Ubisoft’s shift from single year Assassin’s Creed games to a title every two years has paid off in spades. Over the past couple of games, we’ve gotten deeper entries that aren’t afraid to play around with history and open-world exploration, while still offering that, ahem, “killer” element that players have grown to love since the series’ inception. And now, with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the series reaches new heights, despite a few technical bugs that keep things from being perfect.
While the Creed series still has ties to the modern day, the general focus is on a ninth century Viking by the name of Eivor. It’s up to you whether to make them male or female, but you’ll learn all about their origins and ambitions as they strike out upon a new land, in the hopes of building upon a legacy – and maybe lopping off a few heads along the way.
A Story To Tell
One huge advantage that Valhalla has over previous Creed games is its numerous story arcs. You’ll learn quite a bit about Eivor, as well as the modern-world characters and how they have to save the world. But the cool thing here is how you’re able to control the narrative, based on the decisions you make over the course of the game. Although a couple of story arcs don’t work as well as others, it’s still neat to see what characters you meet along the way, along with a few surprises that can actually change how things work in Eivor’s world. It’s truly in-depth, and a nice new peak for the series.
This also ties in with Eivor’s fate as well, determining whether she’ll be remembered as an honorable hero or, well, going the other way. It’s fascinating watching all these choices unfold and how some relationships with characters can be changed. The only downside is that it can take a little bit to get started, as you warm up to the events that eventually lead into Eivor’s journey. But once it actually kicks into high gear, you’ll really enjoy which directions the game can go in.
With the help of an open-world map and a bevy of alliances to make (and work toward – they don’t automatically become available, as you have to attain the right level of power), there’s a lot to do in Valhalla. And that’s not even counting the side missions. Tie it all together and you could easily rack up about 70 hours’ worth of play, which is mighty impressive.
A Growing Combat System
Along with strong exploration methods, Eivor can also kick ass and take names, thanks to the game’s ferocious combat. Here, you’ll be able to level up in a number of ways, whether you
wish to work on your long-range skills with the Way of the Wolf, or embrace the Way of the Bear and make your melee techniques something to be reckoned with. There’s a number of ways you can give your character growth, and some intertwine with one another, really opening up possibilities. It’s fantastic just how much you can do with your skill points.
That said, you’ll also want to keep an eye on your defenses, as some of these enemies aren’t pushovers. Thankfully, the battle system also includes some great counters and defensive techniques, so you can keep balance while, at the same time, mastering your strikes enough to eventually whittle away at them – and send them to their demise.
As much as I’m not a fan of it, it’s also nice to see stealth kind of make a comeback in certain parts, as you can make your way around enemies instead of having to take them head on. Sometimes it’s the smart route, as you don’t have a group of bloodthirsty foes chasing after you while you figure out your next move. Eivor isn’t the smoothest character when it comes to getting around objects, but learning more about how she can use smarts instead of strength in some scenarios is pretty cool.
Looks Great On The Xbox Series X
While Valhalla originally released with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in mind, Ubisoft also added enough technical tweaks to get it to run smoothly on next-gen machines like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. No matter which way you go, however, you’ll find a spectacular looking adventure, for the most part.
We played it on Xbox Series X and found this experience to be the most rewarding, running at a mostly smooth frame rate with a vivid amount of detail, even during the story sequences.
What’s more, the animations are incredibly smooth, and the open world is well worth exploring, with miles of terrain to cover. That said, there are a few bugs that pop up, like with weird character appearances and textures. That seems to be tradition for this series, but you can expect them to be ironed out soon enough.
The audio is great too, with solid voicework all around, Viking “rap battles,” so to speak, and even a song or two. The sound effects are right on the money, and the small orchestral bits really set the tone for Eivor’s adventure.
Go On, Cheer On Your Viking
Ubisoft continues to run strong with the Assassin’s Creed brand, focusing more on vast open- world adventures instead of simply rushing games out the door as it used to do. Valhalla is utterly rewarding in every degree, from its (mostly) sharp visuals to its superb storytelling to its robust combat and exploration. No matter what you’re in the mood to do, Valhalla provides a ton of content to work with. This axe is a damn good one to wield.
Available for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
