On April 30, Ubisoft finally revealed Assassin’s Creed Valhalla through an official trailer. Valhalla is the 12th major installment in the long running Assassin’s Creed series, following 2018’s Odyssey. It is set to be released in the last quarter of 2020, during the holiday season. Ubisoft also confirmed that it will be launched for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC exclusively on Epic Game Store, Google Stadia, Ubisoft Store, and UPlay+.
The announcement trailer gave fans a glimpse of the new game’s setting, characters, and gameplay. The developers confirmed that Valhalla takes place in 9th century Europe, and follows the story of a Viking raider named Eivor, who leads his people from Norway across the sea and into the kingdoms of England.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is currently being developed at Ubisoft Montreal with the help of over a dozen Ubisoft associate studios. Ubisoft Montreal is the team behind Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.
While the official trailer didn’t feature a clip of the game’s direct gameplay, several scenes can confirm the fact that there will be new additions that Valhalla will introduce in the series gameplay.
Features and Gameplay
According to the developers, the open world setting of the Valhalla that features England’s Dark Ages and Viking culture will bring some key elements into its gameplay. One of these elements is the Viking settlement Eivor is leading, which looks familiar to Black Flag’s Inagua settlement.
Valhalla Game Director Ashraf Ismail explained that the settlement present in the game is a key feature, and described it as a core experience of the game. He explained that the settlement will act as your home, and that whatever you’re doing in the game world will affect the settlement. Players will also be able to build tons of structures that come with their own gameplay purposes. And that each event in the game that happens based on your decisions will grow the settlement.
Although, as explained in the game’s plotline, Eivor and his people must leave their settlement to travel to England using naval ships. Naval combat was introduced in Black Flag, and will be featured in Valhalla. This means that the player can go on raids to gather resources from the waterfront.
The developers further explained that Valhalla will allow players to use dual-wielding weapons to defeat a greater variety of enemies. In addition to that, players are free to choose Eivor’s gender similar to Odyssey. They can either play Eivor as a male or female, and will also be free to customize the character’s features including hair, tattoos, clothing, gear, and war paint. Political alliances and dialogue choices made by the player will also affect the world of Valhalla.
The World of Valhalla – Story
As the trailer reveals, Valhalla focuses on Eivor’s journey to take his people from Norway across the sea and into the four kingdoms of Europe. Ubisoft confirmed players can explore those territories. They can dynamically go back to Norway anytime they want, and explore the four kingdoms of Europe: East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex. As Ubisoft said, their goal is to deliver the Viking experience and fantasy through Valhalla.
Another interesting thing about Valhalla is that it features elements of Norse Mythology. As seen in the trailer, Eivor seemingly sees the Norse God Odin on the battlefield, who transforms into a raven and then flies away — signifying a good omen amidst the battle.
The developers explained that Norse Mythology and beliefs was an everyday part of the Viking culture and history, and thus plays a big part in the Eivor’s storyline.
Ismali further explained that Odin and the raven’s scene in the game symbolizes the Norse people, their belief structure, and the Norse mythology that is a part of their life.
Game Editions and Release
As announced by Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set for a release in the holiday season of 2020 — probably between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It will be published for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and will also be the first entry in the series to be released for the new PS5 and the Xbox X Series consoles.
As Ismali said, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is meant to be a flagship game for the next-gen consoles. It will have faster loading times, and is designed to deliver the most immersive experience.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla comes in four editions: Standard Edition, Gold Edition, Ultimate Edition, and Collector’s Edition.
The Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Gold Edition comes with the base game and the season pass. While the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Ultimate Edition will include the base game, the season pass, and the ultimate pack. The ultimate pack will feature the exclusive customization content such as the Berserker Gear Pack, the Berserker Settlement Pack, and the Berserker Longship Pack. It will also include a set of Runes you can use to improve weapons and gear.
Last but not least, the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Collector’s Edition will include everything in the Ultimate edition, and also comes with a 30cm replica of Eivor and his longship, a collector’s case, a steelbook, a 5cm Viking statuette of Eivor with his raven and Dane axe, a numbered certificate of authenticity, exclusive lithographs, and a selected soundtrack.
All these game editions will be available on the Ubisoft game store.
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Know more: https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/assassins-creed/valhalla