Written by Alexander O. Cuaycong and Anthony L. Cuaycong
Title: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Action, Adventure
Price: $59.99
From the outset, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla feels like a mish-mash of games, incorporating the very best of its lineage into its makeup. Reminiscent of previous titles in the franchise, there’s the trademark mix of historical plots steeped in science fiction, stealth, action, and drama. There’s Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's fun and exciting ship-to-ship combat, but refined to include Assassin's Creed: Origins and Assassin's Creed Odyssey's fantastical ingredients. In short, it’s everything that makes modern-day Assassin's Creed releases stand out, cloaked in a beautiful, pre-medieval version of England.
In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, gamers take control of Eivor, a Viking who seeks to avenge the death of his father at the hands of Kjotve the Cruel. What starts out as a simple quest for revenge against one dishonorable warlord soon has him fighting against powers far greater than he even envisioned. Across the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, he is compelled to stand his ground against enemies shadowy and seen en route to claiming the fame, fortune, and glory that befits the greatest of the Norse.
Notably, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has gamers do what every other Assassin's Creed title before it had them doing: climb, fight, assassinate, hunt, travel. With England as a vast playground, Eivor treads across history. And while figures and settings are played fast and loose, those familiar with the era will find themselves marveling at the amount of detail on the screen. From the lush landscapes to the characters on tap to the weapons used to the armor donned, the intellectual property’s inaugural offering on the Sony PlayStation 5 pulls no stops. The goal is to immerse, and immerse it does at a glorious 60 frames per second. The power under the hood of the latest-generation console is put to excellent use while soldiers are beaten down, castles are laid to waste, monasteries are raided, and Viking are being, well, Vikings in an effort to establish a foothold on the British isles.
The graphical wonders aside, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla features content that sticks close to already-established Assassin's Creed quest tropes. Gamers will find themselves running from place to place, stalking important figures, dueling tough bosses, and gathering what supplies and coin they can get. Needless to say, the missions have a tendency to be repetitive, but the combat invariably becomes a saving grace. Eivor parrys, dodges, and combines light and heavy attacks at will. He can go loud or quiet, killing up close or shooting enemies down from afar. The builds on hand are variable and viable, providing the option to navigate through three different combat trees of stealth, melee, and ranged combat with their unique benefits and drawbacks.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla parades a wide variety of weapons, from great Dane longaxes to swords, shields, flails, and spears. There’s really no dearth of choices, and all of them prove to be equally fun. And for the first 10 hours or so, the visual splendor coupled with the newness of objects and objectives make it a must-play. Missions are done one after the other with no regard for time passing by just to see what rewards can be garnered and what named gear can be scavenged. These then serve to strengthen character attributes and upgrade weaponry, armor, ship, and settlement. In turn, the progression allows for the dealing of more damage, the taking of more damage, and the performance of stronger abilities in upcoming battles.
As with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is at its core an action role-playing game. How well gamers do depends on personal skill, but also on the gear being used and the abilities gained. In the early story missions, these present no issues. The content is enjoyable and the challenges are somewhat dangerous but still manageable. Ignore the side missions for too long, however, and the problem soon manifests itself. Eivor will wind up straying into areas he’s not meant to be in yet. Enemies are much stronger and much tougher, and if their power level is much higher, dealing damage becomes next to impossible even as death comes in one to two hits. In these areas, combat mechanics completely fall apart.
In short, side quests aren't really just side quests in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. They’re mandatory objectives. Gamers basically have to do them if they want to be up to speed for the next areas. To be fair, the game does try to strike the right balance, and if Eivor is properly levelled, satisfaction is guaranteed. The big damage numbers that come from hitting enemies and the slow but gradual character progression from mission successes feel great once they’re attained. En route, however, the hours can drone on and the numerous side quests can grate.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a wonderful piece of software. Its historical slant, combined with its amazing visuals, fluid combat, and decent character customization will hold the interest of even those new to the genre. On the flipside, it runs the risk of overstaying its welcome with its insistence on grinding. While its main missions are fun and its decent array of side quests are entertaining for the first 30-odd hours, its insistence on rinsing and repeating for the sake of length may well turn off the more impatient gamers. Its pads out its latter half with the same array of side missions to be done over and over again.
Make no mistake. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla remains a hearty recommend in the final analysis. If there's one thing the franchise would do well to consider moving forward, however, it’s the abandonment of the notion that 70 or 80 hours of gameplay are required before the end can be in sight. Any new title in the series just needs to feel meaningful by standing out while staying true to its roots.
THE GOOD
- Amazingly detailed visuals that really bring the period to life
- Fun if easy combat and stealth system
- Varied character progression through three distinct paths
THE BAD
- Side quests can be repetitive compared to their more unique main missions
- Grinding become a requirement given the unlocks and upgrades needed to progress
- Occasionally stiff animations
RATING: 8.5/10
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