You've convinced me to get this game, once it drops to $15 in a couple years when all the DLC is out and the bugs worked through. Great vid, hope you start to get noticed by the larger community.
I just came back after falling asleep the last time (always watch critiques when going to bed) to tell you that you deserve more views. I love this critique
This is incredible work, my friend. I look forward to more of your in-depths. I can relate to the enjoyment of games being a product of when they intersect with your life - I burned through 200 hours of Fallout 3 when I was unemployed about a dozen years ago and it was a wonderful, mesmerizing place of refuge in a world ravaged by the financial crisis. As regards the game after tens of dozens of hours in Odyssey trying to max out the Adrestia, I have developed a seething hated for how Ubisoft deliberately kneecaps single player games to flog microtransactions. It is not a practice I want to see encouraged and the fact that Ubi brought in the microtransaction shop and "permanent XP booster" after the initial review period means they've lost my sale.
outstanding critique. i'm astonished your channel is so small, you are easily as thoughtful and well spoken as Noah Caldwell-Gervais or Joseph Anderson.
One of the best reviews I've ever seen, enjoyed every minute of it :) I'd love if you could do this for other assassin's creed games especially the other rpg ones, origins and odyssey. :3
Thank you for the beginning part. The person who comes to mind is skill up. I feel like he really hurt this game by posting a negative review like the day after it came out. U can tell he just wanted it to be over so he was the first review.
@@ridleyroid9060 Comparing him to the massive should be a compliment. Generally, comparisons can showcase the flaws or potential of the individual. In this case, comparing him with Joseph Anderson shows this man's potential and quality (maybe you don't like Joseph Anderson so just think of another Great Analysis TH-camr instead). I really enjoyed his video and this was my way to show my support in the future. I think I understand why this can be taken with negative intent and maybe you are right (some people do not like being compared to others especially the "successful" or "failures"). TLDR: it's a compliment if you consider Joseph Anderson great and this guy is great.
Shout out to the soundtrack of this game. Beautiful. Also, I think you've done an incredible job here and found this very enjoyable. In my humble opinion, you've surpassed the mentioned long format video essayist you take inspiration from.
I loved Odyssey even though I was highly skeptical of it before it came out. It became my favourite game, however I can see why it’s a bad Assassin’s Creed game. The exact opposite is true for Valhalla. I was beyond excited, and yet once I completed the story I didn’t feel the rush I did when I finished Odyssey. This game made me more sick of the RPG style of AC games and makes me want a refresh even more. It bored me more than anything
I'm 1:30:00 into your video and only now i realized that your channel is so small, you really should get more subscriptions with a content this well done, great video.
Adding special regular attacks would elevate the gameplay majorly. Like holding r1 and r2 for a different looking attack. And unique attacks when dodging forward and back. 4 things to add . Major update to combat. And each weapon has its own variation on these attacks.
such a breath of fresh air listening to someone who likes Valhalla for once EDIT: I have no idea how you beat this game so fast, getting 100% took me 230 hours. with Dawn of Ragnarok I'm up to 250 total and I still have 2 1/4 DLCs to go. EDIT 3: [SPOILER] your dedication to Sigurd isn't "unspoken." his family took you in after the death of your parents. because of that you'd be expected to pledge your loyalty to your liege's first born son. EDIT 4: I thought 1:19:00 was the most clever part of the game. at first I was frustrated because Havi wasn't landing a single hit on me and there was nothing I could do. but the solution was SO CLEVER and made me feel like that frustration was intentional: they used gameplay to make me feel what Eivor felt. EDIT 5: 1:47:00 - raid enemies don't respawn. if you go through and stealth kill everyone before the raid you can just run through with your vikingr collecting the chests. obviously you'll still have to deal with the people behind locked doors but that's it
This video is GREAT. Well edited, well voiced, well paced, everything. You deserve much more attention as this obviously took a ton of work. This was the first AC game I ever played… I had nothing to compare it to and so I loved it ! I bought the ezio trilogy afterwards and beat AC 2 in a week cus it was so great. So at least this game was good for getting new players into the franchise. Keep making vids like this, you’re a beast !!!
If this abomination which has got absolutely nothing to do with AC (besides abusing the name of the franchise) is your favorite AC; you never liked the real AC games.
That mini cutscene which shows the blade penetrating skull and striking brain... that seemed a little weird to me too. Better suited for Mortal Combat than Assassin's Creed.
1:45:17 "the legendary animal you can tackle after you have all the gear" Me: skips all the collect material thing and kills the animal with the fists like a real viking
I’m glad this is finally a positive review of this game. I always thought most critics were too harsh on it. I gotta disagree on the length issue tho. Sure the gameplay was fun, but not fun enough to carry the game through 45 hours of play. The story (though I didn’t think it was bad at all) was just paced too poorly to keep me interested. It just started to feel like a grind
*i got the game for 35 bucks last week. the only thing about it that interests me is the Settlement. i love micro management stuff like that in open world games and i honestly couldnt give a damn how the game ends or about the story at all, i just wanna be a viking standing in the wind as my men raid and pillage Mmmmmmmm
The micro management in ac2, brotherhood and ac3 with settlement/villa renovation are way better than anything in Valhalla. Somehow Ubisoft are the only ones who release games that seem to be going backwards in relation to their earlier entries.
Reviewers nowadays aren't gamers, they're people who require a journalist mode where the game plays itself while they judge from their ivory towers. Of course they won't see any nuance.
