Assassin’s Creed Valhalla recreates the Viking age in a spectacular way, and accomplishes its most important goal in the process.
After playing just under three hours of an early build of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, I came away suitably impressed. Not because the game dramatically differs from Assassin’s Creed Origins or Odyssey – Ubisoft hasn’t delivered the type of paradigm shift that we saw after the much-maligned Assassin’s Creed Unity – but because Valhalla has managed to deliver a thoroughly convincing world, set in a historical time period that I’m genuinely fascinated by.
After all, the Viking age is one that had far-reaching implications for many European countries, particularly Britain, and its effects can still be seen today. York, a scenic town no more than 45 minutes away from my home, was famously invaded by Ivar The Boneless and subsequently renamed Jorvik. Pretty cool, right?
Now, various school trips aside, what really reignited my passion for burly bearded-men and inspirational shield-maidens was the aptly-named Amazon Prime show, Vikings. Watching the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, Lagertha and the heartless Ivar was truly gripping entertainment, particularly as many events took place in familiar locations. Sure, liberties were taken with timelines and historical accuracy, but it provides a bewitching insight into what life was like.
It turns out that the vikings were an incredibly complex and contrasting set of people. Their savagery is usually highlighted in dramatic fashion, and their surprising amount of sophistication and progressive ideals are often overlooked.
