The Assassin’s Creed series took a downturn after the release of Unity, only to experience a resurgence after Origins came around. Valhalla is another epoch of sorts due to the game finishing off storylines that had been carried for some time. For this reason, it is judged on where it was good and where it wasn’t.
Some points might very well make Valhalla the best in the series since the game improves upon areas the earlier titles had introduced. In other matters, Valhalla could qualify as the worst released so far due to the failure of the execution of vital features.
10 BEST: Combining Plotlines Of The Series
Rarely has the Assassin’s Creed series chosen to bring together major plotlines over a decade prior to the current game. Valhalla does just that, combining the Desmond Miles games with that of Layla Hassan’s. It’s a practice that hasn’t been seen before in the series.
While most games might make one feel annoyed for storylines being left unresolved, Valhalla does a good job of addressing almost all of these lingering plot threads. If one wants to engage in a complete experience where the story is concerned, Valhalla has to be the best choice in the series.
9 WORST: Little To No Originality
If anyone’s played either of Assassin’s Creed Origins or Odyssey, Valhalla won’t surprise them in the slightest. The game is a total copy of previous titles, right down to the gameplay and every other mechanics that come with it. It’s always a matter of time for the law of diminishing returns to kick in and Valhalla is that point.
Other than the story, there’s nothing here that one hasn’t seen before, with zero originality coming the player’s way and only a few blending of aspects in order to mask the fact that it’s a repeat of older mechanics. It’s hard not to judge the game for essentially doling out an expansion of previous titles.
8 BEST: Balance In Land And Sea-Based Gameplay
Going forward, the series might just well have been changed for the better where naval gameplay is concerned. As far back as Assassin’s Creed III, this aspect was something of a chore, mainly having to do with the uneven combat between ships.
Valhalla brings the best version of sea-based gameplay in the series, placing it in a more adventurous light by focusing on the exploration part of things rather than relentless combat that nobody enjoys. Players can relax while on the sea and choose to go on raid missions, bring a fine balance never seen before.
7 WORST: The Horrible Eagle Vision
Easily one of the most maligned points of the newer games has to be the eagle vision. This was changed from the previous color-coded style to protagonists seeing through a literal eagle, which has been taken to the worst level in Valhalla.
Not only is there not even an eagle anymore — it’s a raven — but using this feature is now a frustrating chore that requires you to zero in on finding the location yourself. This achieves nothing since one would need to do that on foot anyway, making the eagle vision completely useless.
6 BEST: Flexibility With Protagonist Choices
Due to some protagonists’ execution done right and others not quite so, fans generally have their own preferences over who the best assassins have been. Valhalla manages to subvert this practice, bringing in two sides of the same protagonist by allowing us to switch between male or female at any point.
This prevents a sequence from feeling out of place, as one can even let the game decide which area suits the assassin’s particular gender. Effectively, all the bases are covered for a quality protagonist so that fans can be satisfied.
5 WORST: Needless Side Missions
You won’t be finding Valhalla’s name among the open-world games with the best side missions. Quite the opposite, as the title instead wastes a whole lot of time over menial tasks. In fact, it’s easy to get stuck in your playthrough because unclear side missions become mandatory.
What’s worse is that these missions interrupt the main story, forcing the player to go through with them in order to progress with the campaign. More often than not, the side missions have to do with collecting items from undesignated places, setting up for hours’ worth of time wastage.
4 BEST: More Customization Options
Even if you end up preferring games played after finishing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, there’s no contest between them and this one in the department of customization. Valhalla brings forward a number of options to change the appearance and style of the protagonist.
This even borders on GTA levels of distinct looks for the main character and many fans love how they can make Eivor look according to how they want. Previous Assassin’s Creed games only had the protagonist’s dressing style be a changeable option, so Valhalla certainly serves as a trailblazer.
3 WORST: Meaningless Locations
There is no avoiding padding of the environment in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. In order to get from one place to another, you’re required to go through meaningless locations that have no substance. Every area is interchangeable with the other and their only purpose is to make the map larger.
The appeal of the larger environment doesn’t last long, however, since the repetitive areas don’t have any unique identity. Some of the larger open-worlds in the Assassin’s Creed series have at least provided distinct locations, but that’s not the case with Valhalla.
2 BEST: Value For Money
Despite a few glaring issues, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is ultimately worth the selling price. It might well be worthy of inclusion in the list of longest games, and at least this justifies the cost for the product. After all, the hours’ worth of gameplay will keep one busy.
It does do the job in keeping longtime fans invested until they’ve finished with the campaign. For most, providing an extended run is just what they want and that means Valhalla will do just the trick as it also grows on you once you’re completely accustomed to its world.
1 WORST: Convoluted Skill Tree For Simplistic Combat
The skill tree aspect is one of the many mistakes that Valhalla repeats from the series. This time round, there’s no coherence to it due to dozens of options that don’t show any apparent difference in gameplay even after one has upgraded them.
What’s more, the combat is so simplistic it borders on the hack-and-slash genre, meaning leveling up through the skill tree is for nothing. The Assassin’s Creed series has never been good at combat, but Valhalla somehow manages to mess this up even further by presenting this convoluted style that ruins even the most simple thing about it.
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