«Assassin's Creed Valhalla» could have been a masterpiece. Instead, Ubisoft relied on the proven principle: mass instead of class. Still, Luca and I sure had some fun during our Let's Play.
Even though I'm not a fan of the series, I've played a staggering number of Assassin's Creed instalments. Few studios can create historical worlds as lifelike as Ubisoft. All the more reason to get frustrated when devs make the same mistakes over and over again. Because even though I'd describe «Assassin's Creed Valhalla» as the best series entry by and large, it often feels like the Extended Edition of «The Lord of the Rings»
A brave new world
After about 30 hours of game time, the main character Eivor has really grown dear to me. Her rough English speaking voice really succeeds in showing off her Norse temperament. You can choose whether you're male, female or alternate between both.
But you're not just spreading fear and terror. You must simultaneously seek alliances to secure your power and long-term survival. The main story revolves around the different empires in the southeast of England and how you can ally with local rulers – Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Most of it is excitingly told and the characters you meet on your adventures have credible motivations.
As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
What a shame, then Assassin's Creed Valhalla does a lot of things right. Starting with an incredibly large, detailed and beautiful medieval England. Wherever you go you'll find picturesque villages and abandoned castle ruins to explore. In addition, «Valhalla» eliminates many of its predecessors' mistakes. Gone is the annoying level grind necessary to continue the main story. And once again, the game offers a variety of playstyles, be you a sneaky assassin or brutal barbarian.
You can choose whether Eivor is a woman or a man.
«Assassin's Creed Valhalla» is set in 873. Things are getting tight in Norway, which is why you set out to find a new home for you and your clan on the green shores of England. And right off the bat, «Valhalla» shows off one of its new features: settlement building. On predefined plots you can build a smithy, fishing hut or trading post. This way, you unlock new resources, quests and sometimes abilities. You collect materials for settlement construction during raids. As is fitting for Vikings, you don't have to sneak (you can, of course), but storming through the main entrance while sounding a war horn usually does the job. Inhabitants flee at the sight of you, brutally slaughtering soldiers with your axe before looting houses and then burning them down. Later on you can storm whole castles. That's when you feel most like a ruthless Norse raider.
Not every symbol is hiding something exciting.
However, as is the norm now with «Assassin's Creed», you spend your time mostly doing side jobs. And «Valhalla» is virtually overflowing with them. You can search for treasures, discover secrets, free the oppressed, hunt legendary animals or help the population with their everyday problems. There are so many icons on the map that even the guide can't always help you. Unsurprisingly, there are several elements in the game that aren't explained. What exactly does charisma do? And what happens when I have a full progress bar for treasures, artefacts and secrets? Will I get an Achievement or become a True Jedi?
In the end, it's the tidal wave of content that spoils the fun and prevents «Valhalla» from being more than just another «Assassin’s Creed». Of the countless side quests, most are completed in a few minutes and often forgotten just as quickly. Just shoot the wooden mask from the tree and evil is vanquished. Mission accomplished. Other tasks are so stupid that I can only shake my head in bewilderment. Two brothers are fighting over a silo. What to do? Torch the silo and both farms. Now they have no home anymore, but no reason to fight. Truly fun for the whole family.
Naturally, the insipid Animus shows up once again.
You also have to hammer at the left analogue stick non-stop to activate the radar view to display surrounding treasures. Whoever came up with that should be stoned. And not the fun way. This has nothing to do with exploring anymore. Sure, I could deactivate all these game aids. But why should I make the game unnecessarily difficult for myself just because the developers didn't have any more original ideas to keep me busy? Add to this the fact that you often spend eternities looking for the entrance to the right cave, a locked house or a hidden room. And then you realize that there was no secret entrance or key at all, you just had to finish your looting first.
Ubisoft urgently needs a better quality filter for its open world games. If 20 per cent filler content were removed from «Assassin's Creed Valhalla», exploring the world would feel more rewarding and meaningful. But as Ubisoft is virtually unmatched in creating fantastic historical playgrounds and combat systems that are wonderfully powerful and brutal, I'm still drawn back to rugged ol' England every night. That and my obsessive-compulsive need to explore every spot on the map.
