You know, I never expected to be saying that I played Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. I like the Assassin’s Creed games from a history nerd standpoint. From a gaming standpoint, my attention span sucks. I enjoy a long main story, but I get so sidetracked by side quests, I lose all comprehension of what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s how I’ve never played The Witcher series, despite owning them. But this was a different experience.
GamEir was fortunate enough to be invited to demo Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and we are massively grateful for that opportunity. Before I get into the nitty-gritty, I want to personally thank the representatives at Ubisoft for being so accommodating. I stepped in last minute for one of the guys and was very welcomed into the flock. Also, special shout out to my demoist, Joe, who never said a word when I made weird noises reacting to the game. Or when I laughed like a maniac at flying body parts.
So, how is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla?
I’m going to skip my usual formalities of introducing the game. At this stage, I think we’re all pretty familiar with the Assassin’s Creed franchise as a whole. Admittedly, I tried the first Assassin’s Creed years ago, but couldn’t get into it. And then I tried Syndicate. My history-loving nerd self fell in love. Still haven’t finished it though. Again, side questing. But this led me to buy both Origins and Odyssey, both of which I only really do discovery mode in. Again, my inner history nerd came out. Not the point of the games, but definitely my highlight. I never did get back to the stories, but I was loving Origins. Yes, all this context is necessary.
The thing about the Valhalla demo is that it was almost all main story. Yes, there were map markers to investigate other areas and the such, but the main story was the majority. For someone like me, this was perfect. I was able to hone in and really focus on what was happening. I chose to play as female Eivor and honestly, I had a blast. The story itself is really interesting and engaging, with enough motivation to keep pushing forward. The demo started off with X amount of power and levels, so it wasn’t a lot of work to match the challenges. I say that, but when you watch the videos, you will see me die. Many times. It was fun.
Overall though?
As someone who isn’t a massive Assassin’s Creed fan, this was a breath of fresh air for me. It actually excited me! I was enjoying the story, but honestly, my favourite thing was violence. Yes, I realise that sounds bad. But the death animations were just… chef’s kiss. There is something very satisfying about running around with a massive axe. There is something even more satisfying watching arms, legs and heads flying through the air after a nice chop. Sloth approves.
Overall, my experience with Valhalla was a lot of fun. I was able to just relax while I played and enjoy the game, all while feeling like I was making progress. I also had a good laugh with my demoist, and felt genuinely welcomed. Everyone was very very accomodating for us, and very organised. If I was ever lucky enough to demo something again, I would leap on that opportunity. Now, will I be getting Assassin’s Creed Valhalla? Honestly, I don’t think so, purely because I did play the majority of the main story in the demo. But at the same time, I really enjoyed myself, so who knows?!
Check out the gameplay videos and ignore my massive noob levels! But I hope you enjoy the chopping as much as I did!
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