Simone Feroci

I’ve been reading a lot of negative reviews, but since I’ve been loyal to the franchise for some time, I’ve decided to buy it and play it myself. I finished the game’s main story in two days, and left with “so that’s it?” Also, not a lot of side missions, compared to its predecessors. The story lacks emotional involvement, not a lot of references to the Middle Eastern culture either, which I was expecting, seeing how Valhalla, Odissey and Origins thrived on their respective mythologies. I think Ubisoft attempted to go back to the original AC format, and they shouldn’t have done it. Once the franchise evolves the only way should just be forward. Sad to be one of the (too) many disappointed, I hope there is a lesson to be learned for Ubisoft moving forward.

After something like 5 years (Black Flag was the last game I played then), I got back to most of the the AC saga: I played Unity (meh), Origins (supercool), and Odissey (amazing). I’m now playing AC Valhalla, and after 35 hours in the game, I have to say it’s kinda frustrating. I’m at a stage in where in order to proceed with the lore I am forced to augment my skill points, by repeatedly raiding villages or doing side quests. Creatures with ridiculously high levels, you can’t fight them unless after the game I suppose, when your level sort of matches their own? Games should be about fun, you gotta make it easy for those who like me enjoy the storyline and its development rather than challenging fights. Players that want it hard can just raise the difficulty. Repetitive, same mechanic when it comes to create alliances, it’s the same thing over and over and over, with different little storylines. Also dispersive, you kind of don’t realise when you’re playing the main storyline or a side one. It’s hard to orientate. Bugs and glitches: a lot! I don’t mind a bug or a glitch, it can happen and it did in the previous AC titles, but in AC Valhalla I had to reload the last or previous saving TOO MANY TIMES because the mission would stall with no apparent reason or because to trigger the cutscene I would have had to go anonymous when I was already, and I’m just 35 hours in! Graphics are good, Norse mythology is super interesting, but rather than concentrating on it it concentrates more on the Danes’s approach to England. I liked how they depicted the rural England and its villages (I lived in London for many years and I love it, so maybe that’s why I liked it). I will try to finish the game, but after this one I’m gonna dive back into Odissey, hoping that the next AC title will be equally entertaining and not frustrating.