It's that time again: another Assassin's Creed title is set for release in just a few days. Assassin's Creed Valhalla takes the franchise to the viking era, and the first round of reviews have started invading the web. How are critics feeling about this huge Ubisoft action RPG?
Well, it seems the consensus is that, if you're familiar with Assassin's Creed Odyssey, this is more of the same. An enormous open world map to explore, dozens of hours of content, and serviceable combat. We've selected a handful of critiques to give you an idea. As for our verdict on Assassin's Creed Valhalla, don't worry — it'll be here as soon as possible.
Game Informer - 9.25/10
I loved 2018’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (especially after its post-release support), but that love was always tempered by a desire for improvements. I wished the content felt more carefully curated. I hated grinding to progress the story. I got sick of managing an inventory bloated with loot. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla addresses all of those issues and more, creating a rewarding experience at every turn, whether you’re pursuing the main narrative or hunting down treasure. I'm sure Valhalla is not the perfect Assassin’s Creed game for all players, but it is certainly my new favorite entry.
GamesRadar+ - 4.5/5
With a sprawling world to conquer and gory combat but also the chance to use that iconic hidden blade, Assassin's Creed Valhalla brings a triumphant balance to the series.
GameSpot - 8/10
Despite its strong connection to past games, Assassin's Creed Valhalla is more than capable of standing on its own. It takes a little while to build momentum, but when it hits its stride, Valhalla is a confident Assassin's Creed title that takes a few narrative risks which, as a whole, pay off. Eivor is a good hero with an identity that drives the mystery behind the main narrative, and she shines in the self-contained arc structure of Valhalla's story. The supporting cast may not shine as brightly, but it's easy to forgive that when exploring England and discovering new nuggets of worldbuilding is so rewarding.
IGN - 8/10
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a big, bold, and ridiculously beautiful entry to the series that finally delivers on the much-requested era of the Viking and the messy, political melting pot of England’s Dark Ages. It walks a fine line between historical tourism, top-shelf conspiracy theory, and veiled mysticism against the backdrop of a grounded and focused story. Fresh takes on several of the series’ established loot and quest systems help to keep the things fluid and nuanced, though progression could use refinement. There’s also a bigger than usual horde of bugs and blemishes to contend with from start to finish. But while it may not be the most stylish or polished, its rugged and brutal look at the muddy business of Scandanavian expansion is as memorable and dense as an Assassin’s Creed has ever been, and it makes great use of the new consoles.
VGC - 4/5
Valhalla’s sober detailed research is undermined a little by some slightly tipsy execution. But this is a hearty, bawdy Viking feast of a game which spins a fine tale and offers plenty to get your teeth into.
Eurogamer - Recommended
Valhalla is another enormous Assassin's Creed saga, lavishly designed, with its sights set on story direction over narrative choice.
Comments 39
oh my gods, now I'm going to have to get it...
I was thinking of splitting the time between Demons Souls and Cyberpunk next year, but now I've got to find 6 months to play through this monster too.
Ho hum, I'll survive I guess (first world problems!).
It's got about the same average as both Origins and Odyssey do currently. So looks like another solid entry.
@Futureshark I here you!
Here I thought I had 2,5 weeks to cruise trough Miles Morales before CP2077's out. Guess not.
Should be getting my copy tomorrow...
Great news!
I will probably try and beat Miles Morales first and get that out of the way before focusing on this 60 hour juggernaut.
I hope it has a catchy main music theme like Odyssey!!
I still need to finish odyssey first, I hope ubi patched it so it can run 60 fps on ps5.
This has been looking promising for a while, I'm really looking forward to playing this one
I love the idea of this game, as I did with odyssey, but I just couldn't get into it.. everything felt so rigid and plain. I'm probably the minority on that. Haha
That is fantastic to hear. I’m sticking to buying it when I get my PS5 Thursday. Awesome.
after watch dogs legions perfprmance concerns on ps4 i hope valhalla does better. any insights you can give us on that valhalla reviewer? (also salty you already played it )
Just to let you guys know, we got review code quite late and it's a predictably massive game. We're not even close to being done yet, but the hope is to have a review go up by the end of the week.
Appreciate the patience!
Very hyped for this I really enjoyed Origins and Odyssey both. I put roughly 100 hours in each including all the expansions. With the delay of Cyberpunk until December I might actually get to finish this before it drops.
New àssassins creed is amazing. A big improvement over odyssey ❤
Hope it gets much cheaper soon like all Ubisoft games, want to play it but full price isn't worth it imo
I will get this for my birthday on 24th december from my wife . Long enough to play my other games before AC. I am looking forward to play it
And yet I'm sure it can be picked up for half price or less in January. Thus is the cycle of Ubisoft games.