Just a critique. You tend to speak from your throat with a groggy sound, so adding a little distance from the microphone will help in the recording. It is very high when wearing headphones and creates a vibration in your ear. Thanks for the review. Test out what I'm saying and maybe you can understand what I'm saying 😁
IMO The most fun/challenging/rewarding way to play this game is to do as follows. The very Second you get to England. Do the 3 level 20 raids, build your settlement to level 2, then build fishing hut. Once you have fishing hut go back to Norway and do the gungnir glitch. Once you have spear and are still only level 18 or so, go back to England, get incendiary powder trap so you can shoot through rock walls. Then go clear all gold dots (and EVERY SMALL chest) out of EVERY HIGH LEVEL region like ham,snot,linc, and glow. Doing that will force you to use stealth and ACTUALLY CHALLENGE YOU. Once you have some decent weapons and armor sets and PLENTY of iron,leather , titanium. Go back and play campaign on hardest difficulty with good loot while STILL AT LOW LEVEL. This will extend the amount of FUN you will have with this game. I’m a troll and I probably sound like a weirdo but after 300 plus just trust me on this one. Also every time you get to a new area use your bird to find opal because it is EVRYWHERE there is 300+ England 150+ in Norway and 100+ in Ireland. If you grab opal as you play On top of doing daily/weekly reda contracts and Ubisoft connect challenges you will be getting helix items for free every week. Last tip is dual spears w/ speed runes if you want to break game
Okay either your fast or I’m slow, I still have the last 2 arcs to complete and I’m 130 hours in on my first play through on normal! Great video though loved it!
it took me 140 hours to just beat the game and I didnt even 100% it. how the hell did u beat it twice and even did everything in 140 hours. u must be a god at this game lol. and of course thanks for this review. will be watching this now (just started) and it starts off well
Before getting too excited about Basim. Nothing came from Juno's return, not in the games at least. Her story was continued and concluded in the comics, Iirc. And after three games of buildup this is the punchline to Layla's story. The modern day does not matter that much.
A lot of the learning problems line up with you avoiding side content, it's very "learn by exploring:" the stagger is visually and audibly indicated upon impact, horse training is clearly visible when you talk to a horse person, you didn't touch the d-pad for 60hrs, the game makes you upgrade equipment grade right near the start, etc.. I agree that the explosive arrow should have a note saying they can break cracked walls though, 150hrs before I used that. Nothing's mandatory outside of tutorials though and the big irony of the equipment system is that it's clearly designed with NG+ in mind, but NG+ isn't even close.
I don't like the end entirely. The ending implies that AC will be just COMPLETELY made up history for the next few games. Like, this never happened at all! Ac should have ended after 3. The series has forgotten its thematic roots. This game brings it back but I don't expect that from all the game coming.
I can’t agree with you more. I played it 2 years ago along with other installments excluding 1, Rogue, and Valhalla. In all of those games, II probably has the chillest exploration. Take Venice for example, while the graphic and mechanics are a little outdated, running around the rooftops, hearing those bricks you ran over along with Jesper Kyd’s amazing soundtracks (Dream of Venice is my top favorite track of Assassin’s Creed franchise), it gives you this calm feelings that I think the later games stop providing.
@Withnail Yeah the modern day in AC2 was a bit boring. But the star of the show is when the main story begins. The story is awesome, Ezio is arguably the best protagonist of the series, the gameplay is a little bit outdated but you will get the hang of it soon after you did a few missions. Jesper Kyd’s soundtracks totally elevated this game and the parkour is amazing
@Withnail definitely try it out. AC 2 has a pretty slow beginning of about 3 hours but after that you’re right into the action. Sci-fi stuff in this AC game is actually good unlike the newer titles. Definitely try it out
I´m one that preffer the "old style" games... But the truth is that if Assassin´s Creed didn´t had changed it would probally be dead by now, at least in my opinion.
I remember my first play through, came across one of the witches, and I think I spent 2 hours trying to kill her and dying…not realising she was level 250
Genuinely enjoying your videos but there’s a few areas I’m surprised you’re not addressing correctly. For one instance where you said you only learned about light attacks regenerating Stamina after over 10 hours play time when I remember the game tells you this in one of the first fights in the game during the “tutorial/Prologue” section. Also with the Zealots hunting you. Depending on the choices you make in one of the early Regions you have the opportunity to have them not chase after you for the rest of the game. Whether or not you did this unknowingly or your game was bugged I feel like it should be addressed. The game clearly explains the situation to you at the time before you do the mission that would take you off their hitlist very early on.
Yes, the game does clearly mention the light attack stamina as a feature, but as a player the introduction of that idea was meaningless until I had the context of more experience with the system to actually realize how important it was. The concept was introduced, but never explained why it was important to understand, so I never thought it was important to care until it was too late. Second, the zealots do not hunt you even if you ignore that feature where they can be bought off if you help leif or whatever his name is. They will however chase you to the ends of the earth halfway across the map if you ever trigger their hitbar, regardless of whether they are “hunting” the player. If the hunting mechanic has any actual effect on gameplay at all, I was not able to see it between two full play throughs on each side of the equation. I am relatively sure I mention both of these arguments in the critique but maybe I just forgot to add them, sorry if that’s the case.
@@Negonian like I said I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Hearing your explanation in the comment explains a lot and makes sense as to why you spoke about the stamina mechanic the way you did. And yes in the video you just chalked the Zealot system up to being buggy. I could be misremembering wrong to though since I commented after I finished watching the entire thing and those were the only 2 things I wanted to address. Otherwise keep up the fantastic work and I genuinely look forward to seeing you grow!
Was I the only one who didn’t experience any bugs? Like I was fully expecting them and I didn’t get them. But now that I am finished with over 70% I get them. Very weird
Of course it is hard when you don’t level or upgrade armour, if anybody is surprised by that I would be lost for words. Also it is a RPG game so stats are very important or you will get killed in one or two hits. Also it doesn’t sound like you have played origins, because that levelling system was be of the worst I have experienced. I remember landing around 10-20 hits without doing noticeable damage. But from the sound of it, it was mostly your own fault for having a hard time in the game.
Honestly after Origins I was turned off of AC. I really only got this cuz Vikings. Since I had such low standards I'm not disappointed lol and really enjoy it.
I killed members of the order by accident, killed nobodys and triggered cinematics that mean nothing....that is my problem with this AC game at the moment...
At least in Odyssey or Origins, when I would pick up an item, it was either a good item that I would now use, or at the very least something I can dismantle for materials. Every time I open a chest in valhalla it feels like a punch in the face when its more silver
To me the combat looks so much better then odyssey , I love Greek mythology the best but I hated the combat system for odyssey , the combat looks so much better in Valhalla , I’ve played most all of the assassains creed except like 3 of them and had the first one when it released , even though I love the open world aspects , I did hate some of the combat changes , I guess I’m that old school player that appreciated the old combat , but I always adapt and when I saw the combat changes from odyssey I liked what I saw in Valhalla even though some is the same
I was excited when this game was announced but turned off what I saw how janky the combat is. Didn't like it one bit. I wish it was more akin to Origins. This combat is too sped up choppy.
