Isn’t it interesting that we’re starting to reach a point where people actively want less content in their games? Feels like we went through a phase of developers skimping on all the good stuff just to get a better-looking product out the door and that just kind of sucked for everyone. You want to feel like the amount of content you’re getting for your cash is worth it so when games like Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey rock up with literal hundreds of hours of activities, that should feel great! Yet sometimes, it’s a little too much. People have lives, you know? The dream would be able to sit around and dump all our free time into such a massive game but the reality is that most people will probably never see all the game has to offer because there just aren’t enough hours in the day. So it was a pleasant surprise to discover that Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla will be significantly smaller and more focused that Odyssey, not scaring away all those people with commitment issues. Yet that might not be the case…
Despite Ubisoft’s head of communications for the Middle East tweeting out that Valhalla, “won’t be the longest or biggest game in the series,” a tweet that’s now been deleted, an interview with producer Julien Laferrière has given opposing facts. Speaking to YouTuber Julien Chièze (lots of Juliens this morning), Laferrière had the following to say on the scale of Valhalla. Bear in mind, it was all in French so a helpful translation by Reddit users has been more than welcome:
I would actually say in terms of range it is probably a bit larger than Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. I do not have the exact figures at this stage, but we have not only created the whole country, which is in this case England, but also a good part of Norway too. There are other secret worlds, which I can not speak about today, which contributed to the size of the game. It’s not a small game. It is a game which is clearly ambitious, which will offer many, many hours of gameplay for the players.
Sure, that’s speaking more to the size of the world but I feel like there’s usually a correlation between map size and length, especially when it comes to open-world Ubisoft games. While it obviously makes sense to try and deliver the most sweeping game yet, especially considering that Valhalla will be the first Assassin’s Creed to make use of next-gen hardware, I just don’t know if I have the patience to get through the whole thing. Is this what growing up feels like?
Last Updated: May 19, 2020
Iskape
May 19, 2020 at 09:06
Like Odyssey, the question I have is: How much of that map is just empty sea that you have to traverse to get from A to B? This is a Viking game after all, and they are well-known for their escapades at sea. Naval activities were central to their culture according to pop culture!
Original Heretic
May 19, 2020 at 09:12
As awesome as it is to see a huge map and all the things to do, these days I don’t have the time.
Probably why I never finished Witcher 3.
Iskape
May 19, 2020 at 09:24
Technically, you could always skip exploring a map and just follow the quest markers to finish the main storyline. The Witcher 3 is such a game where you have to play the side missions to appreciate the world! Other open world games you could easily ignore all the side content and simply follow the storyline.
Pariah
May 19, 2020 at 09:24
Or, an alternate approach – just do all the side content anyway. Take your time, enjoy it all, and save on your gaming bill for the next few months.
Original Heretic
May 19, 2020 at 09:48
I’ve never ever finished an RPG type game without doing as many side quests as I could find.
Not about to start now…
Hammersteyn
May 19, 2020 at 09:48
But those question marks on the map, what is hidden there? Gold, rare material, weapons, gwent cards????????? I must know!
Iskape
May 19, 2020 at 09:54
Common practice it seems is that if you want the main storyline to be easy, do the side quests to improve your character’s stats. That’s my main motivation for doing side quests, unless of course the mission’s difficulty relies on your character’s level. In such a case, it doesn’t matter how many side quests you do, the main mission difficulty will always be proportional to your character level.
Hammersteyn
May 19, 2020 at 10:02
I might also have OCD, in that I need to clear an the entire map and if done right it’s worth it, like the did with Ass Origins and Syndicate. Still need to play Odessy.
Pariah
May 19, 2020 at 10:02
Not so much OCD but the completionist in me, but yeah. If there’s a ? left on the map, % completion missing or something of the sort, it’s a problem that needs resolving.
Iskape
May 19, 2020 at 10:02
Not all side quests are created equal, and when I end up playing a game with tons of useless side quests, I simply do them so that I can get the feeling of satisfaction that I am getting what I paid for out of the game!
Hammersteyn
May 19, 2020 at 10:08
Most games yeah, except games like Dark Souls, finished the third one earlier this year. There was a boss fight against this guy on a dragon. I gave up because the camera messed around too much. So I killed the final boss instead and called it quits.
Pariah
May 19, 2020 at 09:54
The reason why Witcher 3 was so loved is because the “side quests” were stories of their own – not for player progression but rather story and world progression. More games need to do that, tbh.
Dresden
May 20, 2020 at 04:48
Well, if you’re in Skellige… the only thing hidden there are wooden swords and disappointment!
Iskape
May 19, 2020 at 09:06
Like Odyssey, the question I have is: How much of that map is just empty sea that you have to traverse to get from A to B? This is a Viking game after all, and they are well-known for their escapades at sea. Naval activities were central to their culture according to pop culture!
