Santa Monica Studio (had to?) make the game be in tune with modern sentiments. Can't have Kratos curb stomp his way to Ragnarok anymore. He has to show that hes not fond of the way he dealt with things in the past, aggression is wrong, he has to listen to others, let them lead the way and act upon their will. He needs the help from others constantly, is understanding, etc.
Freya basically orders him around like a little bitch for a portion of the game. They completely changed his persona, without really letting him fall back to his old self or making the change believable. The constant "grunting" didn't help to hide that fact, even if it was a nice try. His actions count.
I mean, most of the game Kratos isn't even deciding the next steps/way forward, he even gets to do the very thing he was very vocal about not wanting to do. He's reacting to what others are doing, like a weakling. It doesn't fit his persona. Not even GoW 2018 got this far out of character.
Hope they reinvent the series down the line with a Kratos who's actually ready to take responsibility and call the shots, Amazon Primes's "Reacher" style. Unashamed of his powers and determination.
I still think Artreus had to die right at the beginning in this game and set Kratos off to his destined way of simply fucking shit up. Like in the Dark Tower series, there is no redemption or hope or an alternative for the hero. An everlasting circle of rage.
edit: All this is in stark contrast to the actual game loop btw. The charaacter you control and the one seen in cut scenes and during dialog are not the same. That's why its not really working of me.