PlayStation 4 Critic Reviews

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is another success in the series. We love that it’s starting to look back at older, more classic elements of the franchise and finding ways to reimplement them in an ever-evolving, fresh feeling new game.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is the best tale the franchise has ever told, featuring the most varied and rewarding gameplay the series has seen in years. Valhalla will forever dine in Odin's Hall as one of the greatest RPGs of this generation.

Ultimately, there are few issues that could detract from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s numerous triumphs. It closes the chapter on a long legacy but ensures the journey is not done. By taking what made the series work and improving upon it, Ubisoft has created one of this year’s most memorable games, and an open, breathtaking world that must be experienced.

My criticisms of Assassin's Creed are nothing unusual for the series, and I've always enjoyed the series previously despite its issues. The appeal of each individual game to each person depends greatly in their interest in the location, setting, and period of history that the game depicts, and I've got to say that Valhalla, in impressing me with its nuanced depiction of Viking culture and their role in history, has ended up being an Assassin's Creed that I'll think I'll remember fondly across the breadth of the series. That being said, as far as the gameplay is concerned, this series is going nowhere interesting at this point there while there will be more, and I really implore Ubisoft to take a good, hard look at the bloat and consider whether a more streamlined approach that doesn't get in the way of the best feature (the history, and narrative) would not be wiser next time around.

If the game can be accused of anything, it might be that it plays things a little too safe… but even that feels a little disingenuous. Yes, it’s more of an evolution than a revolution, but it’s easy to forget that the series slowly embraced “action RPG” in its path from being a pure stealth-based series. This is definitely the most hack-and-slash-y of the titles yet, but it feels natural, and it does still feel like it deserves to be called Assassin’s Creed. So… yeah, this game is darn good, and if you’ve liked prior installments you’ll almost certainly like this one. Darn it, I really like it. Oh no, I get to really enjoy this viking game. Quelle horreur.

At the end of the day, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an exceptional adventure that should please fans of the series. Ubisoft Montreal has succeeded in crafting a striking medieval world that’s just begging to be explored. I loved the new town-building mechanic. It was hugely addicting and provided a satisfying sense of progression. Speaking of progression, while initially overwhelming, the staggeringly deep skill tree and wealth of unlockable combat abilities combine to give the player an incredible amount of freedom when it comes to customizing their ideal assassin. If you’re a fan of the series, don’t sit this one out. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an adventure fit for Odin himself.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla takes the advancements of the series found in Odyssey and applies it to a whole new setting. As brutal as the period of Vikings is, there's something beautiful about this adventure. Every action is rewarded with some great moments of storytelling, and aside from a few narrative roadblocks tied to the player's level, there's an amazing world here just waiting to be discovered.

What Valhalla lacks in originality the visceral and fun combat makes up the deficit—and that speaks volumes to me given that Assassin’s Creed never quite found its footing in this area. Packed with enough content on the disc and planned future DLC, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is another hefty and captivating entry in Ubisoft’s long-running historical franchise.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is still an Assassin's Creed title, but the one that manages to left behind some questionable things from the last two games, all the while presenting us with a much greater direction, a really dense map, engaging plot, and a breathtaking setting.

For the time being, then, Valhalla is a superb but familiar open-world experience. It’s sure to excite fans of the series with another impressively content-rich and beautiful sandbox to explore, and it might just interest newcomers and lapsed Assassin’s Creed players with the intrigue of its setting and more streamlined overall design. Ultimately, though, it falls just shy of true excellence — a high benchmark to meet, but one Assassin’s Creed should be held to after so many years of trying to get it right.