Santa Monica Studio ended the recent PlayStation State of Play showcase with a grand reveal: it’s working on a brand new God of War game, starring the legendary Faye – aka Laufey – the wife of series protagonist Kratos, and the mother of secondary protagonist Atreus.
While the unexpected reveal has been warmly received, it’s not actually Faye who’s getting the most attention. That honour instead goes to Phranque, a mysterious gelatinous cube voiced and motion captured by The Boys star Jack Quaid.
God of War Laufey – quick links
Everything we know about God of War Laufey’s Phranque
As revealed in the first extended trailer for God of War Laufey, Faye – played by the talented Deborah Ann Woll (Daredevil) – will pass beyond the veil to open the game. While assumed dead after the events of the modern God of War duology, it turns out her spirit has actually transitioned to a new plane – an underworld of sorts known as the Everywhen.
Per Santa Monica Studio, ‘The Everywhen is the birthplace and endpoint to which all magic returns, a transcendent realm above those we’ve come to know. A location in which gods and creatures from different mythologies come together, and not always in harmonious coexistence.’
Lost and unsure of her surroundings, Faye is eventually captured by an army of mythological beings led by the Egyptian goddess of war, Sekhmet, and the Mongolian god of war, Begtse. It appears the Everywhen will be a land of multiple mythologies, with beings from around the world represented.
Oddly enough, this place is where Faye encounters Phranque, who is a sentient gelatinous cube in the vein of the classic Dungeons & Dragons monster. The Santa Monica Studio team has described him as a ‘cosmic cube’ but he does bear a striking resemblance to the iconic D&D creature, and given how entrenched D&D has become in popular culture, his inclusion in a world of global mythology certainly makes sense.
Phranque’s appearance has been a major topic of conversation since the reveal of God of War Laufey, given how strange and uncanny he is. But perhaps the strangest thing of all is Jack Quaid being in the role – and the fact that he seemingly performed full motion capture for the cube.
Santa Monica Studio even created a custom cube-shaped rigging for him to really embody the role.
It’s silly, it’s fun, and it appears to be exactly what the God of War franchise needs. As plenty of folks have pointed out, while the concept of Jack Quaid playing a sentient cube is inherently wild, the writing team at Santa Monica – and of course, Quaid himself – certainly have the skills to make Phranque a genuinely endearing, relatable character.
It feels more than likely he’ll play a key role in the narrative, or at least deliver strong emotions in one poignant scene or another. Despite the appearance, it’s best not to underestimate Phranque – or his swiftly-growing popularity.
What else we know about God of War Laufey
Beyond this, there was plenty of other God of War Laufey tidbits revealed during the PlayStation State of Play trailer.
As mentioned, it’s a new GoW game starring Deborah Ann Woll’s Faye as she charts a new realm, and re-harnesses her abilities as one of the most powerful warriors of the Jötnar – powerful beings who rival the Norse gods.
As Faye travels through the Everywhen, she’ll wield a sword protected by a sentient ribbon – Rue, played by Perlina Lau (Creamerie) – as well as her magical ‘blast’ powers, to take down various enemies in flashy melee battles.
For now, we don’t know where Faye’s path will lead, but between her stylish, dynamic combat and her very compelling cast of supporting characters, there are plenty of reasons to keep an eye on this game as it develops.
