Combat soon became too easy and monotonous in the early few hours of the game, as soldiers swiftly fell to my axe, even in the epic scale raids and assaults that see you fighting against an entire Anglo Saxon army. While unlockable special abilities (such as hurling axes and firing poison arrows) help to vary up the combat throughout the incredibly long campaign, it still remains arguably simplistic.
I loved using the bow against large enemies that were dangerous up close, although the lack of a default option to craft arrows meant maintaining a healthy supply of them was a tedious process. Hit every weak point and the enemy will enter a ‘staggered state’ allowing you to trigger a finishing move that often downs your foe in one violent blow. The bow and arrow has also been given a larger focus in Valhalla, as it not only proves handy for headshotting unsuspecting guards, but can also be used to target enemy weak points during melee combat. But as things progressed, I learned to use my shield for blocking and parrying more, resulting in some cinematic Viking-style fighting with Eivor staggering enemies and smashing through wooden shields with his blood-stained axe. I initially found this feature frustrating, preventing me from using the quick-footed battle tactic that has served me so well in previous action games.
Dodging attacks and inaccurate axe swings will quickly deplete your stamina, preventing the likes of button mashing from being a viable option. Each weapon features a slew of their own bloody finishing animations, giving you a taste for the brutal warfare Vikings are renowned for.Ī new stamina bar largely influences your style of play, limiting movement temporarily if completely drained which proved to be the cause of my death on numerous occasions. You’re able to choose a range of weapons, from swords and spears to the classic Viking axe.
If you love the Assassin’s Creed series primarily for its stealthy takedowns, you’ll find little joy with Valhalla.įortunately, the hand-to-hand combat is so satisfying that I didn’t really miss the stealth-focused missions. You’ll occasionally get a mission to sneakily scout out a castle, steal supplies and sabotage ballista, but it’s hardly the main focus and that’s for good reason – you’re playing as a hulking big Viking who simply feels out of character leaping from rooftop to rooftop like an agile assassin.Īnd aside from London (or Lundun as it’s called in Valhalla), the majority of early Medieval England is rather flat, making it a poor playground for vertical-minded assassins when compared to the towering Italian cities of the original Creed games. That’s not to say Valhalla ditches stealth altogether. Such a move is hardly out of the blue, with Origins and Odyssey both showing signs of a transition to the open-world RPG genre, but Valhalla feels like the end result of this journey.
While Ubisoft delivers on its promise of an action-packed Viking adventure, it has also consequently seen the Assassin’s Creed series stumble into an identity crisis and drift the furthest yet from its stealth-centred roots. With the Assassin’s Creed series taking a road trip through all of history’s most notorious chapters, it’s no surprise to see Ubisoft finally putting us in the boots of a Viking with its latest entry.Įpic-scale castle conquests, bone-crunching axe combat and enough drinking competitions to floor a university student all help to make you feel like every inch the Norwegian warrior that’s slapped across the promotional art of this new adventure.