Assassin's Creed Valhalla Review: Is It Worth Playing?

What is Assassin's Creed Valhalla?

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a large-scale action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal. Released in 2020, it is the twelfth major instalment in the long-running Assassin's Creed series. The game represents a further evolution of the open-world RPG direction the franchise adopted with 2017's Origins and 2018's Odyssey.

The premise casts you as Eivor, a Norse Viking raider during the 9th century, leading their clan from the harsh shores of Norway to forge a new future in the war-torn kingdoms of England. The narrative intertwines Eivor's personal saga with the ongoing, millennia-spanning conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order, here represented by the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients.

The core fantasy is one of settlement-building, brutal conquest, and exploration of a dark ages world steeped in myth and political intrigue.

Gameplay

Playing Valhalla feels like engaging with a vast, systemic checklist wrapped in a layer of satisfying, weighty combat. The core loop is established early: you command a longship, raid coastal monasteries for resources, and use those spoils to upgrade your settlement, Ravensthorpe. This acts as your central hub, with new buildings unlocking quest lines, services, and activities.

Combat and stealth

The combat system is a clear highlight, ditching the hit-sponge feel of its predecessor for a more brutal, stamina-based approach. Dual-wielding almost any combination of weapons feels impactful, and the liberal dismemberment adds to the visceral Viking fantasy. The stealth mechanics, a series staple, are present but feel secondary; the game's systems often encourage loud, aggressive assaults over silent takedowns.

World structure and progression

The world is split into several English regions and part of Norway, each a self-contained territory with its own power level, story arc, and collection of activities. Progression involves forming alliances by completing these regional narratives, which vary in quality from compelling political dramas to repetitive errand-running. The learning curve is gentle, with new mechanics and systems introduced steadily over dozens of hours.

The sheer volume of systems can become overwhelming - hunting for tattoo designs, stacking stones, flying paper challenges, drinking contests, and countless collectibles. There is an enormous amount to do, but much of it lacks meaningful variety or consequence beyond checking a box. The skill tree is vast but often grants incremental stat boosts rather than transformative abilities, making progression feel broad but shallow.

Who is Assassin's Creed Valhalla for?

This game is squarely aimed at solo players who enjoy losing themselves in a single, enormous open world for well over 100 hours. It is for the patient gamer, the completionist, and those with a specific interest in the Viking Age setting. It will appeal most to fans of the previous two RPG-style Assassin's Creed titles and to players who enjoy methodical exploration and gradual progression seen in games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or Ghost of Tsushima, albeit with a greater emphasis on systemic, repeatable activities over tightly crafted narratives.

It is less suited for those seeking a classic, narrative-driven Assassin's Creed experience focused on social stealth and parkour, or for players with limited time who prefer concise, directed campaigns. The game's scale and repetitive structure make it a poor fit for casual play in short bursts, as you may spend an entire session clearing icons from one segment of the map without advancing the central story. It is a hardcore experience in terms of time commitment, if not in mechanical difficulty.

Graphics and performance

Visually, Valhalla adopts a more muted and grounded style compared to the sun-drenched vibrancy of Odyssey. The depiction of 9th-century England is one of damp forests, misty bogs, and crumbling Roman ruins, which creates a strong, melancholic atmosphere. Character models, particularly for Eivor and key story figures, are detailed and expressive. The Norwegian mountains provide a stark, beautiful contrast with their snowy peaks and aurora-lit skies.

Performance has been a point of contention, particularly on PC. At launch, the game was plagued by various technical issues including screen tearing, animation bugs, and inconsistent frame rates. While many of the most severe problems have been addressed through patches, the experience can still be variable depending on your hardware. The game is demanding, and achieving stable performance at higher settings requires powerful components.

On consoles, the performance mode targeting 60fps provides a noticeably smoother experience than the fidelity mode. When it runs well, it is a handsome game that effectively sells its historical fantasy, but technical hiccups can still occasionally break immersion.

Value for money

There is no denying the sheer volume of content on offer. The main story alone can take 60 hours to complete, and a thorough playthrough exploring a significant portion of the side content can easily double or triple that figure. The game has been supported with substantial post-launch expansions, including Wrath of the Druids in Ireland and The Siege of Paris, which add many more hours of gameplay.

Whether this represents good value is subjective. If your metric is cost per hour of entertainment, Valhalla is exceptional. However, if you value tightly paced, varied experiences, you may find the later hours suffer from severe diminishing returns due to repetitive mission design and checklist-driven exploration. The game frequently goes on sale, making the base package a more compelling proposition.

The value is high for a specific type of player - one who enjoys the core loop and wants a sprawling world to inhabit for months - but poor for those who will burn out on its repetitive structure long before the credits roll.

Verdict

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a colossal and conflicted experience. It succeeds in delivering a powerful Viking power fantasy through its excellent combat and the compelling loop of raiding and building your settlement. The world is vast and often beautiful, steeped in an atmosphere that fans of the period will appreciate.

Bottom line: A superb Viking combat and settlement experience, undermined by a bloated structure and repetitive activities that dilute its stronger narrative moments.

However, it is hamstrung by a bloated structure and an over-reliance on repetitive activities that dilute its stronger narrative moments. The dissonance between the Viking raider fantasy and the traditional Assassin's Creed lore also feels more pronounced here.

We would recommend Valhalla primarily to dedicated fans of open-world RPGs who are not easily fatigued by repetition and who have a specific appetite for its historical setting. It is a game to be savoured in long sessions over a long period, not rushed through.

Conversely, we would advise caution for players seeking a return to the series' stealth-action roots, for those with limited gaming time, or for anyone sensitive to open-world bloat. The stark divide between its high Metascore and its mixed user rating on platforms like Steam highlights this split: critics praised its scope and production, while a significant portion of players found its execution wearying. Your enjoyment will depend entirely on which camp you fall into.