One example is when God of War Ragnarök makes a passing reference to another PlayStation game that may surprise you, and you may not even catch it because the dialogue is rather subtle. At one point in the game, Mimir would tease Kratos about being in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Sony’s effort to create a brawler similar to Smash. Throughout the game, whenever Kratos and Mimir have a quiet moment together, Mimir will frequently ask him about his experiences. He inquires about a “tournament” he participated in, in which he battled “beasts, scoundrels, princesses, the undead, automatons, and… history’s finest musician.” Apart from Kratos, these are all references to the other playable characters in All-Stars, which include PaRappa the Rapper and Big Daddy from Bioshock. The full conversation between the two is as follows: When compared to Sony Santa Monica, the development team behind Ragnarök, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale has a far more direct connection. The dialogue has been interpreted by some as a reference to Mortal Kombat 2011, in which Kratos also appears as a playable character. Kratos: I fought in many contests. Mimir: But this particular one… I heard you did battle with beasts, scoundrels, princesses, the undead, automatons, and… history’s greatest musician. That’s not… that’s not true, is it? Kratos: I would not speak of this. Most of the characters in the game suit this description (Kitana is a princess, Scorpion is undead, but the connection to the “world’s greatest musician” is questionable at best, with only Rain, (inspired by Prince) truly filling the gap in the dialogue.
When PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale first appeared, it was for the PS3. Several of the PlayStation’s most recognisable characters, such as Kratos, Nathan Drake, Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, and more, engaged in fights reminiscent to Super Smash Bros. Though there was never a follow-up to the game, it’s nice to know that these references will help keep the game’s legacy alive.