This game is on sale along with Origins and Odyssey for $64. I haven't played AC since AC3 as it bored me to death. Should I take advantage of this deal?
1:58 the actual main story is in fact 55 hours long and yes with extras its about 80, in your case 70. Need to correct that as many people face a problem with how bloated the game is, and the story is certainly not 25 hours even if you rush it.
On a personal note, I can confirm that the main storyline took 25 hours on my second play through so it really depends on the way you play through the missions and such. *shrug* everyone plays games differently
I really disagree with most of your points here ive been playing assassins creed since the first one in 2007 and this is definitely my least favourite in the franchise. I’m not ready to post an 1,000 word essay on my thoughts on the game but yeah I honestly hate it. I respect your opinion and I’m envious that you enjoyed your time. Also good job on the video very well put together
I endured 45 hrs and then quit. I’m still questioning my own sanity as to why I played past the first hour. Cyberpunk might be a broken mess of a game but I wasn’t BORED OUT OF MY MIND whilst playing it. AC Valhalla is the most boring game I have ever played and I have been a gamer since the days of the ZX Spectrum.
It's not a "distinctly reviewer based problem" that's insane. The story is long and drags on for so long without much progress. The pacing is awful. The fact that the game doesn't tell you what is and isn't optional doesn't excuse that and the level gating which forces you to do side content makes it worse. Additionally the skill-tree is a mess. Most people do not want to go through two full playthroughs to understand this stuff, that is a distinctly reviewer based solution.
But theoretically the player who enjoys the systems of the game would then have a chance to spend more time with a thing that they love? It feels too long specifically because those players don’t enjoy the systems enough to have fun with the journey which causes an awkward chicken and the egg situation. Do you think the game is boring because the pacing is poor and the systems aren’t explained well, or is it boring because you just don’t like the style of game this is targeting? I can and did acknowledge that the game is flawed in every way that you pointed out, yet I still found enjoyment from the experience since the journey was worthwhile from the perspective of someone who was exploring the game instead of being forced to simply complete it as quick as possible for the review window. Making it shorter wouldn’t make the gameplay feel any better for people that dislike it’s base nature, only take away from the value proposition for people that did love the game as it now stands.
I agree completely with what you said Vision Plant. I lost interest around 25-30 hours in as it just felt dragged out. And I rushed the remaining hours just to beat it. The AC fandom is just gonna continue to be divided as people have there own opinions, but I personally want them to go back to their roots. If they don’t then Valhalla will be my last AC game sadly.
Plus disappearing armor mainly the Paid armors ,so starting the whole game all over bring it back. But, it a bad bug. This game is very buggy and a very bloated storyline that was just boring. Orgins was my favorite I these newest Trilogies. Didn't like Odyssey that much got really bored of that . That was also, bloated as well.
Seeing all these videos makes me so fucking happy i checked out way back when they were trying to hype that Unity bullshit as a AAA title. Saved myself so much money and disappointment.
I love this game so far but dude you cannot beat it in 25 hours. I’m 29 hours in and I’m in the place after Lunden in the east. Main story is like 40 if you’re rushing it
I can personally confirm that the main storyline is beatable in 25 hours or less because I have done it myself. Considering speed runs are currently around 12 hours it should be more than possible depending on a persons gameplay style.
@@Negonian Honestly good job. But I have to ask, are you on any of the roids? Set me up. Honestly I just feel like the game for most people just doing main story will do it in 40 or so. I couldn’t fathom doing it in 25. And I’m playing on easy cause I’m impatient and just looking for a good time.
The side quests very rarely felt rewarding to me. It’s one of the things I think Odyssey does better because it gives you a variety of short and long quests, and the long quests always have some element of player driven character building. But this game wants to function as a store front, and their reluctance to drop a New Game+ is just them increasing the likelihood that players spend more real money to skip grinding out gear/weapons again if you’re not interested in the community stuff/games as services offerings.
Well, it's great you enjoyed this fantasy historical rpg bigger-numbers-grinder viking hack and slasher but I prefer actual Assassin's Creed gameplay in my Assassin's Creed and Vikings are about as far away from an assassin as you can get.
Agreed imo Unity was the last game to fee like an assassin's creed game, and it's combat was a real evolution of what came before. My problem with the story of Valhalla is that Eivor should have been an assassin that so happened to be a Viking, similarly how Connor was an Assassin who so happened to be a Mohawk Warrior.
@@abc4781 Yeah, that's what happens when Ubisoft tries to cram like 5 different genres into an Assassin's Creed game. Its ends up trying to be different things at the same time rather than doing one thing well. Unfortunately these generic open world rpg looters appeal to more casuals then a focused stealth parkour puzzles. Imo you want a much higher quality open world action rpg looter get Horizon Zero Dawn if you have a ps4 or just play Witcher again and if you must play this thing, wait until the price comes down by at least half.
@@abc4781 Yeah, that's what happens when Ubisoft tries to cram like 5 different genres into an Assassin's Creed game. Its ends up trying to be different things at the same time rather than doing one thing well. Unfortunately these generic open world rpg looters appeal to more casuals then a focused stealth parkour puzzles. Imo you want a much higher quality open world action rpg looter get Horizon Zero Dawn if you have a ps4 or just play Witcher again and if you must play this thing, wait until the price comes down by at least half.
Honestly, I wish these weren’t AC games because I hint being forced into the franchise holds the game back, both in narrative and gameplay. I don’t really enjoy AC games, but I’ve tried to. I own AC:2, AC: B, Black Flag, Syndicate, and Unity. But I want fans of AC to have actual AC games, and would love actual historical fiction RPG’s. Valhalla really nerfed the RPG elements and didn’t commit to delivering any of the core AC elements. Sadly, I think we’ll both continue to be disappointed by Ubisoft’s offerings.
