By Sam Coles:
Assassin’s Creed is often met with a resounding sigh these days, and not to say that Ubisoft don’t deserve it from time to time with certain business practices. However, I love the series as I am a history buff and I get to explore various time periods within the interactive medium. So, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is a game that has people in two camps, you either love the game or you want to burn it to the ground because the game broke into your house and assaulted you. Sorry lost my trail of thought there. I fall into the former category, and I want to take the time to explain the game’s beauty within its world.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla takes place in 9th century Norway (briefly) and England, set during the reign of King Alfred the Great during the migration of Vikings within England. Immediately the setting had my attention, as there are not many games set in this period, sure we have had countless films and television shows set in this period Vikings and The Last Kingdom come to mind. So, it only made sense that the Assassin’s Creed series would eventually visit this period, although the main character isn’t even an assassin and never becomes one.
You take control of Eivor, with the choice of male or female selection. Eivor wants to journey out of Norway and head west, as he sees new opportunities in England and yes this does sound like Ragnar Lothbrok 2.0 and yeah it does hit similar beats. Anyway, Eivor and his brother Sigurd form the Raven Clan, as they are unhappy that Norway is falling under rule to a single king, so they establish a new clan before they set sail to England to create a settlement called Ravensthorpe.
Ravensthorpe serves as your central hub in the game, you slowly build up a community of traders and settlers as you increase your influence within the four kingdoms of England. You have six levels to reach within your settlement, you can increase it by going on raids to gain raw materials and wealth. You can then use said materials to build new buildings to help your adventures, such as tattoo parlours, stables, a blacksmith and many more to name a few. You get a real sense of community when new settlers come to stay in Ravensthorpe, they will sometimes ask for help or just say a casual hello. It really immerses you within the world, as you feel like you are walking through a living and breathing village as you see strangers pass through and stay to tell a tale as well as your hamlet growing over time.
The combat has never been to complex in Assassin’s Creed, but it was always flashy with its animations and Valhalla is no different. You being a Viking in this game, you would expect lots of gore and dismembering limbs and you would be correct with that assertion. You see people’s heads, legs, arms and hands fly off, explode or get chard to a bloody and bone crunching crisp. The combat is so immersive, where I would get into character yell a battle cry in my room, to then get a noise complaint from neighbours as I down a horn of mead. The sieges on fortresses are incredible, mixed with the crunchy sound design and magnificent soundtrack as you charge into battle axe in one hand and a flaming torch in the other.
Now to get to the main event that I love so much about this game, exploring its world and just taking in the scenery. If you know me online or in person, you will know that I love taking things slow these days and just love to stop and smell the roses. That is no different with me with video games these days, as I love to slowly explore beautiful open world games, taking in the wildlife as well as watching the sun rise and set as I spend more time in photo mode instead of playing the game. Coupled with the excellent musical score, it really makes you stop, and watch nature unfold in this game, as the birds sing, and the warm glow of the sun hits your face as you are perched on a sync point. It is the more subtle moments that really captivate me in these games. When I play most open world games these days, I just load it up and explore with no goal in mind, it helps me relax and unwind as I forget my worries in the real world.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a game that I will always go back to, yes it has its issues, such as the framerate on PS4 stutters like me when a stranger talks to me, and audio issues where the dialogue cuts off and then overlaps mid-conversation and just usual Ubisoft jank. However, those issues are so infrequent I can forgive it, as I love exploring this world and charging into the battle like a mad man as I am on fire. If you are looking for a good open world game to get you by in-between releases, then I recommend this game as it is super cheap and fun!
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