Spoilers for a side quest in God of War Ragnarok are ahead!
God of War Ragnarok has a sidequest that is a beautiful tribute to Jake Snipes, a gameplay programmer at Santa Monica Studio that passed away in 2020.
The side quest in question is called Across the Realms, and its significance was shared on Twitter by Sam Handrick, a senior gameplay programmer at Santa Monica Studio who was also Snipes' partner.
"There's something in God of War Ragnarok which is the most special to me," Handrick wrote. "I got to pitch it and the team made it into everything I could have hoped. I had hoped to wait for some time to talk about it but want to share it now, just in case. It's the Ballad of Jari and Somr."
Those traveling through God of War Ragnarok's world may have noticed the first signs of the side quest by the green hearts that are painted on rocks across the realms, and the origin of them and the quest began with an idea by Handrick and Snipes formed years ago.
The two would talk about how much they'd "love to leave some symbol of us in Ragnarok. Some indication within this game that had been the reason we'd first met, our first game made together. He once suggested simply a heart, with our initials in Norse runes, carved into this world we made."
Sadly, Snipes passed away in 2020. Once Handrick was able to return to work, he knew he wanted to make God of War Ragnarok "everything [Snipes] deserved." He also wanted to ensure Snipes' memory would forever live on in the game.
Snipes asked God of War director Eric Williams if it would be possible to include a memorial to Jake in the games, and he "made it so much more."
"I told Eric and the team about Jake's suggestion of our initials carved into a heart," Handrick shared. "And he and the team returned with that and something even more special. A story of two men who find each other in an often cruel world, and who find a place to belong simply with each other.
"I wanted this story to be one many queer people know: journeying through a world that doesn't always understand you to find a place that truly feels like home. And sometimes that place is simply a person. And something as simple as a recipe can be a link back to that home."
During the quest, you will happen upon a rainbow campfire that "never stops burning." This is part of the memory of Jake that will live on forever more.
"This fire never stops burning," Handrick said. "Through the coldest days, through the nights you don't want to live through. It will stand in this world we at @SonySantaMonica created for all of time, carrying the story of a man in whom I found something unnamable. Something I still carry now."
The quest, for those curious, has you traveling across the realms to find four ingredients that will create a Meal of Comfort that permanently increases all of your stats by five. It is a "delicious creation that warms the body and soul."
For more on God of War Ragnarok, be sure to check out our review, how its puzzle-filled level design is a gift from the gods, and how some on the team said, three months before the highly-anticipated sequel launched, "holy crap, the game's not good."
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
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