The most tedious, repetitive, generic, bloated, never-ending game I have ever played....Getting the platinum trophy for this was pure and utter TORTURE
Whether it's a bad or good game on its own, I hate that they turned AC into an rpg with rpg mechanics. And with not too great knock off combat of Witcher 3/Souls/Sekiro combat. They've taken everything that made AC unique and instead of developing and fine-tuning those aspects have simplified and dumbed them down when not outright removing them. Basically all that's left of AC is the title, the hidden blade and some similar outfits. I honestly think a game like Ghost of Tsushima is better at being an AC game than any AC game now. At least in combat and stealth. Ghost of Tsushima is an excellent example of how they could of taken AC's various better combat styles like Brotherhood, AC3 and Unity and made a fully engaging, thrilling and challenging system that also looks amazing. Anyway, don't mean to rain on the parade. Valhalla doesn't look like a bad game on its own. It just doesn't look at all like an AC game. It's a Viking action rpg with teh AC banner slapped on it. I wish Ubi would just make a new RPG IP and run these games under it and return AC to the mechanics and gameplay that made it unique and then develop, deepen and improve those.
An AC where stealth is not almost ALWAYS an option has some SERIOUS problems. This game forced me to fight, and, i'm sorry ubisoft if i play this fucking series since AC II and i'm capable of being silent, but i hate fighting. I like the fighting system but i'm a stealthy guy, why the fuck i'm FORCED to fight? I mean, AC II forced you to fight Rodrigo, AC Brotherhood forced you to fight Caesar, but it forced you 3, 4 times MAX. In most part of AC Valhalla there is no stealth, or it SEEMS like it doesn't. I past 40h of my 65h base thinking that, if i hide with the monks and a guard is nearby me, i couldn't keep walking cuz he would notice me. And all because when i'm introduced to it in the game THAT'S WHAT HAPPEND. I dunno if it was a bug, but i restarted the mission 7 times and they always saw me. "But you're a viking, you should run to the fight blablabla", cool dude, so call it VALHALLA not Assassin's Creed: Valhalla.
I stopped playing AC after Brotherhood. I think making a new IP instead of trying to implement an ongoing future story into a game that takes place in several different time periods is very difficult. At this point, this doesn't even resemble AC anymore which is totally understandable. There is only so much you can add to the base formula until it has run its course. The same goes for Mario, Zelda, and Final Fantasy. Just make a new IP with new characters, new rules, and new environments. Of course, there is a financial reason why successful franchises get sequels but at some point, there is no need for a sequel anymore.
I was feeling nauseated while watching this. I thought it was something I ate. Then I paused this video and felt better. I don't know what it was. Maybe the speaker is too robotic. Maybe it was my food. Maybe a combination. Sigh. Good content though
Good review but yet again this game had no business being an "Assassin's Creed" game. The combat sucks, stealth is lame, parkour Garbage and let's not get into the fact that the Viking stuff overwhelms the Assassin stuff in the story. Would have been awesome or worth anything if the Asgard stuff was removed and replaced with assassin focused stuff. The Asgard stuff was the definition of cringe. Ubisoft never listens but I guess they are getting lots of money. Why would they listen.....they must think the games are perfect.
Wow you set the bar very low for the franchise. To each their own of course, though it baffels me how a game which absolutely has nothing to do with the franchise (besides abusing its name) can be ones favorite AC. Its like changeing James Bond into a annonemous generic grunt at the front lines, and than pretending this is really James Bond. If this is your favorite AC your never have been am AC fan. Or pretending everything Lucas Films is doing to its franchises really fits the identity of those franchises. No Im not against change but when you change the identity of a franchise so much to the point is has got nothing in commin with its identity; it simply isnt the same thing. Adding some ultra light (poorly implementated at that) real AC sprinkles in their to pretend this is a true AC installment; says everything. It also baffels how one loves (unless you dont know any better) dumb fetch quests, continuesly dumbed down game/combat mechanics, generic caracter models, grind fest, mts's fest, lazy game/enviromental designs etc etc. "Luckely" Valcrappia was part of the "Ubi cookie cutter era" and thank goodness they fired the man who changed all of their ips in this low quallity generic crap. Which financially punched Ubisoft in the gut (with Valcrappia being the only exception; probally due to its poorly portrayed Vikign theme), and made them come out they want to make their franchises unique again; true AC fans can only hope they keep their word. So the next installment (I dont consider the last 2 pieces of trash real isntallments) is going to be a real AC installment. Hey they even could keep his generic crap cookie cutter formula around under a different banner, for those who live games that support the race to the buttom.
I agree.... Very much a shit game. Making puzzles out of barred doors has literally made this game unpalatable. I bought it on release date and I'm still not finished with it and not because i lack time but u lack desire
Really enjoyable critique, good structure & voice! Keep it up, I'm sure you'll get your buzz
You've convinced me to get this game, once it drops to $15 in a couple years when all the DLC is out and the bugs worked through. Great vid, hope you start to get noticed by the larger community.
Did you buy it?
@@marconapolitano2821 Nah, almost did it a few weeks ago, but ended up starting a fourth run of Elden Ring instead.
You really hit home one of my points about Ubi…”Hey, let’s show them where everything on the map is…but not how to actually play the game…”
Damn this is a good review. Great points.
Great job man, I love your critiques!
Would love to see more videos like this for the rest of the assassins Creed series, especially the RPG games, great work!
I just came back after falling asleep the last time (always watch critiques when going to bed) to tell you that you deserve more views. I love this critique
This is incredible work, my friend. I look forward to more of your in-depths. I can relate to the enjoyment of games being a product of when they intersect with your life - I burned through 200 hours of Fallout 3 when I was unemployed about a dozen years ago and it was a wonderful, mesmerizing place of refuge in a world ravaged by the financial crisis.
As regards the game after tens of dozens of hours in Odyssey trying to max out the Adrestia, I have developed a seething hated for how Ubisoft deliberately kneecaps single player games to flog microtransactions. It is not a practice I want to see encouraged and the fact that Ubi brought in the microtransaction shop and "permanent XP booster" after the initial review period means they've lost my sale.
outstanding critique. i'm astonished your channel is so small, you are easily as thoughtful and well spoken as Noah Caldwell-Gervais or Joseph Anderson.
Been playing Valhalla for the past year (slowly) and I still learned new things about the combat and leveling system. Really awesome review!
