Test of the game Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, the last triple A of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise in the Viking universe. Released on November 10, this episode was an unparalleled success within the French studio. But does he really deserve it? 
This is indeed the best launch in the series. Ubisoft announced it a week after the game's release. This opus would have exceeded the number of sales of the first week compared to all other Assassin's Creed. (Source) This would have allowed this among others:
- The arrival of the next-gen with the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
- A break of 2 years, as opposed to a year usually.
- The Viking era is particularly attractive, thanks to series like Vikings, The last kingdom or the anime Vinland saga.
- The postponement of the long-awaited monster Cyberpunk 2077 which was to be released a little more than a week after Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
- Filling the boredom during confinement.
- Obviously a huge communication around the game.
This is what would have mainly contributed to the success of the launch of the game. But what about the game itself? Does he deserve it?
Feel free to read our articles on the history of the franchise.
The story of Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Let's start by telling the story briefly, without divulging. You play as Eivor, the friend of wolves (Man or Woman, you can change at any time), a viking of the late ninth century. Starting the journey in Norway, Eivor will be forced to leave his homeland. He/She, his brother and his crew, will therefore begin a journey of several days to arrive in England. Once there, the group sets up a settlement and develops their newly formed small village. However, in England they have no allies. They will therefore travel through these Anglo-Saxon lands in order to gain the trust of the Ealdormans, Jarls and Kings present in the four kingdoms of this time: Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia. But obviously, Eivor's quest will be fraught with pitfalls. He or she will have to win battles against an enemy force that operates in the shadows: the Order of the Ancients. Depending on your choices, the sequence of events may differ. Whereas in the present, you always play Layla. This part certainly interests fewer people but has many mysteries and revelations. History more or less respects historical facts. Like all previous games, you will meet real events and characters that existed and lived during this period. This is, however, somewhat modified in order to match the story of the game. It is nevertheless interesting to follow. 
What's changing in gameplay
The "biggest" novelties
The two biggest changes were the looting and management of the colony. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, you will have to upgrade your colony in order to build forge, trade and others. For this, you will need materials recoverable from Monasteries or Abbeys during looting. But this addition is very minimal, the "management" stops to build a building that will be useful for the rest of the adventure. To return to the looting, it is rather successful. Take your drakkar and rush into the enemy camps. The atmosphere is there, your crew sets fire to the houses and massacres all the guards present. At the same time, you recover resources, including those necessary for the development of the colony. In this opus, the skill tree is different and maybe a little too big. Choose between 3 different paths: bear, raven or wolf. -> Bear : Suitable for players who love close combat. -> Raven : Suitable for players preferring discretion. -> Wolf : Suitable for players adept at ranged combat. The equipment is lootable in chests and is, therefore, rarer. This adds a little more interest to weapons and armor and a feeling of reward. Each piece of equipment is oriented towards one of these branches. It will be improved according to the branch you have decided to develop. Nevertheless, this part is only useful at the beginning, because in the end you will have all the skills of the three branches. Add to that, you can learn skills in the form of knowledge books. They are scattered all over the map and encourage exploration. As in Odyssey, these are "assets" that you can use in the middle of battle. 
The smallest changes
For the smallest changes, Ubisoft has chosen to stay in its comfort zone with this Action-RPG formula. It certainly works well but tends to annoy players more and more. See even disappoint fans of the franchise. We are closer to a simple RPG than a good Assassin's Creed. As for the fight, it doesn't change much. Apart from a stamina bar that is added and an execution animation. The addition of dismemberment is a thin detail but it adds a little pep. Some small returns to the roots are to be noted. The return of the secret blade will please fans of the series since its inception. You can blend into the scenery or the crowd and go unnoticed by the guards. But this feature is quickly contrasted by looting and assaults . No more quests like "Can you kill this guard!" which were repetitive and quite frequent in Odyssey. Make way for events called "Mysteries". They are all quite unique and sometimes contain easter eggs from movies, series, games and others. Despite some similarities for some and a writing of dialogues that sometimes leaves something to be desired… We can think of a small effort on the part of Ubisoft in the narrative but it is still secondary events. Finally, other small events have been added, such as the drinking contest, the dice game called "Orlog" or the verbal joust. 
Graphics and animations
No surprise on this side. Assassin's Creed games are generally beautiful and feature sumptuous landscapes. Between the snow-capped mountains of Norway and the medieval atmosphere of England filled with remnants of the Roman Empire. Not to mention the decorations in connection with Norse mythology and the famous Valhalla. The landscapes are successful. However, the graphics engine has been the same since Assassin's Creed Origins. With the arrival of the PS5 and the XBOX Series X, we could have expected an "upgrade". For animations, well, it's not bad, but there is better. Problems with lips sync (lip synchronization) or unrepresentative expressions. Enough to make us face in their place. Strawberry artificial intelligence is no longer a surprise at Ubisoft. Enemies and allies alike will sometimes have completely random and stupid moves. 
Bugs, it would become a habit
We can also not miss the famous Ubisoft bugs. Quite frequent now, it would almost become a habit. Nevertheless, it easily interferes with immersion and happens at the most unexpected moments. These are still present despite an update released 2 weeks after the launch of the game. The good thing is that some of them have the merit of being quite hilarious.
The Original Soundtrack, the strong point
This is probably the biggest highlight of the game. Three composers make it its success:
- Einar "Kvitrafn" Selvik, Norwegian musician famous for composing the soundtrack for the Vikings series.
- Sarah Schachner who has previously worked on the series, including Assassin's Creed Origins.
- The return of the iconic Jesper Kyd who marked the first games of the franchise. His famous theme "Ezio's Family" from Assassin's Creed 2 is repeated throughout the games.
There's no denying that this time around, the game's music is really excellent. Well adapted to different situations, both in combat and exploration. 
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is, so to speak, a good game. Its success remains deserved, because it will appeal to any RPG fan and fan of the Viking universe and Norse mythology. It does not, however, surpass other games of the same genre released long before. The Witcher 3 or Red Dead Redemption 2 for example, remains far superior in exploration or storytelling. Absolutely something is needed that sets the series apart from the simple RPG that Ubisoft offers us.
