So hands up if you’ve been watching the brutal adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok in the TV series Vikings and been having dreams of decapitating the leaders of England who lied and cheated their way into power and are now crippling the country with their incompetence… oh just me?
Oh well, for the rest of you blissfully unaware of that current disaster maybe you’ve been watching the TV series Vikings and been thinking the only way to make that series any better was to turn it into a video game and to make Ragnar an assassin. Well then you’re in luck.
As you most likely know, Ubisoft’s latest Assassin’s Creed game is being set in England during the time of Viking invasion. You get to play as Eivor and you start off in a small settlement, that you are able to upgrade and enhance, your first stop is going to be chatting to Randvi who will explain how you need to make alliances with the local areas in order to grow your influence.
In my extended hands on the story is based in the county of Ledecestrescire where you are tasked with joining up with Ubba and Ivarr Ragnarsson in their battle against the current king of Mercia and installing someone more amenable to their needs.
But I’m losing the objective here… the story and whether it’s good or not is really not important right now as that’s what we will update you about in the review. But what I can say from my time with the game is that the story appears to be compelling and makes enough sense to be logical so that all seems great.
What about the gameplay mechanics that really make this game stand out?
YOU CAN PET PUPPIES
I mean just look how happy that dog is, he’s such a good boy and while I don’t know if you get to create an army of puppies to help overthrow the errant kings I hope that is the case. Oh you can also pet cats and gets them to join you on your longboat raids.
On a more serious note the game looks and feels absolutely amazing. The fighting mechanic has been fine tuned and I definitely found the battles more entertaining now that you can plan parry’s and counter’s much better, which is extremely handy as one of the largest gameplay mechanics in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is raiding.
In Ledecestrescire alone I stumbled across 5 or more raids ranging in difficulty from “Is that it” to “okay this is totally overpowered”. Raids are large battles which are worth engaging in for the entertainment value alone, wiping out an entire monastery of kick ass monks and soldiers to then relax by fishing off their burning pier is a gaming moment that will last in my memory forever. But for those who are more interested in progressing the story the loot and goods found in the raids will definitely be required to upgrade your character to take on the bigger and harder raids.
I attempted a hidden secret raid towards the end of my playthrough where my character was around level 30 and got absolutely destroyed multiple times before the Ubisoft rep kindly mentioned that they recommend you be at least level 120 before taking this raid on. So there is room to progress.
So I left the impossible raid behind and started wandering the world like the lost Viking assassin I am. It was a world filled with animals like bears, boars, wolves, tigers (I think), pigs, chickens, rabbits, seals and all manner of birds and fish.
Scattered between all these animals are mini quests and side stories that you can pick up and follow that enhances (pads) out the story and experience.
On the weirder side I found myself fishing far more often that I expected, one of the side mechanics in the game is that you need to catch certain fish and then take them back to your settlement for the fishmonger who will reward you for efforts with loot.
On the even weirder side one of the mini side quests revolved around me eating magic mushrooms and hallucinating seals and magical doors and right now I’m trying to remember if that was just a heavy night last night or actually in the game…
Anyway… we will have some epic video content coming out soon with more detail on certain aspects of the hands on.
For those like me who had become bored of the Assassin’s Creed universe this does feel like a great time to jump back into the world, especially if you are one of the European countries going back into lockdown, and for the seasoned Assassin’s Creed fans out there make sure to keep an eye out for our full review coming soon which will detail all the big things coming in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla when it releases on the 10th of November 2020.
Until then here are some desktop quality images to upgrade your wait.
Last Updated: October 14, 2020
Krabby Paddy
October 14, 2020 at 18:42
Sounds promising. So who plans to play this and finish it within 9 days?
For the Emperor!
October 15, 2020 at 07:30
Play this – yes!
9 days – nope 🙂
If it is anything as good as Odyssey, it will be worth the play and not rushing through! Of course I might wait for the “complete” edition to come out, or specials for all the DLC. I think Odyssey has 1 DLC I am not yet willing to fork over the Randelas for…
Krabby Paddy
October 15, 2020 at 07:50
I enjoyed Odyssey quite a lot. I had ignored the Assassin’s Creed games for a long time as I simply didn’t enjoy them that much. Odyssey fitted what I enjoy a lot more (although I know some fans hate the change from the previous games). The problem is I tried it for 1 month free on Uplay and then after that realised to continue I had to buy the ultimate addition as my save file wouldn’t work with the normal addition (which I was willing to buy after free trial). I wasn’t so keen to fork out the cash for ultimate addition however or start over so I didn’t finish it. Playing that though has gotten me interested in Valhalla and I’ll look to play it next year. Come 19 November though I’ll be playing Cyberpunk 2077 first. I kind of wish Valhalla released 2 months earlier but hey first world problems.
For the Emperor!
October 15, 2020 at 08:18
Before Odyssey I only ever finished Black Flag. Original was too repetitive, 2 was my brother’s game and he moved but also felt same-same. Skipped a few then Black Flag which I accidentally triggered the final quest while on a random island to upgrade my ship. Unity was horse shit…but Odyssey is like you said “Odyssey fitted what I enjoy a lot more“, and Valhalla seems to be following suit!
Valhalla or Cyberpunk – either way I need to wait for a new console first! Only 70% sure I am going to take the PS4 right now, down from 90%…
Krabby Paddy
October 15, 2020 at 08:32
New console choice looks like it can be a real tough one. I stick to PC as I need one at home and then just get a mid range cards every 3 years (and do full upgrade ever 5/6 years). I must be content with that as I can’t afford a console as well. If I could it would be the PS simply because the exclusives really look like the kind of games I’d enjoy playing. I think Microsoft buying up a lot developers and big IPs does make one swing to their side. Especially if gamepass looks appealing to you. Still if you are buying a new console now or early next year then look at the games forecast to release in the next two years. If the PS games coming soon look a safe bet for what you’ll enjoy then I’d say get that now. Not sure on your finances but you can always look to get the cheaper Xbox in 2 years to access possible exclusives there. Also it seems Microsoft might look to release different version of their console more regularly. Hell you will be able to get one on contract along with gamepass. Rambling a bit but basically don’t let marketing gimmicks with no proof yet in the pudding pull you in. Rather go with your gut.
For the Emperor!
October 15, 2020 at 12:07
God of War and other exclusives draw me to PS5. Got my PC for the rest. IF my car doesn’t break again the only thing stopping me is local stock of the PS5 🙂
Krabby Paddy
October 15, 2020 at 12:55
If you have a decentish PC then I feel a PS5 is a no brainer. Fingers crossed that your luck is good with the car behaving itself and a painless as possible experience finding stock for the PS5.
Insomnia is fun
October 15, 2020 at 08:18
“you be at least level 120 before taking this raid on”
So they’re selling time savers again huh?
Gavin Mannion
October 15, 2020 at 11:12
No idea unfortunately, haven’t had an interview
Morne Nell
October 15, 2020 at 09:23
The first game I played on my Ps4 was black flag, After that I played origin and odyssey and absolutely fell in love with the franchise.
It is hours and hours of gameplay, the DLC’s has been as long as some full games.
Has been on my radar from the start, but then we had cyberpunk also releasing the same time as the new generation consoles.
After watching some gameplay I realised that Valhalla take the best from Odyssey and origin then add some more mechanics. I just could not help myself I had to have this game as well on release.
Don’t know were I will get the time, since I now have Valhalla, Cyberpunk and Destiny 2 on release of the Ps5 🙂