CrAiGiSh
May 19, 2020 at 09:06
AC: Odyssey is an amazing game and I’m still playing it currently.
But the one thing that is the games downfall, is that the map is HUGE.
There is just so much to do and at times it feels that this is the one “negative” thing, almost about the game.
Was hoping Valhalla would not go the same route but ow well.
Hours and hours of exploring here we come … XD
OddSockZA
May 19, 2020 at 10:27
I jumped back into odyssey after not touching for over a year and sweet petunia, it was just too much. I was so overwhelmed with stuff to do that I just switched it off and read a book instead. Beyond SO MUCH STUFF I’ve also just forgotten what was happening. I think massive games should have a built-in refresher like the season recaps you get when there’s a new season of a show.
MechMachine
May 19, 2020 at 10:42
Funny you should say that. I feel, especially after this last gen, that open world game fatigue is a thing. I bet some industrious soul out there will probably make it a real world physiological problem where you require rest and medication to get over it. Said soul will obviously be a shrink.
OddSockZA
May 19, 2020 at 10:48
Oh yeah, I get major open world fatigue, but also open world anxiety. I know people love their 100hr+ long grindy epics, but man, when I play a game and it’s great and then it opens up and the map opens up, and then you see that the game is this giant scrawling thing with seven hundred billion things to do, my whole asshole clamps up, I become overwhelmed and I switch that shit off.
Give me some nice, focused, linear games for a while pls.
OddSockZA
May 19, 2020 at 10:48
Oh yeah, I get major open world fatigue, but also open world anxiety. I know people love their 100hr+ long grindy epics, but man, when I play a game and it’s great and then it opens up and the map opens up, and then you see that the game is this giant scrawling thing with seven hundred billion things to do, my whole asshole clamps up, I become overwhelmed and I switch that shit off.
Give me some nice, focused, linear games for a while pls.
MechMachine
May 19, 2020 at 10:48
Yeah, I know that feeling all too well.
Pariah
May 19, 2020 at 11:12
I literally had that on Saturday when I realised just HOW big BL3 is. It was almost a relief that Terraria’s massive update came out that evening.
Jonah Cash
May 20, 2020 at 13:34
I just started Odyssey and I am 6 hours in and haven’t done anything of note and only on level 8 now… I am going to change my mindset about the game I think. I won’t see this as my single player game between the multiplayer ones. I am going to play Odyssey like I do multiplayer games, 2 hours here and there. I don’t ever see myself sitting down for a week where I play only it for hours on end every day. Hope the plan works.
MechMachine
May 20, 2020 at 14:31
Thing I find about gaming is this, picture yourself as a Goldfish. As a person who enjoys the finer delicacy of game playing, one’s attention span is limited to one thing at a time. Stop thinking about that one thing, or playing it, and you quickly forget about it and move onto the next big thing.
So on and so forth the cycle goes and then you eventually acquire a library of shame, forgotten things that deserve your attention because that burning sensation on your thigh, your wallet, is a reminder that you wasted good hard earned money spent on it. Call yourself Dori.
Jonah Cash
May 21, 2020 at 15:19
I finished all my old games when lockdown started. I am back to 100% just playing 4 games now, 2 multiplayer and 2 single player.
MechMachine
May 22, 2020 at 09:59
Unfortunately, I was working.
MechMachine
May 19, 2020 at 10:42
Funny you should say that. I feel, especially after this last gen, that open world game fatigue is a thing. I bet some industrious soul out there will probably make it a real world physiological problem where you require rest and medication to get over it. Said soul will obviously be a shrink.
Pariah
May 19, 2020 at 10:32
Oh the refresher thing would be such a huge boon. Honestly it’s half the reason I don’t go back to these kinds of games, just need something to bridge the gap.
OddSockZA
May 19, 2020 at 10:42
I legit forgot the story, how to fight, what i was doing, what i was supposed to do. I ran around for 10 minutes, looked at my gear (SO MUCH STUFF), looked at the map (OH MY GOD SO MUCH STUFF) and switched it off.
Pariah
May 19, 2020 at 11:12
You could even turn it into like a mini-tutorial. A quick playthrough of the “story so far”. You get a refresher on the story and the gameplay mechanics. Maybe like an hour just to get a feel for everything again.
Trevor
May 19, 2020 at 15:46
Couldn’t agree more and its a shame its this game for me as I love the setting. Will most probably just end up doing the Discovery Tour for Odyssey and Origins Ubisoft made free a while ago.
Krabby Paddy
May 19, 2020 at 12:13
If it has grindy copy paste quests then no thanks. If I wanted a MMO I’d go play one.
Filled with unique quests that tell their own story then awesome … If one has the time!
Jonah Cash
May 20, 2020 at 13:34
20-40 hours is my sweet spot for a single player game. Days Gone had me up the wall and Odyssey which I just started will be played very different to any other of my single player games.