One of the best reviews I've ever seen, enjoyed every minute of it :)
I'd love if you could do this for other assassin's creed games especially the other rpg ones, origins and odyssey. :3
Thank you for the beginning part. The person who comes to mind is skill up. I feel like he really hurt this game by posting a negative review like the day after it came out. U can tell he just wanted it to be over so he was the first review.
Amazing content. On par with Joseph Anderson and the other big bois.
Lmfao, comparing him to the massive is not really a compliment.
@@ridleyroid9060 Comparing him to the massive should be a compliment. Generally, comparisons can showcase the flaws or potential of the individual. In this case, comparing him with Joseph Anderson shows this man's potential and quality (maybe you don't like Joseph Anderson so just think of another Great Analysis TH-camr instead). I really enjoyed his video and this was my way to show my support in the future. I think I understand why this can be taken with negative intent and maybe you are right (some people do not like being compared to others especially the "successful" or "failures").
TLDR: it's a compliment if you consider Joseph Anderson great and this guy is great.
@@axelvaldovinos4499 Great and Joseph Anderson don't go well together.
This guy on the other hand actually ooze quality.
Shout out to the soundtrack of this game. Beautiful. Also, I think you've done an incredible job here and found this very enjoyable. In my humble opinion, you've surpassed the mentioned long format video essayist you take inspiration from.
I loved Odyssey even though I was highly skeptical of it before it came out. It became my favourite game, however I can see why it’s a bad Assassin’s Creed game.
The exact opposite is true for Valhalla. I was beyond excited, and yet once I completed the story I didn’t feel the rush I did when I finished Odyssey. This game made me more sick of the RPG style of AC games and makes me want a refresh even more. It bored me more than anything
Can't wait to see your mirage video! Good work
I'm 1:30:00 into your video and only now i realized that your channel is so small, you really should get more subscriptions with a content this well done, great video.
Adding special regular attacks would elevate the gameplay majorly. Like holding r1 and r2 for a different looking attack. And unique attacks when dodging forward and back. 4 things to add . Major update to combat. And each weapon has its own variation on these attacks.
such a breath of fresh air listening to someone who likes Valhalla for once
EDIT: I have no idea how you beat this game so fast, getting 100% took me 230 hours. with Dawn of Ragnarok I'm up to 250 total and I still have 2 1/4 DLCs to go.
EDIT 3: [SPOILER] your dedication to Sigurd isn't "unspoken." his family took you in after the death of your parents. because of that you'd be expected to pledge your loyalty to your liege's first born son.
EDIT 4: I thought 1:19:00 was the most clever part of the game. at first I was frustrated because Havi wasn't landing a single hit on me and there was nothing I could do. but the solution was SO CLEVER and made me feel like that frustration was intentional: they used gameplay to make me feel what Eivor felt.
EDIT 5: 1:47:00 - raid enemies don't respawn. if you go through and stealth kill everyone before the raid you can just run through with your vikingr collecting the chests. obviously you'll still have to deal with the people behind locked doors but that's it
Lol tf, i thought this would be like a 100k sub channel based off the quality of the review. No way this quality goes unnoticed for long.
This video is GREAT. Well edited, well voiced, well paced, everything. You deserve much more attention as this obviously took a ton of work.
This was the first AC game I ever played… I had nothing to compare it to and so I loved it ! I bought the ezio trilogy afterwards and beat AC 2 in a week cus it was so great. So at least this game was good for getting new players into the franchise.
Keep making vids like this, you’re a beast !!!
Really good stuff man !! Great work !!
This was also my favorite Assassin's Creed experience. It was new and different for me being a longtime fan. But I liked it
If this abomination which has got absolutely nothing to do with AC (besides abusing the name of the franchise) is your favorite AC; you never liked the real AC games.
@@minuterepeater2257 says who?
@@zackgero4693 aparently he is the judge of who's a AC fan lmao
Honestly incredible review, I think you’ve convinced me to pick it back up!
I love critique channels, I’ll sub
Super quality review.
Above and beyond most "gaming journalists"
I'm pretty sure you'll get big if you keep up quality like this 👍
Eivor "The Spineless" haha... Loved this review. the best on youtube for sure. you bought up amazing points.. cheers.
Had to pause the video to say how good u were and how amazingly structured Ur critique with some very awesome point,,,, such an underrated channel
That mini cutscene which shows the blade penetrating skull and striking brain... that seemed a little weird to me too. Better suited for Mortal Combat than Assassin's Creed.
1:45:17 "the legendary animal you can tackle after you have all the gear"
Me: skips all the collect material thing and kills the animal with the fists like a real viking
Keep it up! You’ll be famous in no time with your content
I’m glad this is finally a positive review of this game. I always thought most critics were too harsh on it. I gotta disagree on the length issue tho. Sure the gameplay was fun, but not fun enough to carry the game through 45 hours of play. The story (though I didn’t think it was bad at all) was just paced too poorly to keep me interested. It just started to feel like a grind
Amazing work, could you please do retrospectives for the other AC rpg’s? Origins and Odyssey.
Bro you have a new subscriber, great in-depth shit here
*i got the game for 35 bucks last week. the only thing about it that interests me is the Settlement. i love micro management stuff like that in open world games and i honestly couldnt give a damn how the game ends or about the story at all, i just wanna be a viking standing in the wind as my men raid and pillage Mmmmmmmm
The micro management in ac2, brotherhood and ac3 with settlement/villa renovation are way better than anything in Valhalla.
Somehow Ubisoft are the only ones who release games that seem to be going backwards in relation to their earlier entries.
Reviewers nowadays aren't gamers, they're people who require a journalist mode where the game plays itself while they judge from their ivory towers. Of course they won't see any nuance.
