The title will refine the Origins and Odyssey formula with an RPG adventure that will go on sale on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and Google Stadia.
The premiere of the cinematic trailer for Assassin's Creed Valhalla has been accompanied by a wealth of official information. Ubisoft has revealed that the game will go on sale for Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC (Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store) and Google Stadia in late 2020. The new assassins is developed by Ubisoft Montreal (creators of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Origins) in collaboration with 14 other studios, including Ubisoft Barcelona.
Players will play Eivor, a 9th century AD Viking hero. who will leave his native Norway, ravaged by wars and famine. He will take his fleet of ships and head to England, where bloody battles await him, for the Christian kingdoms are also immersed in their own conflicts. The goal will be to carve out a future for the clan and find a new home. It will not be an easy task, since the Saxons and the king of Wessex, Alfredo the Great, will put impediments and accuse them of pagans, with the intention of becoming the sovereign of a pacified England.
The hero's journey
"This period of history spans three or four hundred years, in the Dark Ages, but our game takes place specifically in the 870s," says Darby McDevvit, narrative director of the game, in an interview with EL PAÍS. According to the writer, the protagonist shows a duality. “On the one hand, he is part of the clan, he wants the best for them, he struggles to get it; but on the other he has this lone wolf aura. He yearns to be a great warrior, he wants to be respected, admired, win battles, and achieve honor. ” A change from other games in the saga is that Eivor begins his journey as an experienced warrior. "It has a reputation, and it has to maintain it, which makes history take us on other paths," he says.
It should be noted that the player will be able to choose the sex of its protagonist, a path that the previous title has already opened. Also, one of the improvements is the customization of the character, since we can change the hair style, tattoos, war paintings and equipment. On the other hand, the study will continue to delve into the playable formula started in Origins and perfected in Odyssey, so we will once again enjoy an open world, where there will also be room for news. Raids and settlements are promised that we must fortify to increase the degree of influence.
The operation of these settlements will be as follows: in the first place, they will have to build it, but the complicated thing will be to maintain it and observe how it evolves. On raids, as clan leader, Eivor will navigate to the location to plunder as much wealth and resources as they can. In the assaults, there will be epic confrontations between armies: “penetrate the castle, break down the gate, fight your way inside and defeat the enemy. It is not a handful of characters fighting, but rather hundreds of warriors fighting in a specific area. ”
Combat system, dialogues and progression
"Combat," continues McDevvit, "focuses on dual tactic, such that we can have a sword in one hand and an ax in the other, or a shield, or two shields in our hands! If you want, you can play like this. ” Another difference between Assassin's Creed Valhalla and the other titles in the franchise is that the number of enemy types has increased. "We have gone crazy with the number of archetypes you can fight against." According to the developer, until now there were four or five different archetype types, but now there will be two dozen. "They all fight in very different ways, with different weapons and speeds, they are of different sizes." This, he asserts, provides new challenges for players.
Politics is important and Eivor will have to use his diplomatic skills to forge alliances that bring him benefits. The choices in the dialogues will influence the world, so it will be necessary to think carefully about each step. In that sense, the game follows the guidelines of its predecessor. That is, the protagonist has a well-marked personality, which does not deviate like in other games, in which you can choose to be good and bad, to put it in Manichean terms. The narrative director reveals that they have learned a lot about Odyssey's progression system, which will allow them to improve “each weapon” and “each armor”, in addition to choosing and adapting skills.
"We can't wait for players to enjoy the incredible Viking journey that awaits them," says Ashraf Ismail, creative director for Assassin's Creed Valhalla. "By putting themselves in the shoes of Eivor, in their role as Viking looter and leader of their clan, players will face the challenge of establishing a new home in the midst of a power struggle for control of England." The hidden blade of the assassins will return and we already have the first data: it will have a length of 37 cm and will incorporate a system for locking and unlocking the blade, as well as a retractable edge.
All available editions
Ubisoft's new production will come in different editions, as usual. The French company has announced three of them, in addition to the reserve bonus, which is an additional mission. First, the Standard Edition, which will come with the base game. The Gold Edition, meanwhile, will also include the season pass, which has not yet been fully disclosed. According to the image shared by Ubisoft, it will give access to "epic content" and will allow us to obtain new pieces of equipment. We can also explore unknown lands. It is not clear if it will be expanded through expansions, as in the case of Assassin's Creed Odyssey.
The Ultimate Edition also includes the Ultimate Pack, consisting of the Berserker Gear Pack, the Berserker Settlement Pack, the Drakkar Berserker Pack, and a Rune Set. Collectors will have the opportunity to get hold of a series of physical objects thanks to the Collector's Edition, which includes, of course, the obligatory figure.
These are the contents:
- Copy of the game (on PC, digital only)
- Eivor Viking statuette (man), 5cm
- Premium Certificate of Authenticity
- Game soundtrack selection
- Exclusive Steelbook
- Eivor figure (woman), 30 cm
- Set of 3 lithographs
