possibly one of the most highly-rated titles since Elden Ring. The game features Kratos and Atreus, a father-son duo, traveling and exploring a mysterious world of Norse mythology to uncover hidden secrets and solve problems. For Kratos, nothing can stop him from completely decimating anything that gets in his way, and it's nearly the same case for Atreus, which also means slaying a gigantic dog.
On 17th November 2022, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called out Santa Monica Studio for creating God of War Ragnarök with acts of "violence" against animals. As reported by TheGamer, PETA slammed Santa Monica Studio for featuring a boss fight that showed a gigantic dog chained "in deplorable conditions" and left malnourished, facing the iconic, legendary character Kratos.
More specifically, in God of War Ragnarök, the pair face a mighty dog, who's sort of a wolf, too, called Garm. This giant monstrous wolf imprisoned by the God of War, Týr, in Helheim is a feral, chaotic creature that once tore apart the world. It was only when Atreus released Garm, due to his ignorance of the wolf's nature did Kratos and his son embark on an adventure to slay the beast.
To prevent Garm from tearing apart the realm again, Atreus and Kratos defeated the wolf and transferred the soul of their recently deceased pet dog Fenrir into Garm's body. Thus, the mission and boss fight concludes here.
@FiveTacey BOY, it's like Grey Wolf Sif all over again. We’re asking @SonySantaMonica to create a “PETA mode”, so #GodofWarRagnarok can be played without violence to animals! 🐺 pic.twitter.com/AQ0x7n8K1s
— PETA (@peta) November 17, 2022
That said, PETA requested that Santa Monica Studio create a "PETA mode" so that "God of War Ragnarök can be played without violence to animals." PETA said that scenes of acts of violence against animals like this shouldn't be presented in a video game, especially one as esteemed as God of War Ragnarök.
The animal rights organization reasoned that there should be alternatives for players to relish games like God of War Ragnarök and that dogs shouldn't be chained "in deplorable conditions" and in the cold without water or food. Accordingly, PETA requested Santa Monica Studio to create the mode "so that players can get past without hurting him."
So far, Santa Monica Studios hasn't responded to PETA's request. But if they do, we'll endeavor to keep you updated.
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Featured image courtesy of Sony Santa Monica.