Just a critique. You tend to speak from your throat with a groggy sound, so adding a little distance from the microphone will help in the recording. It is very high when wearing headphones and creates a vibration in your ear. Thanks for the review. Test out what I'm saying and maybe you can understand what I'm saying 😁
Ty, nice vid
IMO The most fun/challenging/rewarding way to play this game is to do as follows. The very Second you get to England. Do the 3 level 20 raids, build your settlement to level 2, then build fishing hut. Once you have fishing hut go back to Norway and do the gungnir glitch. Once you have spear and are still only level 18 or so, go back to England, get incendiary powder trap so you can shoot through rock walls. Then go clear all gold dots (and EVERY SMALL chest) out of EVERY HIGH LEVEL region like ham,snot,linc, and glow. Doing that will force you to use stealth and ACTUALLY CHALLENGE YOU. Once you have some decent weapons and armor sets and PLENTY of iron,leather , titanium. Go back and play campaign on hardest difficulty with good loot while STILL AT LOW LEVEL. This will extend the amount of FUN you will have with this game. I’m a troll and I probably sound like a weirdo but after 300 plus just trust me on this one. Also every time you get to a new area use your bird to find opal because it is EVRYWHERE there is 300+ England 150+ in Norway and 100+ in Ireland. If you grab opal as you play On top of doing daily/weekly reda contracts and Ubisoft connect challenges you will be getting helix items for free every week. Last tip is dual spears w/ speed runes if you want to break game
Listening to the end of this video, it’s funny because Valhalla ended up being better than Cyberpunk lmao
Assassins Creed: BloodBourne
Now thats a title for a viking game
See this career through. You should do well.
Damn you need more subscribers! Great content
Okay either your fast or I’m slow, I still have the last 2 arcs to complete and I’m 130 hours in on my first play through on normal!
Great video though loved it!
Nice work dude 👍 Subscribed.
Wonderful review, well done.
This is a brilliant video.
Subscribed. Damn good content.
it took me 140 hours to just beat the game and I didnt even 100% it. how the hell did u beat it twice and even did everything in 140 hours. u must be a god at this game lol. and of course thanks for this review. will be watching this now (just started) and it starts off well
Before getting too excited about Basim. Nothing came from Juno's return, not in the games at least. Her story was continued and concluded in the comics, Iirc. And after three games of buildup this is the punchline to Layla's story. The modern day does not matter that much.
A lot of the learning problems line up with you avoiding side content, it's very "learn by exploring:" the stagger is visually and audibly indicated upon impact, horse training is clearly visible when you talk to a horse person, you didn't touch the d-pad for 60hrs, the game makes you upgrade equipment grade right near the start, etc.. I agree that the explosive arrow should have a note saying they can break cracked walls though, 150hrs before I used that. Nothing's mandatory outside of tutorials though and the big irony of the equipment system is that it's clearly designed with NG+ in mind, but NG+ isn't even close.
This was a great video
I don't like the end entirely. The ending implies that AC will be just COMPLETELY made up history for the next few games. Like, this never happened at all! Ac should have ended after 3. The series has forgotten its thematic roots. This game brings it back but I don't expect that from all the game coming.
Ma'Men i also use the hammer and shield,hammer and knife,hamer and axe...
Assassins Creed 2 still my favorite AC game... can’t get over it over 11 years later
I can’t agree with you more. I played it 2 years ago along with other installments excluding 1, Rogue, and Valhalla. In all of those games, II probably has the chillest exploration. Take Venice for example, while the graphic and mechanics are a little outdated, running around the rooftops, hearing those bricks you ran over along with Jesper Kyd’s amazing soundtracks (Dream of Venice is my top favorite track of Assassin’s Creed franchise), it gives you this calm feelings that I think the later games stop providing.
@Withnail Yeah the modern day in AC2 was a bit boring. But the star of the show is when the main story begins. The story is awesome, Ezio is arguably the best protagonist of the series, the gameplay is a little bit outdated but you will get the hang of it soon after you did a few missions. Jesper Kyd’s soundtracks totally elevated this game and the parkour is amazing
@Withnail definitely try it out. AC 2 has a pretty slow beginning of about 3 hours but after that you’re right into the action. Sci-fi stuff in this AC game is actually good unlike the newer titles. Definitely try it out
I´m one that preffer the "old style" games... But the truth is that if Assassin´s Creed didn´t had changed it would probally be dead by now, at least in my opinion.
Did he just confuse Guy Fawkes with wicker-man sacrifices?
I remember my first play through, came across one of the witches, and I think I spent 2 hours trying to kill her and dying…not realising she was level 250
Holy moly 2 hour video
Genuinely enjoying your videos but there’s a few areas I’m surprised you’re not addressing correctly. For one instance where you said you only learned about light attacks regenerating Stamina after over 10 hours play time when I remember the game tells you this in one of the first fights in the game during the “tutorial/Prologue” section. Also with the Zealots hunting you. Depending on the choices you make in one of the early Regions you have the opportunity to have them not chase after you for the rest of the game. Whether or not you did this unknowingly or your game was bugged I feel like it should be addressed. The game clearly explains the situation to you at the time before you do the mission that would take you off their hitlist very early on.
Yes, the game does clearly mention the light attack stamina as a feature, but as a player the introduction of that idea was meaningless until I had the context of more experience with the system to actually realize how important it was. The concept was introduced, but never explained why it was important to understand, so I never thought it was important to care until it was too late. Second, the zealots do not hunt you even if you ignore that feature where they can be bought off if you help leif or whatever his name is. They will however chase you to the ends of the earth halfway across the map if you ever trigger their hitbar, regardless of whether they are “hunting” the player. If the hunting mechanic has any actual effect on gameplay at all, I was not able to see it between two full play throughs on each side of the equation. I am relatively sure I mention both of these arguments in the critique but maybe I just forgot to add them, sorry if that’s the case.
@@Negonian like I said I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Hearing your explanation in the comment explains a lot and makes sense as to why you spoke about the stamina mechanic the way you did. And yes in the video you just chalked the Zealot system up to being buggy. I could be misremembering wrong to though since I commented after I finished watching the entire thing and those were the only 2 things I wanted to address. Otherwise keep up the fantastic work and I genuinely look forward to seeing you grow!
Mmmmmmm the raid music is probably my fave part of the whole game.
Was I the only one who didn’t experience any bugs? Like I was fully expecting them and I didn’t get them. But now that I am finished with over 70% I get them. Very weird
Of course it is hard when you don’t level or upgrade armour, if anybody is surprised by that I would be lost for words. Also it is a RPG game so stats are very important or you will get killed in one or two hits. Also it doesn’t sound like you have played origins, because that levelling system was be of the worst I have experienced. I remember landing around 10-20 hits without doing noticeable damage. But from the sound of it, it was mostly your own fault for having a hard time in the game.
