God of War Ragnarok Reviewer Receives Death Threats for 6/10 Score

God of War Ragnarök is one of Santa Monica Studio's most widely anticipated and adored AAA titles released this year. As the successor of previous installations in the franchise, especially the 2018 God of War, which unfolded the storyline about a father-son duo the world has grown fond of, God of War Ragnarök expands on this narrative and dives deeper into mysteries unknown.

The game was released last 9th November 2022, and multiple creditable sources, including IGN Japan, IGN Brasil, IGN Spain, Dexerto, Game Informer, and other publications, spoke fondly of God of War Ragnarök, with these companies giving the title a perfect rating or nearly so.

That said, not everyone agreed with some of these critiques and found God of War Ragnarök suited to their tastes—which is completely natural and valid.

Bae Sang Hyun, a writer, indie game developer, and film director, wrote a review for IGN Korea as a "guest critic," rating God of War Ragnarök with a score of 6/10. Compared to most of the ratings seen across publications, Bae Sang Hyun's review scored the game pretty low, which uproared the community and caused them to receive death threats and vile messages.

Although the low rating might've irked some God of War Ragnarök fans, it seems a partial reason for this uproar was because of a mistranslation, leaning the review toward a "more provocative direction" that might've caused people to see Bae Sang Hyun's overview of the AAA title in "bad expressions."

I didn't check the translation on OpenCritic(It's the job of editorial department), and people mentioned it was an insult, so I checked. And I found that it was translated in a more provocative direction, and it has just been revised. I'm sorry to make you see bad expressions. pic.twitter.com/QM1d90aKhR

— Bae Sang Hyun (@innobaetion) November 6, 2022

That said, Bae Sang Hyun's critique of God of War Ragnarök stated that the game "lacked innovation compared to the prequel and the story suffered from lack of creativity." The guest critic did note that the title's "game experience was well coordinated and wholesome" in the end.

However, "everything" in God of War Ragnarök "seemed to be a series of soulless modules aligned." In addition, Bae Sang Hyun stated God of War Ragnarök fell behind and felt more like a "DLC of the previous God of War title" than a totally "new representation" of the franchise.

Since Bae Sang Hyun's review of God of War Ragnarök, the guest critic received death threats and horrible messages. One individual wanted to "kill" the writer for their honest critique of the game. stating that if they were beside them, they'd "beat [Bae Sang Hyun's] ass and humble [the guest critic] so good."

In response to the ongoing online hate, Bae Sang Hyun remained steadfast and strongly aligned with his opinion of God of War Ragnarök. The guest critic stated that even if one review doesn't speak positively about a game, that shouldn't change fans' gaming experience. Bae Sang Hyun's critique of the AAA title is an honest, valid, and completely natural opinion—which is essentially the essence of game reviews: honest opinions.

I just commented on a YouTube video about the GoW Ragnarok review I wrote for IGN Korea. I hope it will help you understand my opinion and position. And, I sincerely hope everyone can spend November 9 as their best day of this year.https://t.co/uXBwoktov6#GodofWarRagnarokpic.twitter.com/K9COIWHGwG

— Bae Sang Hyun (@innobaetion) November 5, 2022

That said, it's also completely normal to disagree with other people's opinions, but that doesn't mean people should threaten to "kill" someone because of a different perspective. Each individual is entitled to their own opinion, and although sometimes it might not align with others, that's completely normal.

Everyone deserves the time to be understood and respected, even if some perspectives on matters don't meet eye-to-eye. In conclusion, Bae Sang Hyun stated that they'll "stand [their] ground, even if their opinion isn't valid for others."

Stay tuned for more God of War Ragnarok news, and check out some of our Guides & Tutorials below:

Is God of War Ragnarok Worth It? The Reviews Are In! | How Long is God of War Ragnarok? Story Length & Full Completion | God of War Ragnarok Collector's Edition - Price, Mjolnir, And More | God Of War - Order Of Games | Early Access | Trophy List | Difficulty Levels | Pre-load & Download Size| New Game Plus Mode |

Featured image courtesy of Sony Santa Monica.