29 November,2020 10:56 AM IST | Mumbai | Jaison Lewis
UBISOFT has been on a winning streak with their Assassins games. Valhalla, which explores the life of a Viking protagonist is the latest feather in this cape. The game starts with you as a child named Eivor, witnessing your parents being murdered by a rival clan. This sets you off on a path of revenge during which you meet and team up with the Hidden Ones also known as the Assassins Creed. The story begins in Norway and progresses to England where you have to help build a home for your kinfolk.
There is a lot to do in the game and it is huge. You are playing for an easy three to four hours before you even see a title screen, let alone the side missions, the main storyline and the numerous assassinations.
Graphically, the game is beautiful, the world feels alive and it is littered with things to do and explore. I found myself climbing mountains and just riding my horse around with no agenda in mind.
The gameplay is also interesting; Eivor isn't an assassin from the start and she lacks a lot of the skill you come to associate with the game. This instead introduced the assassin's skills in increment, as you explore the story and add skills to your skill tree. The skill tree is also huge, and there are many areas in the map that are difficult to explore without the proper skill level. The knights are also a major pain in the behind, especially if they show up when all you are trying to do is finish the mission. Even when you have significantly progressed in the game, the knights remain a threat.
The map for Valhalla is huge, covering all of the shires in old England and a good portion of Norway in the initial part of the game. I enjoyed a lot of the games thrown in like flying and competitive drinking, though I still haven't figured out the dice-based game. There is also a fair bit of town building thrown in, but you have to raid monasteries to get the materials required. Adding various buildings to the town can unlock things. However, the raids have various levels and you have to travel to get to a raid that matches your power level. This is still just scratching the surface of how vast this game is.
Valhalla is one of those 40-hour plus games that you just have to put in the time to finish only the main mission. It is epic in every sense of the word. Everything from missions to the world has been carefully crafted and it takes you on a journey as your character goes from a hardcore Viking to an assassin. A few glitches aside, this game ran beautifully on the PS4 Pro. If you like Vikings and Assassin's Creed games, this is a no brainer.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
Rating: 4.5/5
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, XBO, XBS
Price: Rs 3,999
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