The 2018 release of God of War added some truly amazing and special elements to the long running franchise.
For starters, it introduced a whole new setting with Norse mythology (with a whole new group of gods for Kratos to slaughter), a new weapon in the mighty Leviathan axe, and a new major character in Kratos’s son, Atreus.
But one of the more popular additions to the longtime lore of God of War is Mimir, the severed head that claims to be the smartest man in the world. Mimir was once a trusted advisor to Odin himself, but was eventually betrayed and imprisoned in a tree at the top of a tall mountain.
Kratos frees Mimir by cutting off his head and having it reanimated. He then carries the talking head on his hip for the remainder of the game. Mimir regales our heroes (and by extension, the player) with stories of the Asgardian gods and the giants who they sought to eradicate.
Mimir is so popular that Bar-El Studio, an animatronics and special effects company, created a super-realistic animatronic Mimir head that moves, emotes, and even speaks in sound bites taken from the game.
They shared this massively awesome achievement on their official Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6_TsxGgQ4E/
The project immediately caught the eye of God of War developer Santa Monica Studios, who were clearly impressed with the incredible fan tribute.
The developer shared the video of animatronic Mimir on its official Twitter account.
This is one of the single greatest tribute creations for #GodofWar we've ever seen – Animatronic Mimir – The Smartest Man Alive! We'll take one, this one, please.
Please check out the creators Bar-El Studio on their IG https://t.co/fpe0IIG8h4 pic.twitter.com/NQrw0wDz13
— Santa Monica Studio – God of War Ragnarök (@SonySantaMonica) January 7, 2020
“This is one of the single greatest tribute creations for God of War we’ve ever seen, Animatronic Mimir, the Smartest Man Alive,” Santa Monica Studios wrote on its official Twitter account, before humorously adding, “We’ll take one, this one, please.”
God of War was a monumental hit for Sony and Santa Monica Studios. It was hailed by many as one of the best, if not the best, exclusive games for this console generation.
God of War, or God of War 4 as some call it, takes place years and years after the events of God of War 3, when Kratos destroys the Greek pantheon, murdering his father, Zeus in the process. Now, Kratos is in another land, has married, and has a son who he is distant from. Mimir is a constant companion and confidant of Kratos and Atreus, guiding them both through the story and in the midst of combat.
For example, if the player is fighting, and an unseen enemy is rushing Kratos from the left, Mimir will yell, “left flank, brother!”
Mimir is so integral to the story of God of War, he actually narrates the audiobook of the game’s official novelization.