The only problem is the armor all the armor is pretty ugly mainly the shields
Honestly after Origins I was turned off of AC. I really only got this cuz Vikings. Since I had such low standards I'm not disappointed lol and really enjoy it.
I killed members of the order by accident, killed nobodys and triggered cinematics that mean nothing....that is my problem with this AC game at the moment...
At least in Odyssey or Origins, when I would pick up an item, it was either a good item that I would now use, or at the very least something I can dismantle for materials. Every time I open a chest in valhalla it feels like a punch in the face when its more silver
To me the combat looks so much better then odyssey , I love Greek mythology the best but I hated the combat system for odyssey , the combat looks so much better in Valhalla , I’ve played most all of the assassains creed except like 3 of them and had the first one when it released , even though I love the open world aspects , I did hate some of the combat changes , I guess I’m that old school player that appreciated the old combat , but I always adapt and when I saw the combat changes from odyssey I liked what I saw in Valhalla even though some is the same
I was excited when this game was announced but turned off what I saw how janky the combat is. Didn't like it one bit. I wish it was more akin to Origins. This combat is too sped up choppy.
This game is on sale along with Origins and Odyssey for $64. I haven't played AC since AC3 as it bored me to death. Should I take advantage of this deal?
I think the three games are different enough that even if you don’t specifically like all of them, you’ll probably like at least one of them.
1:58 the actual main story is in fact 55 hours long and yes with extras its about 80, in your case 70. Need to correct that as many people face a problem with how bloated the game is, and the story is certainly not 25 hours even if you rush it.
On a personal note, I can confirm that the main storyline took 25 hours on my second play through so it really depends on the way you play through the missions and such. *shrug* everyone plays games differently
I really disagree with most of your points here ive been playing assassins creed since the first one in 2007 and this is definitely my least favourite in the franchise. I’m not ready to post an 1,000 word essay on my thoughts on the game but yeah I honestly hate it. I respect your opinion and I’m envious that you enjoyed your time. Also good job on the video very well put together
Well it's the most boring ac for me, like I can't fucking play it....
I endured 45 hrs and then quit. I’m still questioning my own sanity as to why I played past the first hour. Cyberpunk might be a broken mess of a game but I wasn’t BORED OUT OF MY MIND whilst playing it. AC Valhalla is the most boring game I have ever played and I have been a gamer since the days of the ZX Spectrum.
Were you trying not to throw up at the bloopers?
It's not a "distinctly reviewer based problem" that's insane. The story is long and drags on for so long without much progress. The pacing is awful. The fact that the game doesn't tell you what is and isn't optional doesn't excuse that and the level gating which forces you to do side content makes it worse. Additionally the skill-tree is a mess. Most people do not want to go through two full playthroughs to understand this stuff, that is a distinctly reviewer based solution.
But theoretically the player who enjoys the systems of the game would then have a chance to spend more time with a thing that they love? It feels too long specifically because those players don’t enjoy the systems enough to have fun with the journey which causes an awkward chicken and the egg situation. Do you think the game is boring because the pacing is poor and the systems aren’t explained well, or is it boring because you just don’t like the style of game this is targeting? I can and did acknowledge that the game is flawed in every way that you pointed out, yet I still found enjoyment from the experience since the journey was worthwhile from the perspective of someone who was exploring the game instead of being forced to simply complete it as quick as possible for the review window. Making it shorter wouldn’t make the gameplay feel any better for people that dislike it’s base nature, only take away from the value proposition for people that did love the game as it now stands.
I agree completely with what you said Vision Plant. I lost interest around 25-30 hours in as it just felt dragged out. And I rushed the remaining hours just to beat it. The AC fandom is just gonna continue to be divided as people have there own opinions, but I personally want them to go back to their roots. If they don’t then Valhalla will be my last AC game sadly.
Plus disappearing armor mainly the Paid armors ,so starting the whole game all over bring it back. But, it a bad bug. This game is very buggy and a very bloated storyline that was just boring. Orgins was my favorite I these newest Trilogies. Didn't like Odyssey that much got really bored of that . That was also, bloated as well.
Seeing all these videos makes me so fucking happy i checked out way back when they were trying to hype that Unity bullshit as a AAA title. Saved myself so much money and disappointment.
Except unity was actually good
I love this game so far but dude you cannot beat it in 25 hours. I’m 29 hours in and I’m in the place after Lunden in the east. Main story is like 40 if you’re rushing it
I can personally confirm that the main storyline is beatable in 25 hours or less because I have done it myself. Considering speed runs are currently around 12 hours it should be more than possible depending on a persons gameplay style.
@@Negonian Honestly good job. But I have to ask, are you on any of the roids? Set me up. Honestly I just feel like the game for most people just doing main story will do it in 40 or so. I couldn’t fathom doing it in 25. And I’m playing on easy cause I’m impatient and just looking for a good time.
Skip cutscenes you can do In 20
@@BoshE5 Not an overly amazing compromise
The side quests very rarely felt rewarding to me. It’s one of the things I think Odyssey does better because it gives you a variety of short and long quests, and the long quests always have some element of player driven character building.
But this game wants to function as a store front, and their reluctance to drop a New Game+ is just them increasing the likelihood that players spend more real money to skip grinding out gear/weapons again if you’re not interested in the community stuff/games as services offerings.
Valhalla is your favorite AC to date??? Damn that's a very very tall hill to die on.
23:15
You need a better thumbnail game my man.
Well, it's great you enjoyed this fantasy historical rpg bigger-numbers-grinder viking hack and slasher but I prefer actual Assassin's Creed gameplay in my Assassin's Creed and Vikings are about as far away from an assassin as you can get.
Agreed imo Unity was the last game to fee like an assassin's creed game, and it's combat was a real evolution of what came before. My problem with the story of Valhalla is that Eivor should have been an assassin that so happened to be a Viking, similarly how Connor was an Assassin who so happened to be a Mohawk Warrior.
@@abc4781
Yeah, that's what happens when Ubisoft tries to cram like 5 different genres into an Assassin's Creed game. Its ends up trying to be different things at the same time rather than doing one thing well.
Unfortunately these generic open world rpg looters appeal to more casuals then a focused stealth parkour puzzles.
