We start our journey as a kid named Eivor, who has heard so much about the Viking conquests and their valiant expeditions that he wants to become such a warrior himself. Preferably as soon as possible. But since the Assassin's Creed brand are not family stories, but rather painful and vengeful stories, our hero's village is attacked and plundered, and his parents are brutally killed in battle. And here our contact with Eivor breaks off for a moment. When we return to him, he is already an adult warrior who dreams only of unraveling the guts of all representatives of the Kjotveg clan. And this is how our journey begins, redeemed with blood and sweat. Until then, it's a title with a repetitive storyline that stands out only visually. Revenge. We've had it served so many times that you can have enough. Fortunately, the Ubisoft specialists were aware of this and will limit the story only as an introduction. The main axis of the plot, however, is the desire to conquer England and push King Aelfred from the throne of Wessex. Like an abstraction, but how nice it is written and conducted. Game of Thrones series comes to mind with all the conspiracies and schemes between the rulers. Here we have several chapters with different characters that we can use to plot a political plot that brings us closer to the overthrow of the king. Sometimes you will have to negotiate with someone with a word, other times with your fist. I have the impression that this series has been missing for a long time.
I won't beat around the bush, Ubisoft squeezed more than anyone expected. He created a huge story with the Vikings and additionally expanded it with side adventures, the performance of which does not give us the feeling of wasting time. And it's not that common. You can see that the creators have thought over each step.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is a full-fledged RPG. We are given the opportunity to choose several dialogue paths and the development of a given situation. Each conversation path has consequences and is important for the further development of the character. So is how we'll be modifying it as we develop the skill tree. This time we actually have a choice of how the story will unfold, it is not illusory, as it used to be in the previous parts. Everything matters here. The fact that we spare someone may take revenge on us in the near future. Even who we are romancing with matters. Each mission can be completed in several ways, and the spice of the whole is added by the fact that we do not know which path will have greater or lesser consequences for our fate. As in life, everything is one big unknown.
You will notice one thing very quickly. It's not the Assassin's Creed you know. The Ubisoft team is going in a completely different direction with the entire series. Sneaking is not that important here anymore. History counts. And to be honest, if it hadn't been for the Order of the Ancients, I would probably have quickly forgotten that the game is part of a larger series. And this is not a huge downside, just a loose observation.
Unfortunately, I am disappointed with the kicked-out combat system. You don't feel any difference in the strokes at all. Whether we hit with a small hatchet or a large ax, it comes to our hero with the same difficulty. You do not feel the impact force on the pad. It's a pity, because with a game in which we change weapons many times, it would be possible to think about it. Especially since there are moments when we are in the heat of battle and these blows deal more damage. Unfortunately, we do not feel it. Nothing at all. Not to mention that many of our opponents are as dumb as a shoe. We often have missions in which we attack a village, it happens that the opponents run by without paying attention to us. Often times, I also had the impression that the soldiers were just some cannon fodder that we were supposed to eat without much trouble. Honestly - it kills all the fun.
In my opinion, in about three or four months, Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be a great title. Maybe even then I will come back to him. Because you can see that it has potential. It is a pity that, as usual, on the day of release, players received an unfinished game full of errors. And of course you can play it and enjoy it in some places, but that's not the point. So I advise you to wait until the Ubisoft team patches all the holes and then get on with this title, because it is undoubtedly noteworthy both visually and in terms of the entire engaging story. If you like games with a beautiful open world where you can spend not hours but days, this title is for you.
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