Finally, with rumors and leaks abound since last year, the latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise is headed to some of the most brutal years of the ninth century.
With Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, coming Holiday 2020, the next foray for the semi-annual, historical-fiction series is headed to the Dark Ages from the perspective of Vikings. Players will be taking on the role of a marauder named Eivor, who has been confirmed to be a gender-neutral protagonist similar to the siblings in 2018’s Odyssey. Eivor’s vikings will sail the seas from Norway to England, conquering the lands and kingdoms across Anglo-Saxon history.
Akin to the conquest battles from the last game, Valhalla‘s main gameplay loop will consist of epic raids against English fortresses. Each player will be in command of their respective crew of raiders to “claim your enemies’ riches for your clan.” Combat will consist mostly of brutal close-quarters combat, where players can dual-wield all kinds of melee weapons and even have the ability to dismember enemies. Also notably, the series’ iconic hidden blade returns for the first time since Odyssey, which foregoes the weapon for lore restrictions.
Exploring the world will involve naval traversal, appropriately considering viking history practically revolves around their innovative longships used to travel the seas quickly and efficiently. According to the game’s description, players will also be able to choose their own path either through violence or strategic alliances. How that pans out in-game remains to be seen, but could be something similar to negotiating with NPCs in Odyssey. Side activities have also been confirmed, including hunting, fishing, dice, drinking games, and (for the record, this is an actual quote from the website) a “Viking rap battle” mini-game.
Players can also use these alliances to supply and improve their settlements, which serve as the player’s home base. Structures and installations can be upgraded over time that benefit the player’s raid crew, with specific examples of constructing barracks for increased crew members or improved weapons from a blacksmith. Along with customizable home settlements, the main character’s appearance will be fully customizable to share with other players, which infers that Valhalla will have coop/multiplayer functionality of some kind. It was also rumored by Eivor’s voice actor, and then confirmed by a Eurogamer report, that players will still be able to choose the protagonist’s gender like Odyssey.
This game sounds wild and exactly what a vikings-related Assassin’s Creed game should be. It seems the development team at Ubisoft is expanding on the many innovations made in Odyssey and Origins for an even more expanded game this time around. Plus a Viking rap battle, what’s not to like?
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will release Holiday 2020 for PC, PS4/PS5, Stadia, and Xbox One/Xbox Series X.