Imo you want a much higher quality open world action rpg looter get Horizon Zero Dawn if you have a ps4 or just play Witcher again and if you must play this thing, wait until the price comes down by at least half.
@@abc4781
Yeah, that's what happens when Ubisoft tries to cram like 5 different genres into an Assassin's Creed game. Its ends up trying to be different things at the same time rather than doing one thing well.
Unfortunately these generic open world rpg looters appeal to more casuals then a focused stealth parkour puzzles.
Imo you want a much higher quality open world action rpg looter get Horizon Zero Dawn if you have a ps4 or just play Witcher again and if you must play this thing, wait until the price comes down by at least half.
Honestly, I wish these weren’t AC games because I hint being forced into the franchise holds the game back, both in narrative and gameplay. I don’t really enjoy AC games, but I’ve tried to. I own AC:2, AC: B, Black Flag, Syndicate, and Unity. But I want fans of AC to have actual AC games, and would love actual historical fiction RPG’s. Valhalla really nerfed the RPG elements and didn’t commit to delivering any of the core AC elements. Sadly, I think we’ll both continue to be disappointed by Ubisoft’s offerings.
The most tedious, repetitive, generic, bloated, never-ending game I have ever played....Getting the platinum trophy for this was pure and utter TORTURE
Whether it's a bad or good game on its own, I hate that they turned AC into an rpg with rpg mechanics. And with not too great knock off combat of Witcher 3/Souls/Sekiro combat.
They've taken everything that made AC unique and instead of developing and fine-tuning those aspects have simplified and dumbed them down when not outright removing them. Basically all that's left of AC is the title, the hidden blade and some similar outfits.
I honestly think a game like Ghost of Tsushima is better at being an AC game than any AC game now. At least in combat and stealth. Ghost of Tsushima is an excellent example of how they could of taken AC's various better combat styles like Brotherhood, AC3 and Unity and made a fully engaging, thrilling and challenging system that also looks amazing.
Anyway, don't mean to rain on the parade. Valhalla doesn't look like a bad game on its own. It just doesn't look at all like an AC game. It's a Viking action rpg with teh AC banner slapped on it. I wish Ubi would just make a new RPG IP and run these games under it and return AC to the mechanics and gameplay that made it unique and then develop, deepen and improve those.
An AC where stealth is not almost ALWAYS an option has some SERIOUS problems.
This game forced me to fight, and, i'm sorry ubisoft if i play this fucking series since AC II and i'm capable of being silent, but i hate fighting.
I like the fighting system but i'm a stealthy guy, why the fuck i'm FORCED to fight? I mean, AC II forced you to fight Rodrigo, AC Brotherhood forced you to fight Caesar, but it forced you 3, 4 times MAX.
In most part of AC Valhalla there is no stealth, or it SEEMS like it doesn't. I past 40h of my 65h base thinking that, if i hide with the monks and a guard is nearby me, i couldn't keep walking cuz he would notice me. And all because when i'm introduced to it in the game THAT'S WHAT HAPPEND. I dunno if it was a bug, but i restarted the mission 7 times and they always saw me.
"But you're a viking, you should run to the fight blablabla", cool dude, so call it VALHALLA not Assassin's Creed: Valhalla.
I stopped playing AC after Brotherhood. I think making a new IP instead of trying to implement an ongoing future story into a game that takes place in several different time periods is very difficult. At this point, this doesn't even resemble AC anymore which is totally understandable. There is only so much you can add to the base formula until it has run its course.
The same goes for Mario, Zelda, and Final Fantasy. Just make a new IP with new characters, new rules, and new environments. Of course, there is a financial reason why successful franchises get sequels but at some point, there is no need for a sequel anymore.
so just from the ui im not gonna play this because its basically just another rpg franchise now so im done
I'm not doing to play video games if they are going to try to make every game the some fucked up pathetic fromsoft game. No thanks
I was feeling nauseated while watching this. I thought it was something I ate. Then I paused this video and felt better. I don't know what it was. Maybe the speaker is too robotic. Maybe it was my food. Maybe a combination. Sigh. Good content though
100 hours in this trash
your name will be mentioned in valhalla
Goddamn 140 hours wtf go outside dawg
Good review but yet again this game had no business being an "Assassin's Creed" game.
The combat sucks, stealth is lame, parkour Garbage and let's not get into the fact that the Viking stuff overwhelms the Assassin stuff in the story.
Would have been awesome or worth anything if the Asgard stuff was removed and replaced with assassin focused stuff. The Asgard stuff was the definition of cringe.
Ubisoft never listens but I guess they are getting lots of money. Why would they listen.....they must think the games are perfect.
Wow you set the bar very low for the franchise. To each their own of course, though it baffels me how a game which absolutely has nothing to do with the franchise (besides abusing its name) can be ones favorite AC. Its like changeing James Bond into a annonemous generic grunt at the front lines, and than pretending this is really James Bond. If this is your favorite AC your never have been am AC fan. Or pretending everything Lucas Films is doing to its franchises really fits the identity of those franchises. No Im not against change but when you change the identity of a franchise so much to the point is has got nothing in commin with its identity; it simply isnt the same thing. Adding some ultra light (poorly implementated at that) real AC sprinkles in their to pretend this is a true AC installment; says everything.
It also baffels how one loves (unless you dont know any better) dumb fetch quests, continuesly dumbed down game/combat mechanics, generic caracter models, grind fest, mts's fest, lazy game/enviromental designs etc etc. "Luckely" Valcrappia was part of the "Ubi cookie cutter era" and thank goodness they fired the man who changed all of their ips in this low quallity generic crap. Which financially punched Ubisoft in the gut (with Valcrappia being the only exception; probally due to its poorly portrayed Vikign theme), and made them come out they want to make their franchises unique again; true AC fans can only hope they keep their word. So the next installment (I dont consider the last 2 pieces of trash real isntallments) is going to be a real AC installment. Hey they even could keep his generic crap cookie cutter formula around under a different banner, for those who live games that support the race to the buttom.
shit game, good review
I agree.... Very much a shit game. Making puzzles out of barred doors has literally made this game unpalatable. I bought it on release date and I'm still not finished with it and not because i lack time but u lack desire