For a little while there, I wasn’t so sure that the Assassin’s Creed series could feasibly continue with its ballooning budgets, host of spinoffs and varying quality. Syndicate was kind of a new low point for me (Revelations was the lowest), but dammit, they pulled me back in with Origins and kept with Odyssey. Now, two years later, Valhalla might offer that same reinvigorating spark.
As we found out yesterday through a lengthy seven hour process, the next game is called Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and will likely deal with a Scandinavian Viking clan that is intertwined with the eternal struggle between the titular assassins and the Templars. While we suspected this theme for some time, it’ll be interesting to see if the crew over at Ubisoft maintains the same heavy-RPG feel that Odyssey brought to the table.
While a lot of folks really dug the progression style gameplay and the expansive open world map (building upon Origins and everything before it, but dialing it to “11”), some lamented that Assassin’s Creed was moving away from its more simplistic, action roots. The fact that this new iteration is a 15 studio effort won’t assuage those fears. All eyes are on Valhalla now as it seeks to maintain the relevancy of the sometimes polarizing series. But enough teases, have at you, actual details! Ubisoft is giving us just that right now, which you can view below.
In the opening cinematic intro salvo, we see a kingly Saxon figure decreeing what is essentially the death of what he deems to be nothing more than barbarians. In a skirmish many members of the Viking legion fall, including what seems to be a family member of the protagonist, Eivor. “Odin is with us!” Eivor proclaims as a bird flies into view (classic AC trope), who then reveals a hidden blade to murder one of his aggressors who seemingly had him bested. Hidden blades: confirmed!
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be available this holiday season 2020 on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Stadia. An Xbox Series X version was teased, as is HDR/4K Ultra HD support (Smart Delivery is likely a given). Ubisoft also launched a pre-order landing page if you’re interested.
Said page gives us even more info than the trailer did, like the aforementioned discovery of the protagonist’s name, the “epic raid” system (command crews to attack the Saxons), a more violent and “visceral” combat aesthetic, confirmation of more RPG mechanics, the chance to customize a settlement hub and the ability to create and share mercenaries. There is no current hint of any dual protagonist system, as Eivor was the star of the show.
Source: Destructoid Here’s our first look at Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which is confirmed for Xbox Series X