This is sounding more and more up my street as I hear more about it. Looking forward to the Push Square review. It sounds like it's a lot less bloated and a little easier to play through than the previous games which is exactly what I wanted. I don't have time for many 100-hour adventures these days so a tighter story and less focus on side quests sounds great.
@ShogunRok 4k 60fps ps5 ?
I loved Odyssey, so much in fact I managed to get the platinum, and very much on in the latest entry.
They're a joy to AC fans, familiar of course but with each new game there is a new world to explore and difference cultures to experience.
I'll add it to my Christmas list along with Final Fantasy VII and Ghost of Tsushima.
@vapidwolf We haven't played it on PS5 yet.
Great reviews, I’m a big fan of the new assassins creed games. I couldn’t get into the older games, but from Origins and odyssey-I absolutely love the series now. I’ve got Valhalla coming in, so will be holding off playing it till the ps5 arrives(same reason why I havnt played watch dogs legion either) Just wanted to ask, will the ps5 upgrade for Valhalla be released when the ps5 is out? Come to think about it, has there been any news on watchdogs legions upgrade being available when the ps5 is released?
I was just watching a review for this and came to see if you put yours Push-square review up yet, i just read you got your review code late so I'll keep an eye out for it. I am guessing these reviewers are based of the current generation versions? I am going to buy the PS5 version, same with other games like Dirt 5. Will you be reviewing the PS5 versions of the cross-gen games too, like Dirt 5, AC Valhalla when they release?
No pre-order bonus it seems, so I’ll wait for the ps5 performance details. Curious how well 3rd parties optimized load times/etc, and how well it hit the 60fps target.
I’m so glad this is reviewing well. I was a bit worried after Watchdogs. I’ve got this and demon souls as my launch games on PS5.
I'm tempted to get this and absolutely smash it during my furlough month off work before the release of Cyberpunk 2077. I'm still playing WD Legion at the mo, though.
I wasn't planning on this, but exploring the stunning Norse landscape is just calling to me. I guess I will do AC Valhalla on my Series X, then planning Demon's Souls and Godfall for PS5
I am looking forward to playing it, but like so many other games right now, I am not going to bother until I find a PS5.
I’ll play it on PC, these games are far too buggy on console!
Amazing!... PS5 version for me.
Cant wait, was a bit concerned over a letdown after how great Odyssey was. But seems like UBI is on a roll
Hopefully FarCry is also good.
@80sGamer least in not the only one! Haha
I can play the PS4 version tonight if I wanted to, but I think I'm gonna wait for the next-gen version.
My collectors edition arrived today, and I'm currently awaiting on a update to download before I jump in. Super excited 😁😁😁😁😁
I just finished playing odyssey and got the platinum last night so I will he waiting a while before I get Valhalla. I need a big break between my assassin creed fixes lol
Been playing for a few days and the size of the world and collectible list is massively off-putting, they really have to stop expanding these games.
But the small world events (side quests) are ridiculously entertaining and are very Ghost of Tsushima-like in making it feel lived-in.
Each to their own but I strongly dislike this series. I tried the first few games and meh. Many years later I tried Odyssey and thought it was awful.
Preposterously long loading times every time you have a conversation or die.
The dialogue was clunky and boring to the extreme.
The menu system was perhaps the most unintuitive I’ve ever seen. This is the worst aspect by far. A cursor system on consoles?!?!? Seriously?
Combat is STILL button mashy and shallow just like the batman games.
Just because it looks nice graphically and is absurdly huge doesn’t make for a good game. I’m genuinely confused as to why these games review so well.
Especially when it’s clear Ubisoft are just pumping out the same game with a reskin every two years.
Seen the reviews, and a medium score of 8,5/10 seems accurate given what's been said and shown in the videos.
I already preordered the Ultimate Edition and preloaded it, now I'm waiting for Ubi to release it today.
There's gonna be a day 1 patch to download too, i hope it corrects the technical bugs some of the reviews have mentioned.
@Arnna if you’re button mashing combat in Batman games you’re doing it wrong
@Boucho11 perhaps what I meant to say was it’s somewhere between button mashing and a never ending QuickTime event.
The combat in both series I just can’t stand. It’s not dynamic.
After playing something like Nioh or Dark Souls or Metal Gear Rising everything else feels *****.
Got this today, trying to setup the HDR on a pro is a nightmare, and peoples faces and lip sync!? Sheesh!
Indoor nighttime scenes are all misty, outside is fine.... maybe it needs a patch after 1.02
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...