Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Review
Two Steps Forward, No Steps Back
Developed by Ubisoft
Released on Xbox, PlayStation 4 & 5, PC, and Stadia
Materials & Methods
Reviewed on: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and via Xbox Console Streaming on iPhone and iPad
Introduction
13 years ago, the world was introduced to a new and interesting concept by way of Ubisoft and Ubisoft Montreal. Players took control of Desmond Miles, a bartender kidnapped by the mega-corporation Abstergo to simply use an odd machine called the Animus. Desmond (and the player) was sent into the past to relive his ancient ancestor’s memories with this machine. What seemed to be something only dreams could conjure up was a real possibility in this world. Thus, the long-running historical-based series Assassins Creed was born. Throughout the years, the players have explored Ancient Greece, assisted revolutions in the 1700s France and the United States, and sailed the high seas during the height of Caribbean piracy. Ever since stepping in the shoes of Desmond and Altair back in 2007, the Assassin’s Creed franchise quickly became something I looked forward to playing almost every year. Its focus on stealth and attempts to be historically accurate with the occasional supernatural elements stood out from the gritty gun games of the 360/PS3 era. However, the fanbase felt whiplash after many years of growth and expansion of the critical focus on stealth when suddenly the series introduced many RPG elements that felt foreign. From Origins to Odyssey, those elements became more pronounced, especially as stealth combat became less important and stepped aside for more head-to-head action combat. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the latest entry in the series, promised a return to form with stealth while also enhancing the RPG elements to create what can only be described as a grand mix that shows those fans who were lost that Ubisoft is listening to their concerns.
Leyla Hassan, Templar Scientist turned Assassin Agent, is back as the modern-day protagonist. During her quest to stop the next great catastrophe predicted by the ancient beings known as the Isu, she discovers a Viking's bones. With the use of the Animus, Leyla steps into the shoes of Eivor during her conquest to unite England under the Raven Clan while also finding out how they could be the key to everything that the Assassins have been searching for since the loss of Desmond. Throughout the 60-hour campaign, Eivor and their clan help fellow Viking clans, Kings, and lords fight their enemies and gain allies in these foreign lands whose purpose is to expel any pagan intruders. Where there are people on the side of good and freedom, there are those who want to control the people the lands many riches for their own nefarious purposes to lead in the way they deem fit. The Order of the Ancients, the precursor to the Templars seen in other games, have found their way into England’s every facet of life from their markets to their churches to shape the land how they want. It is up to Eivor to unite the lands and stop whatever plans the Order has before it’s too late.
Results & Findings
Unlike the past entries where the story had a linear direction with side quests available around every turn, Valhalla lets you choose which of the 22 areas you pledge allegiance to. Not every area is available at the start. At any given time, you’ll have three to four options to choose from with the only guidance being that area’s power level. Pledging allegiance to and aiding the people of the chosen area works the same way as a “choose your own adventure” book. Once you select a land, you send Eivor on a three-ish hour quest to help your contacts. Not all feel like home runs or add to the overarching narrative of the story. Some tend to be assisting investigations about who committed a murder, finding out who is attempting to commit murder, or stop (and occasionally help start) coups. The ones that shine are clearly when the Order is involved. These parts clearly have the most TLC involved with story building, meaningful choices, and establish a colorful cast of characters that really help bring more character to the game. But that isn’t to say the ones that feel like side areas aren’t fun. Out of the 22 areas, only 2 felt exhausting to complete.
(minor spoilers ahead) For instance, one of my favorite segments of the game involved helping a long-time friend of Eivor’s who also made a home in England, Halfdan. A grand Vikingr who was known by every clan to be a seasoned fighter and a just leader. As you get close to his village, you run across his son who informs you that his father has started to show his age and has started to go mad. Being more aggressive, not seeming to be in the right state of mind, lacking judgment, and being overly suspicious of everyone around him. The calls for a new leader slowly swell up among the people. Eivor is asked by their friend to investigate who may be poisoning him. As you investigate, you join Halfdan’s right-hand man and best raider Faravid to continue doing work on behalf of Halfdan in the lands. As is custom after a pillaging, Faravid gives Halfdan a part of the spoils, including an ornate cup. Near the end of the arc, Halfdan drops the cup after a coughing fit. Eivor discovers that the cups being given to Halfdan are made of lead… a metal known to poison humans mentally and physically. You are given a choice to stand with Faravid, this grand Viking, or your friend Halfdan. This choice does make an impact, but this groundedness and knowledge of the history between these people make this choice feel meaningful. These are the stories in Valhalla that truly make the game shine brightest.
