Ubisoft’s flagship franchise has seen plenty of ups and downs throughout the series’ history. Now in 2020, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s Viking setting brings with it another potentially big finale for the story so far. Ezio’s saga, between Assassin’s Creed 2 and Revelations, remains some of the best moments in the entire franchise. Even most recently with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the discoveries made at the end of the game bring forth elements of Assassin’s Creed lore that haven’t reared their head in a long time.
Once again, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla brings the franchise to an important crossroads. Much like Assassin’s Creed Revelations and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey before it, Valhalla could very well have a very important finale in store for the overarching series narrative. 2020’s entry also marks the third game since Assassin’s Creed Origins reinvented the franchise’s genre into a RPG-like experience. The trajectory of Layla Hassan’s story, as well as the progression of the Assasssin’s Creed franchise as a whole, is all coming together in Valhalla.
Generally, big moments in the Assassin’s Creed franchise have acted in threes: Assassin’s Creed Revelations was the finale of Ezio‘s (and tangentially Altair’s) journey, one of the most beloved narratives throughout the whole franchise. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, technically the second game in the reinvention of Assassin’s Creed with RPG mechanics, brought with it an interesting Brotherhood-like cliffhanger that’s presumably to be resolved in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla finds itself in an interesting point for the series, serving as the culmination of the franchise’s new and highly successful direction.
Both Revelations and Odyssey have set a precedent for how well crafted the hero’s journey is in Assassin’s Creed. While some of the games in the series didn’t always hit the same thematic highs as these games, it’s clear Ubisoft’s series has grown substantially in numerous ways. Revelations finally provides some closure to both Ezio and Altair’s stories, setting the stage for the apocalyptic events that would occur in Assassin’s Creed 3. Odyssey‘s discovery of Atlantis and the Staff of Hermes means big things for the Pieces of Eden, and the Assassins who may finally be able to gain an edge on Abstergo after all this time.
It’s because of this that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will likely carry a similar weight of importance for the overarching Assassin’s Creed narrative. The events in Odyssey are setting up big things for the Assassin Brotherhood, where the Assassins may finally get some sort-of upper hand in the fight against Abstergo. That is, assuming the Isu don’t once again intervene with a life and death decision. Modern-day storyline aside, considering how many fans enjoyed Kassandra’s (and Alexios’) story in Odyssey, Eivor’s journey will have a tough task ahead of itself.
Valhalla‘s story itself seems grand enough that the adventure throughout the Viking Age should be enjoyable in its own right. Shepherding Eivor’s Viking clan across early England and Scandinavia will likely be a tough but enjoyable journey for players. Obviously for many fans the historical journeys are the main focus in Assassin’s Creed games, but the overarching Assassins vs. Templars conflict is still just as important. Layla Hassan’s journey could be taking a very drastic turn, as hinted by Assassin’s Creed Odyssey‘s ending, so Valhalla will need to address what’s going on there as well.
By every indication, at least from interviews with the narrative team and early previews, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will continue the overarching narrative in major but subtle ways. Like Odyssey before it, narrative director Darby McDevitt has stated that Valhalla builds upon what was established in Odyssey “in a big way,” but also doesn’t identify itself simply as a sequel to Odyssey. The Viking Age, like Odyssey, has plenty of wiggle room with mythology, meaning the Pieces of Eden could also play a huge role in Eivor’s journey.
While Eivor’s journey will still be isolated from Kassandra/Alexios’ adventure, there will still likely be a reason why Layla Hassan needs to revisit this Viking ancestor in terms of the overarching Assassin’s Creed story. It’s already been made clear that Layla’s story continues in Valhalla in a pivotal way, according to the game’s narrative director. That likely involves the Staff of Hermes, and how that may have affected (or even corrupted) Layla Hassan’s mindset and her decisions moving into Valhalla‘s modern day storyline. Assassin’s Creed‘s overarching story seems to be prepping for something big, and Valhalla may capitalize on that.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla releases on November 10, 2020, for PS4, PS5, PC, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
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