Thread by @stephentotilo

During my break, I “finished” Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which is to say I got the good ending after 141 hours of Viking adventure. Went from liking it (the prologue in Norway), to being a bit bored (early on in England), to really loving it (the rest). It’s remarkable. 1/6

I know it’s too long for many people. The developers probably should have made more of its regional quest lines optional. I didn’t mind. I played for about two hours a night, for three months, and I was repeatedly amazed by this thing the game does.

Simply: Valhalla consistently offers the thrill and delight of encountering intentional, human creation within a seemingly natural place. Everywhere you go in the game’s beautiful version of 9th century England, it’s evident someone placed something interesting for you to find.

To put it more plainly: Valhalla is stuffed with excellent authored quests, puzzles and lore—at a finer level than most games of this type. I find it best played as an unhurried hike that’s rich with wonderful discoveries.

I’d climb a tower, dive into a lake, and discover a cleverly-crafted challenge to find a way into a cave. I’d cross a river and rescue a poet who’d then deliver rhyming commentary about my next actions as I triggered them. I’d gradually gather pages of fictional Viking epic.

I’ve played tons of huge games. Valhalla is beyond most. It’s light on banal filler, rich with exceptional craft. Much of its best is hidden or remote, making exploration rewarding. I hope Ubisoft treated the army of people who made the game well, because they over-achieved. 6/6

Oh, regarding the ending (w/o spoiling)...It was classic AC, aka classic Lost, aka classic cliffhanger absurdity best experienced with a Wiki recap nearby...a type of ending that worked great when the series was three 20-hour games old. Nowadays, maybe should include recap videos