When a series has run as long as Assassin’s Creed has, there needs to be some kind of innovation that keeps the interest alive. The franchise has had a few titles that have revamped gameplay greatly, although Valhalla can’t be included here as the game brings back tried-and-tested techniques.
Many of them have devolved into weaker levels due to the repetition involved. Other points are weak due to the failure in execution or needless convolution in this regard. In order to decide if this game is for you or not, it’s best to look at where the weak points in gameplay lie and these can be found on this list.
10 The Eagle Vision's Uselessness
It was already seen as one of the worst features of the new Assassin’s Creed games, only for the eagle vision to be turned into a useless chore. Valhalla has the worst mechanics for this aspect, forcing the player to navigate the raven over areas that could be seen even on foot.
Unlike previous titles, this game doesn’t zero in on the important areas but only allows one to spot the vicinity. Since these places are generally widespread, it makes the eagle vision unnecessary and a major downgrade from before.
9 Weapons Upgrade Taking A Long Time To Be Effective
It’s understandable that a title would want players to become pros at gameplay before they can reap the rewards of their efforts. However, Valhalla makes you wait a very long time before weapon upgrades can be credited as making a difference.
Due to the scarcity of resources, most won’t be inclined to upgrade their weapons. Even if they do, the weapons don’t show any real power level unless they’re upgraded several times more. This makes the whole thing a long means to an end, during which gathering new weapons nullifies all the effort put in the upgrading process.
8 The Needlessly Large Skill Tree
The skill tree’s revamp has changed the series going forward, more for worse than for better. Getting around this is an arduous process, to the point where it lasts pretty much the whole campaign before you’ll be able to finish the skill tree.
There’s no satisfaction level to gain here either, as using skill points on particular skills doesn’t show much difference. More than that, a lot of the skills aren’t useful at all or are just added fluff toward gameplay that you won’t be tempted into trying anyway.
7 Stealth Gameplay Being Ineffectual
If one is to look back at all the assassins the series has shown so far, the best are the protagonists who made stealth the main part of their arsenal. That’s not reflected during Valhalla’s gameplay, as it is treated largely in a secondary manner. What’s more, the mechanics are such that stealth isn’t encouraged.
Those trying to be incognito are liable to get spotted since there are hardly any places to hide and using the cloak only conceals Eivor for a couple of seconds. The hidden blade just comes across as a smaller weapon than the deadly silent option that earlier games had made it out to be.
6 No Depth In Combat
The list of franchises with the weakest form of combat will definitely have Assassin’s Creed’s name added. The series has always been bad at this aspect, with Valhalla continuing this mistake by also featuring a noticeably weak version of combat that has no attempt at originality.
It’s just not fun to fight anyone since only two moves are effective -- the dodge and slash. Combos are barely there and even the ones that can be used are so slow that you’re liable to get hit attempting them. Overall, it’s a lot of button mashing that comprises the combat sequences.
5 Being At The Mercy Of Health Packs
It’s one thing to put players on the backfoot because of health packs, and another to force us to collect items to make these health packs. Eivor’s health bar is already easily diminished but the game also requires you to constantly scrounge around to avoid death.
It takes more than several hours to finally scrap together the ability to hold multiple health packs, by which time the attitude of the player will have become a defensive one since the lack of health packs forces you to avoid getting hit.
4 Lack Of Fluidity In Parkour
Much like stealth, the assassins most want to return are the ones who were good at parkour sequences. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has a rather awkward take on this feature as multiple areas require do-overs to climb and navigate.
Unlike some earlier titles, this one doesn’t have the environment positioned in such a way that fluid running can be accomplished. There’s a lack of seamless movement to be found here, at times requiring you to slowly climb places that kill the motivation for a fast-paced experience.
3 The Unspectacular Odin Sight
In order to have a better time at an investigative sight, there are other Assassin’s Creed games you should play after Valhalla. In this one, the Odin sight is an ability that analyses the environment for vital clues and for scouting enemies.
The execution of this feature is done in a weak manner, as things aren’t easily apparent and still have to be tracked down. Not to mention the radius of the sight isn’t as big as it could have been, meaning you’ll probably be invoking the sight more than you’d like.
2 Manually Travelling Large Gaps Between Locations
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla isn’t exactly an open-world with the best side quests, so navigating around the map isn’t the most fun prospect. Unfortunately, it’s a mandatory requirement of the gameplay, seeing as areas are separated by long stretches of land.
There’s no option but to traverse this path, and the result is hours’ worth of time where all one will do is make Eivor run around to get to another particular place. This is only avoided once you’re able to synchronize viewpoints for fast travel but it takes a long time to get to this point.
1 Checkpoints Starting From The Beginning Of A Sequence
In the event one perishes during gameplay, the checkpoint is certain to evoke a sense of frustration. That’s because the sequence begins all the way from the beginning of the event. This means the progress made at the time gets negated.
The previously mentioned point of health packs kicks in here, as the lack of them entails quite a few deaths. With checkpoints starting things over, it can turn into quite the vicious cycle where the same mission has to be repeated just because the starting point stretched so far back.