REVIEW : Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (XBOX Series X)
A lot is riding in a game when it comes from a series that has its roots embedded deep and it belongs to a series of over 10 games. Yes, I’m talking about the latest addition to the Assassins creeds series that is Assassins Creeds Valhalla. The game is developed and published by Ubisoft and is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows. But this is one of the first games to be released on next-generation consoles. The game was announced early I the year 2020 and it got so much hype that it was unbelievable, people were re-watching the trailer of the game and started obsessing over it and the game lives up to that hype.
So in Valhalla, you will be playing as a Viking either male or female in 9th century England, leaving Norway behind with your brother and other members of the clan after having a dispute with the king of the land. After a big prologue, your character will finally arrive in England and you will be allying. Comparing the game to Assassins creeds odyssey Valhalla is much more focused, in odyssey you had to choose your path but it’s not the case for Valhalla. The removal of side missions from the game is one of the biggest drawbacks of the game. The developers have added something called world events which can often end in just mere few minutes which takes the fun out of the game. The game focuses on “Eivor” planting his flag in the land of England for his clan and that’s nearly all to the story. There is a moment where the story is branching out and the choice of your dialogue will affect the outcome in a great way. You will be pledging yourself to various kingdoms and complete various quests to gain their allegiance. Being the main character “Eivor” is depicted very well and impressionable just like it should be. The game has a perfect balance of story being drama and comedic so the whole thing doesn’t look too serious and boring. Valhalla is more of an interactive action experience with more focus on storytelling and the cinematic aspect.
Coming on to the gameplay it’s not a massive shift in the new direction but it offers a much more refined experience. Tied all together with this long and really interesting story. The game is quite accurate when it comes down to the historical accuracy of the 9th century. According to Ubisoft the map of Valhalla is just as big as odyssey instead of dividing into spate islands it’s just one big continent this time. The mechanics of the game so well designed that they don’t feel overwhelming. One of the most interesting features that the series had was of ship battles but now it’s gone, you will be travelling around England in ships but there will be no battle in ships and the only upgrades you can make is cosmetics. In the case of character upgrades, they have made the game a bit complex instead of three simple talent trees now you have to choose from a whole constellation with points to spend, you will gain points each time you level up. Another thing the combats abilities are unlocked from a skill book instead of skill points. One of the biggest catch the signature blade of assassins creed’s series you will get that early in the game but this time the game focuses more on the combat as you area Viking you can go through the entire game with just upgrading the game gear and the upgrade can be seen effective. In previous games, the home was a place where you use to make it in end but this time you will frequently visit home and chat with the in-game characters and upgrade your equipment.
The game such cool aesthetics that hasn’t been seen in this type of game earlier. They will constantly impress you when it comes to graphics as always. Some of the environmental scenes are just mind-blowing seeing that sunset while riding a horse in an open field will just blow your mind away. There is detail on every single surface and there are no blank spots. The ground always has something like grass, stones, pebbles, etc. the texture effect and weather work is some of the best that you will ever come across. Combining all this with an impressive draw distance that has a high level of detail and is ready to be impressed to your very core. And the music of the game is just amazing it connects with you and the game. It’s just simply amazing it just gives you Goosebumps at times and your ears are in for a great time. Ubisoft did something amazing with music as they got back the composers from the previous game which I think made the soundtracks of Valhalla much more amazing and relatable. One of the best things that Ubisoft offers is Ubisoft connect and due to which you can hop on to different platforms while continuing your game from where you left it. The load time is short and the performance of the game is really good and with the Xbox series x quick resume feature will be playing this game back in like 10 seconds which makes the PC version much more inferior. The game is not that difficult but it’s good it can challenge you at every stage while being forgiving so it has a perfect balance. For the first time, you and your enemy get a stamina bar which puts pressure on you to not do stuff on a limb.
REVIEW : WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship (XBOX Series X)
