Assassin’s Creed in 2021: Is Valhalla The Way to Go?

Is Valhalla (old Norse Valhǫll) the way to go? Steeped in Norse mythology, and unleashing the Viking Warrior in you, Assassin's Creed is one of the biggest action role-playing game franchises around, bar none. No, seriously. If we take a look at Ubisoft's recent AC output - Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla - it becomes clear that the franchise has pivoted towards RPG in almost every way.

This, we feel, was a good choice. To be sure, we did like the old style of action-adventure Assassin's Creed games, but the modern trilogy lends itself better to the kind of production Ubisoft loves the most. And, really, sometimes you just want to play a big old RPG for dozens of hours on end.

Our topic for today is precisely just that: a broad look at how Valhalla tackles the issue, and whether you, our dear reader, might enjoy it as well.

At launch, you see, Valhalla was criticized for its being even more substantial than its predecessor, Odyssey. And it's true: Assassin's Creed Valhalla is massive. Is it the good kind of massive, though? Let's find out!

Is Valhalla the best Assassin's Creed Game?

By this point in time, Assassin's Creed has grown to become one of - if not the - biggest game franchises on the market. It's almost funny to think of the time back when it was a scrappy, experimental new "stealth" game set in the medieval ages.

As of right now, AC has had eleven (or fourteen, depending on whether you include offshoots such as Liberation and Chronicles) mainline entries, each tackling a different historic period and niche. Even if we disregard that - which we shouldn't, because someone might prefer the Renaissance, while someone else might opt for Ancient Egypt - it's hard to decide on a single best Assassin's Creed of all time.

So, we won't be doing that! Instead, we'd like to discuss Assassin's Creed Valhalla candidly: the things it does well, and the things it doesn't. Because while it might not be a game for everyone, it is a great choice for most core gamers, and we'd like to explain what that means, exactly.

Indeed, steeped in Norse mythology, there's an argument to be made that Valhalla is the Assassin's Creed you should be playing in 2021.

Ubisoft has set up the open-world sandbox formula, for better or for worse

It's a bit of a meme in the gaming communities that Ubisoft games are cookie-cutter sandboxes. Functionally the same, but with a different veneer on top of their respective sandbox cores.

To be sure, it's true that Ubisoft does mainly launch huge, sprawling open-world titles that often use similar underlying principles in regard to gameplay, but that's really where the similarities stop.

We had previously discussed both The Division 2 and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint here at 2Game, and the two titles couldn't be further removed from modern Assassin's Creed, and especially Valhalla.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla, for one, leans heavily into Norse mythology and Viking lore. Probably significantly more so than most would imagine. The whole Assassins vs Templars plot is mostly sidelined, with the ongoing Isu story being more important, too.

The end result is that you're effectively thrown into several massive open worlds with a decidedly historical slant that is genuinely engaging, if you let it be.

Expectations vs. Reality in Assassin's Creed Valhalla

As we said at the start of this article, Assassin's Creed Valhalla won't be for everyone. Mainly, if you're sick and tired of humongous open-world games, or if, for some reason, you're not a fan of Norse mythology, you'd do well to steer clear of it. To be sure, there are purpose-built dungeons, somewhat linear mini-campaigns, and carefully handcrafted quests in Valhalla, but the majority of the game is set smack-dab in the middle of a truly massive overworld inspired by Norse mythology.

By the way, did you know that the word Valhalla, that's to say the Old Norse name for Valhalla, is Valhöll - a compound noun composed of the words Valr, meaning “the fallen,” and Höll, meaning “hall”? And that put together the word Valhalla means  “hall of the fallen”? Oh, and that the only Old Norse source that provides a direct statement about how people gained entrance to Valhalla is the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, a thirteenth-century Icelandic scholar? You do now!

Anyway, back to the gameplay. If you're not overly keen on freeform RPGs, Valhalla simply won't be a good fit. To be fair to the game, however, virtually all Assassin's Creed titles at least flirted with the idea of a sprawling open map. In Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, this comes to its logical end-point.