Eivor has come across a very peculiar shape made of dead bodies.
The English country you are given to explore is vast and grand, ranging from rolling hills to the beautiful snowy north. While given the opportunity to go on foot or saddle, the best option I found was by boat. Unlike past games where boats were either uncontrollable or large sailing or rowing vessels manned to the tooth with Cannons (or flaming arrows and spears in the case of Odyssey), this longboat is simply suited to traverse the flowing rivers of England. There are no weapons aboard your longboat. It’s that sense of security that creates the moments you travel by boat to be peaceful. It is simply put relaxing and cathartic to hop on your boat, pick a point to go to, and have your crew row/ sail you there as you see trees and forest pass you by. Additionally, you can direct your crew to tell war stories or even sing Norse songs. It was nice to see this feature return, but these songs felt too produced. They now include instruments and vocals that clearly sound pre-recorded instead of like a spontaneous sing-along like in Black Flag as you sailed the high seas. There is always the option to pause whatever your crew is chatting or singing about so that you can listen to the sounds of flowing waters and the ambient music swell on its own during your journey. The latter was my go-to choice, especially as I scoured the coastline for raiding spots.
Eivor sounding the raiding horn to tell her her fellow Vikingr to raid the village.
The rivers and hillside are beautiful to observe, but exploration is highly encouraged. Exploring every cave and village for all their secrets is where the bulk of your upgrades and upgrade materials come from. While it’s unnecessary to find everything, spending an extra hour in each area to find new pieces of gear, ability books, and materials will immensely help your overall experience of the game. Unlike the numerous icons seen in past games that denote every possible thing you can do or pick up in the game, side quests to every treasure chest and collectible, the icons have been reduced to a simplified three-category system: Wealth, Mysteries, and Artifacts. Wealth can include anything from new gear to resources to even ability books used that give you your active abilities that use stamina. Mysteries can best be described as all the side opportunities you can do. These are your side quests, challenge areas, and mini-games. Artifacts are your collectibles ranging from puzzles to cursed artifacts you need to destroy to additional puzzles that require you to use your environment to solve. This simple system really helps drive exploration much better than any past game. Not knowing where you’re headed and not finding out until you’ve gotten close to your destination had me try to be more adventurous as I played through the story. I would’ve left everything until after the credits rolled in past games. Not this time. Finding the most basic items felt rewarding, and not like I’m just ticking a checkbox.
I want to touch a little more on the mysteries and their side quests. There are still the longer form side missions that get added to your quest log in Valhalla. These side-quests tend to be on the creative and outlandish side. The best way to describe them are events that are actively happening in the world around you and only take five to ten minutes of your time to complete. Plus, they each require you to pay attention to what the person or clue you come across tells you, so you know how to resolve whatever issue is happening. For example, I came across a lone girl outside a house in the middle of nowhere, crying. She told me she is waiting for her father to return; her father promised he’d be back when the last leaf fell from the nearby tree. This tree has clearly given up hope, even if the daughter hasn’t. Only one dead leaf is left on this tree. How would you solve this? Would you go searching for this girl’s father in the nearby town? Tell the daughter to go someplace else? Neither, you have to shoot the leaf down and make it fall to show the daughter that waiting around will change nothing. It’s a heartbreaking tale, but it also sends a clear message, one that Evior teaches this little girl to help her move on with her life to hopefully give her a brighter future. Each mystery side quest has its own spice. Numerous ones actually made me laugh uncontrollably because of how crazy they got, especially when it came to solving whatever environmental puzzle had to be completed to advance the mini-story.
The map showing different icons colored in three different colors.
Similarly to the past two games, combat is more RPG-focused. This time though, enemies tend to stay a threat, and you have a whole repertoire of abilities at your disposal to fight in brutal combat. The biggest change though comes with stamina. In Origins and Odyssey, you had a plethora of stamina bars that let you simply use abilities over and over and over again until you’re victorious. In Valhalla, you are much more limited and stamina regenerates slower over time. Additionally, healing isn’t tied to stamina and its use. Healing uses a usable item again that you must scavenge. I liked the danger of having a limited resource again, especially when combat got heated. There were times where I had to run from battle and pick the plants around me to make sure I could survive. I didn’t just keep wailing on people until they died either. Using abilities and charged attacks is highly encouraged to get through shields faster or break someone’s stamina bar. Fights can range from a single one on one brawl to a siege where bodies will litter the battlefield when you’re done. Vikings were known for their ferocity, and this is translated well here. When you kill, you make sure they don’t get back up. Finishers happen regularly, and they. Are. Visceral. You don’t simply swipe at someone in slow-motion or stab them through the throat. You mutilate enemies as they breathe their dying breath. Combat does tend to get stale once you find the right gear and weapons you enjoy, but it's still quick. Enemies are no longer health sponges of yore. They take the hits and are quick to finish before moving on to the next. As mentioned above, enemies have stamina bars, and this system works similarly to Sekiro’s posture gauge. Once it’s filled up, the enemy is vulnerable to an even bigger finishing blow that takes out most people you go up against. This creates a good mix of realizing what may be best to attack. A bigger guy may be easier to take out by filling out their stamina gauge while the smaller foot soldiers fall like flies as you burn through their health bar.
