MyMMO author Jürgen Horn is currently being drawn to a game as if by magic, neglecting all other games harshly. Find out here why Assassin’s Creed Valhalla excites the Vikings fan Jürgen so much and why this solo game could also be an optimal MMO.
The best part of my job as a game editor is when I can write about my favorite moments in my favorite games. Many article ideas originated during a round of Apex Legends or Fortnite.
But currently neither the MMORPG ESO captivates me nor does the otherwise great season of Apex Legends entice me. And the entertaining campaign of CoD Cold War is still not completed.
The reason is the game Assassins Creed Valhalla. A game I have been eagerly waiting for months and whose release date I have marked on my calendar.
If you like Vikings and Last Kingdom, you can’t miss this
Here’s why I like Valhalla so much: If the undercut and the thick Thor’s hammer around my neck haven’t caught your attention yet, I want to say that I’m a big Viking fan and therefore also appreciate series like Vikings and Last Kingdom very much.
If you have a typical episode in mind and immediately dive into Valhalla afterward, you hardly notice any difference. The visuals, the soundtrack, and the entire presentation scream “Vikings!”
But unlike in the series, I experience everything myself here and can explore as the stoic Viking warrior Eivor in medieval England, facing off against people like the crazy Ivar, the stoic Ubba, the ambitious Harald Finehair, or the cunning King Alfred of Wessex.
The game perfectly captures the atmosphere of this rough time and its inhabitants, mixing it all again with a healthy dose of fantasy, as gods like Allfather Odin and terrible monsters from mythology appear.
But as an MMO fan, I am especially fascinated by the structure of the game. It corresponds roughly to what I expect from a perfect open-world MMO, and when you embrace this “MMO-like” presentation, the virtual saga is a lot more fun for me!
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla reminds me of the open-world MMO I would like to have
Here’s why AC Valhalla could be an optimal MMO: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is by no means the predecessor Odyssey with Vikings instead of Spartans. Because while Odyssey was a classic RPG with dozens of quests, Valhalla has only a few main tasks. All side activities are not quests, but small, entertaining events. You can play them as if the game were an MMO.
Here’s why the quests are so good: The game takes the path that the MMORPG Guild Wars 2 also takes. I always particularly enjoyed when dynamic events occur on the map and you either participate or you don’t. This removes the stressful urgency from the game, that you must talk to that obnoxious NPC with the question mark over their head right now.
This always annoys me because I actually want to do the quest, but maybe not immediately. But the question mark forces me!
In GW2 or now Valhalla, this is not so. If I suddenly see a farmer complaining about a rat plague during my stroll through England, I can simply ignore the fellow and continue because the main story involving an exiled Viking princess is more interesting to me right now. Since he doesn’t have an annoying question mark over his head, I don’t feel compelled to help him immediately.
Or I can decide to stop and listen to the farmer’s whining. If I find the matter appealing, I can seek help from the neighbor lady. She is, after all, the early medieval equivalent of the crazy cat lady and hoards a horde of wild cats in her house. Once I persuade the old hag to let “Freya’s Hosts” out, the rat plague is also dealt with.
All these events go quickly and easily, and usually have a funny or surprising punchline. In this regard, they also remind me of the sometimes grand quests from my favorite MMORPG ESO, only the developers at Valhalla managed to keep everything short and concise without sacrificing quality. I would wish for something like that for the sometimes very lengthy ESO quests as well.
Here’s why exploring is so much fun: The open structure of quests and achievements in the game makes me really want to completely discover this wonderful game world. I definitely want to know what lies behind the next hill.
Oh, an old watchtower with a viewpoint! I’ll take that one too. Ooh, from up there I see ancient Roman ruins on the horizon! There’s definitely something to be had there! And over to the west is an ancient stone circle; there’s surely something mystical going on!
A similar exploration fever only grabs me with a new chapter of ESO, where the vast areas invite exploration and discovery each time.
Raids would be optimal coop content: In other aspects of the game, I always think to myself, “How cool would that be as multiplayer content?” This becomes especially evident with the raids, which are also called “Raid.”
This involves a special event where you raid a monastery or castle and, together with other Vikings, loot all the treasures you can find on site. Since the NPC Vikings actively help and fight enemies alongside us and break open doors or chests with us, a cool MMO feeling arises here even without players.
If Valhalla were a real MMO, you could set up the raid like a heist in GTA V. At least it feels a bit like that.
Why Assassin’s Creed Valhalla can’t be an MMO?
All these aspects would fit perfectly into an MMO like ESO. Medieval England during the time of the Viking invasion would also be the perfect setting. There’s something for explorers and PvE fans, and those who want to go raiding can indulge in PvP.
The main story would be told through elaborate dialogues like in ESO or Guild Wars, and since Valhalla also incorporates mystical elements into the game, beings like trolls, giants, Valkyries, or dwarves would not be a problem.
For endgame raids, one could even travel to Asgard or other mythical regions like Jötunheim or Muspelheim.
Also, there would be enough space for extensive role-play and the opportunity to write one’s own stories. A housing system where you can build your own Viking settlement already exists in Valhalla.
If Ubisoft ever turns its Assassin’s Creed series into an MMO, I hope it will be called “Valhalla Online” and align with games like GTA V.
Jürgen Horn
Editor at MyMMO
By the way, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla already has a cool online feature. You can create your own Viking NPCs in an editor and share them with the rest of the community. You can read how to do that here.