One thing we'll say, though, is that Ubisoft held true to their claim that Assassin's Creed Valhalla would be more condensed than Odyssey. It is, though owing mainly to the geography of the region the game is set in. Sea combat and traversal are far less prominent here, for one, and traveling from one end of the map to the other in search of a new home isn't nearly as oppressive and annoying as it might've felt before.

Having said that, Assassin's Creed Valhalla is still downright massive. It's going to take about 130 hours to 100% it if you're really vigilant, according to sources. To that end, it simply won't appeal to gamers that don't already have a preference for open-world games.

Available Content in Valhalla - Is There Too Much?

Even if you don't take post-launch DLC into account (and you should, because it's awesome), Assassin's Creed Valhalla is absolutely loaded with content. Ubisoft made a big deal out of getting rid of side-quests, but truthfully, they just integrated them into the world better.

Valhalla features the same sort of organic difficulty curve as we found in some of Ubisoft's previous games. Namely, said side-quests don't usually give you all the information right off the bat. Eivor - the protagonist - might have to look for clues and follow tracks to complete the so-called Mysteries.

And the feature comes into play elsewhere, too. Namely, Valhalla offers the following content by default:

• Main Campaign
• Mysteries (i.e. side-quests: flyting, lost Drengr, offerings, world events, etc.)
• Asgard Campaign
• River Raids
• Standing Stone puzzles
• Legendary Hunts
• Fishing
• Daughters of Lerion Arc
• Zealot Arc
• Order of the Ancients Arc
• Opal Loop

That's a lot of stuff to do, as you can see. What's more important, though, is that the content can often be pretty involved, too. In some cases, you might need to explore massive underground tombs and solve puzzles, while in others, you might have to scour the lands for assassination targets.

We cannot stress enough just what a crucial game-changer this is. To be sure, the option does make an already massive game that much bigger, but it also turns a run-of-the-mill ARPG into something more interesting and engaging than most might expect.

Effectively, it tackles the main complaint many gamers have about Ubisoft games: that they're too simple and straightforward. In truth, there's way more to Valhalla than it first might look.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is also getting more content in 2022!

We mentioned already that Valhalla received several expansion packs since its release. There was a bunch of free content added to the mix, but on top of that, the game also got two major DLCs:

• Wrath of the Druid
• The Siege of Paris

These take place after the main campaign and add extra dozen-or-so hours of Norse mythology gameplay each. This is without you going out of your way to hunt after the expansions' respective relic weaponry and armor, too. By the time it's all said and done, you'll have had an easy 100 hours of gameplay in Valhalla.

And there's more! 2022 will see the release of AC: Valhalla's probably final expansion pack - Dawn of Ragnarok. Ubisoft has promised all-new gear, abilities, and narrative progression, making Valhalla an even more impressive value proposition in the long run.

Assassin's Creed in 2021: What Else to Play?

Having said all of the above, it's still worth remembering that even old Assassin's Creed games are still very relevant. The way Ubisoft has produced these titles is that they're almost infinitely relevant. Even the very first games - the Desmond trilogy - still hold up in 2021, owing mainly to the overarching narrative that's still progressing, even 14 years following the first game's inception.

So, if you're looking to do some catching up - by all means!

On the other hand, though, if you're just hoping to get some playtime in a cutting-edge ARPG with a Norse mythology/Viking theme, Valhalla will be the way to go. It's fast, brutal, and remarkably entertaining. We wouldn't go so far as to say that it's better than Odyssey in regard to characterization and progression, and its transmog is certainly worse, but Eivor and his posse make for a surprisingly intriguing social dynamic.

Make no mistake - Assassin's Creed Valhalla is the logical evolution of Ubisoft's most comprehensive franchise of all time. It runs great, looks awesome, and plays phenomenally well, which is the bottom line. It's not a game for everyone, but it's way better than you might think, if your only experience with the game is to read up on it online. Give it a shot and see if you, too, enjoy it as much as we do!