God of War Ragnarok has a side quest that is a nice tribute to a late developer

“There is something about God of War Ragnarok that stands out to me,” wrote Handrick. “I got to field it and the team made it everything I hoped it would be. I was hoping to wait some time to talk about this but I want to share it now just in case. It’s the ballad of Jari and Somr.”

Those who travel through the world of God of War Ragnarok may have noticed the first signs of the side quest by the green hearts painted on rocks in the realms, and the origin of them and the quest began with an idea from Handrick and Snipes Created Years Ago.

The two talked about how much they would love to leave a symbol of us in Ragnarok. A clue in that game that was the reason for our first meeting, our first game together. He once simply suggested a heart with our initials in Norse runes engraved in this world we have created.”

We talked about how we would like to leave a symbol of ourselves in Ragnarok. A clue in that game that was the reason we met, our first game together. He once suggested simply carving a heart with our initials in Norse runes into this world we’ve created pic.twitter.com/3QpcS5MMNu

— Sam Handrick (@MDSVeritas) November 18, 2022

Sadly, Snipes passed away in 2020. By the time Handrick was able to return to work, he knew he wanted to make “everything” out of God of War Ragnarok [Snipes] deserved.” He also wanted to make sure the memory of Snipes would live on in the game forever.

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 so much more of it.”

“I told Eric and the team about Jake’s proposal to engrave our initials on a heart,” Handrick shared. “And he and the team came back with that and with something even more special. A story of two men who find themselves in an often cruel world and find a place where they just belong together.

“I wanted this story to be a story that a lot of queer people know: a journey through a world that doesn’t always understand you to find a place that really feels like home. And sometimes that place is just a person. And something as simple as a recipe can be a connection back to that home.”

During the quest, you will come across a rainbow campfire that “never stops burning”. This is part of the memory of Jake that will live on forever.

This fire never stops burning. Through the coldest days, through the nights you don’t want to live through. It will stand with us in this world @SonySantaMonica created for all time, with the story of a man in whom I found something unnameable. Something I still wear now. pic.twitter.com/I9XbP5DGJZ

— Sam Handrick (@MDSVeritas) November 18, 2022

“This fire never stops burning,” said Handrick. “Through the coldest days, through the nights you don’t want to live through. It will stand in this world we at @SonySantaMonica have created for all time and will carry the story of a man in whom I found something unnameable. Something I still wear now.”

The quest, for the curious, has you travel through the realms to find four ingredients that create a meal of comfort that will permanently increase all of your stats by five. It is a “delicious creation that warms body and soul”.

To learn more about God of War Ragnarok, be sure to read our review of how the 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 is not good.”

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and further Pull out.