Assassin's Creed: Valhalla - Preview, the Vikings according to Ubisoft

We're here now, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla will soon be available on both current and new generations of consoles. The release of the title Ubisoft is scheduled for November 10, so it's time to take stock before our official review. This new chapter in the saga of the assassins will take players to a much more gory and bloody experience, where blood will flow in rivers for the pursuit of power. This will be the third episode of the series to have a more RPG structure, taking up the more than solid foundations already seen and tested with Assassin's Creed Origins e Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Don't think that Valhalla do not introduce anything else, however, since in this "new narrative course" it is configured as the most ambitious title. The team, in fact, seems to have made use of all the experience gained over the years, placing on the market a product capable of leaving its mark. Obviously, being a very large production, there are some aspects that convinced us more and others that convinced us less, but as things currently stand we are very confident and eager to get our hands on the game. England is waiting for nothing but an invasion, and we already have the blades ready.

Vikings on the attack

As easily understood, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla will take us into Norse mythology, embarking on a journey that does not place under the center of attention only a protagonist, but a real people. Your goal, or rather that of Eivor, will be to take control of the newly discovered lands, expand his concept of "home" and bring his people to safety. Eivor will sail from cold Norway to the shores of England, conquering and taking whatever it deems right. However, this time Ubisoft doesn't seem to have paid attention only to the appearance of the bloody fights - who see the ruthless Vikings as battlefield stars - but also the various political scenarios that are there as a backdrop.

In fact, the advent of the Vikings will give the final blow to an already quite precarious political balance, which sees opposing not only political but also religious ideas. Eivor, as a true leader, will have to make choices and sacrifices, create alliances and wage wars. The way you play it will have repercussions on important parts of the plot, which will guarantee different types of approaches to the main quest. We reiterate again that, as the most ambitious title in the series, the team wanted to create a much more interconnected story system, so as to make the nature of the Role playing game real. Therefore, expect multiple choices, which will naturally change the fate of the game, through clear narrative crossroads.

All this will serve to immerse the user in the historical period of reference, making him feel an integral part of a living world that reacts in its own way to stimuli. We will therefore speak of plots and subplots, mysteries, secrets, hidden brotherhoods and much more, as you will come face to face with the most impactful elements of Norse mythology and culture of the time. England will be a land rich in different cultures and peoples, you real Vikings ready to do anything to make people and beliefs survive. Although the presence of divinities has been slightly overshadowed compared to previous chapters, the side of production that aims at characterizing the smallest aspects of the game has greatly expanded. From the architectural style of the various regions, to the way the inhabitants behave, everything is done to make the player feel the weight of the choices.

Small incident, but still mandatory, regarding the "history of the present" you will return to play the role of Layla Hassan, but his new story is still shrouded in mystery. In Valhalla you will find the unique protagonist; although you can choose the sex, this can be changed at any time during the adventure through the game menu.

More solid and lean gameplay 

As shown and said by Ubisoft from the first moment, the new Assassin's Creed: Valhalla will be far more violent and gory than any title in the past saga. The flowing blood, the lacerations, the violence of the blows and the clatter of the swords, all seem to be made to give the player the feeling of constantly fighting for life, as the enemies will be at least as brutal and violent as you are. From the very beginning there is a wild and dark air, different from any other chapter. The protagonist can choose between different types of weapons, each with a dedicated moveset that drastically changes the approach to clashes. You can equip up to two weapons at the same time, excluding the bow, and want to mix a sword with a spear or go into battle armed with two axes, for example. However, the structure of the struggles remains unchanged, although the staging is much more impactful than in the past.

Settlements are certainly the most interesting novelty introduced in the new Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. The entire play structure, although it seems more developed and articulated, winks a lot at the already seen Monteriggioni, appreciated by most of the users. The entire area will be customizable, you can decide whether to build new buildings or structures of various kinds, in order to obtain rewards and create what, in effect, will be your personal settlement. Blacksmiths, stables and shops to customize the protagonist, this added to many other activities make this introduction the main game HUB. Settlement will also be important for the wars aspect, as new soldiers can even be recruited to win battles. Although the army will not be directly controlled by the player in these sections, it certainly remains one of the aspects that most intrigued us about this new Ubisoft production.

the settlement will be your home, a safe haven to entertain or heal wounds. Its enhancement will have repercussions both on the plot and on many other beneficial possibilities that the team has not yet fully revealed. The development will naturally be linked to the materials, which you will get by looting the cities or scattered around the game world. The Norse peoples, in fact, they exalted themselves in wars, and this feeling seems pass and puncture the screen right in the face of the player. When it comes to subdue the enemy lands, the huge battles will be closely linked to each other; the aforementioned moments are called Assaults, and are a much more structured variation of the battles seen in Odyssey. The whole fight will split into real phases, introducing you first into hostile territory and taking it slowly breach in the heart of the target concerned.

Special abilities are also back in style, which in this Assassin's Creed they vary and don't seem to overbalance the experience too much, while still being really powerful and scenic. The healing system has been totally changed: in Valhalla you will have to recover some resources during the various paths and fill your bag in order to restore the health bar, a system already seen in games like Horizon: Zero Dawn. Although Assassin's Creed: Valhalla leaves that narrow and almost suffocating role-playing component in favor of a more streamlined level of power, the plus to Eivor's abilities will be given thanks to the classic skill tree. As the new course of Assassin's Creed has taught us, you can specialize in different aspects, from ranged combat to hand-to-hand combat, from stealth to more inventive approaches. The feeling is that the team wanted to give like never before more customization to the players on many aspects of the protagonist.

Final considerations 

Ubisoft, in addition to the main quest, seems to have also taken care of all the aspect related to the secondary and environmental exploration, ready to stimulate the player with many activities. Furthermore, the glance is always impactful, with environments and structures capable of making anyone's eyes open wide. Although to test the actual quality of the work well we will have to wait, everything looks like a step up from Odyssey, albeit light.

In conclusion we can say that Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is a game to watch, not just for fans of the saga. The Ubisoft work aims to amaze with the amount of content, all, at least as regards these first impressions, merged wonderfully. If the team's goal was to transport the player to the Viking world, Ubisoft seems to have succeeded, but for a more detailed opinion we will necessarily have to wait for the review phase. However, we believe that, for now, what has been revealed by the software house is only the surface of a much larger and more layered project. The release of the game is now imminent and we can't wait to dive into these bloody battles.