Eivor
One of the biggest complaints of the past two games' biggest complaints was that stealth mechanics and assassinations felt meaningless. Stabbing someone in the neck did very little damage if you didn’t have your gear with high Assassin stats equipped, and enemies could spot you from a mile away. I am delighted to say that stealth combat is really, really fun again. Social stealth, which disappeared for a while, is back in a whole form that embraces the new games systems of exploration. Eivor can raise their hood to become inconspicuous when walking around a distrustful village or city. Social stealth is back and goes along with this new way to stealth. Eivor can weave through crowds, walk among priests, and sit on benches/play games with strangers to stop any suspicious guards from doing any more investigating. Finally, assassinations feel just as good as they used to before the series got a facelift. Assassinations are insta-kills again… for the most part. The damage you deal is still tied to a stat, but it doesn’t mean too much as long as you’re in an area that matches your power level. If you can’t insta-kill someone with a stab of your hidden blade (which is great to say again), there is an unlockable talent that lets you play a quick time event to finish the job and move on to the next target. I’m so glad that they made stealth feel like the older games in the new engine, and I hope to see Ubisoft continue to lean into one of the biggest tentpole parts that makes Assassin’s Creed great.
As you may have heard by now, there are many bugs, but none of them are truly game-breaking, at least in my experience. I never ran into too many, save for having the occasional issue of a tree teleporting me inside it and a crash here and there, but never to the extent I’ve heard others have experienced. My biggest gripes come with some of the other new and returning features in the game. Eivor is accompanied by a raven named Synin. I actually had to look up Synin’s name because the bird plays a much smaller part in the gameplay loop unlike the last two entries. Previously, I used the bird companion to scout out a base I was about to take over. Synin COULD do that, but I scanned everyone around me much more quickly by using this game's version of Eagle Sense that pings all loot and enemies around me very quickly. Even when finding treasures, I just pinged everything around me to find where the treasure I was looking for.
Speaking of gear, gone is the lootathon nature that was in Odyssey and partially in Origins. A piece of gear you find early on in the game can be used all the way until the credits roll through the use of the in-game upgrade system that costs resources you come across naturally. While this is a nice change, I miss the days of getting actual gear upgrades and doing away with old looks. Plus, with the way stats work in Valhalla, gear is near meaningless. All that mattered to me at the end of the day was the look and armor stat. No matter the set bonus, I kept what looked coolest equipped and upgraded it. I don’t think I ever changed my gear out unless the game forced me to for certain moments that I don’t want to spoil or to try out a different weapon type. But these are both minor gripes that didn’t faze my overall experience and felt more like afterthoughts than anything.
Discussion
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an amazing culmination of 13 years of work. While the world may feel overwhelming, it’s the towns and the lived-in feel of the English countryside that make this feel like a living world. This is in large part due to the new systems implemented to encourage exploration, from the mysteries to the treasures that can only be obtained by invading villages. That’s not the only reason why Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a must-play. The combat feels dangerous and exciting, no matter your level. Stealth and assassinations feel like key mechanics again. Finally, the story may be one of the best ones told to date since AC 2. Eivor feels so fleshed out and not because you spend 60 hours with her. Kassandra and Bayek felt real, but not to the level that Eivor felt like they actually helped shape England's history. Each arc of the story felt like it was its own, whether it be to help build to the overall story or to give you an interesting side adventure for a couple of hours to help you level. Twists that happened felt earned and actually affected Assassin’s Creed's modern-day story that I hope to see the impact of all future installments moving forward and an interesting baton pass with a character whom I hope gets fleshed out flaws and all beyond what we saw in-game. In the end, this wasn’t just Eivor’s story; this was the story of England and how the Vikings created shaped its history. This is the Raven Clan’s allies' story and how they took roots where they are to what their future holds for them. While I don’t recommend this to everyone because of the history and the amount of time needed to get those big payoffs, I promise you, if you stick with it, you will find what may be one of your favorite games of this new generation welcoming you home, like a great warrior walking into the halls of Valhalla.
