Published , by Bill Lavoy
Published , by Bill Lavoy
At today’s Inside Xbox event, Ubisoft and Microsoft teamed up to show players a new trailer for the highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. It was described as a gameplay trailer but that’s a huge stretch. At best it was a showcase for in-game cinematics but calling it gameplay might be a bit much.
That trailer doesn't really sell the moment-to-moment gameplay as much as I was hoping, but we did get a few details about Valhalla. Perhaps the most significant was the Smart Delivery announcement. Players that buy the game on Xbox One will get a free copy on Xbox Series X, which should help alleviate some player concerns about buying a game on one console only to have to buy it again a few months later on the next generation.
As for Valhalla itself, players can expect to lead a Viking raiding party from the snowy mountains of Norway to the favorable lands of England. You’ll go on raids, assault major fortifications, make alliances with other leaders, and make difficult choices as a leader yourself. While we didn’t get a look at the actual combat, we’ve heard twice now that players will have the ability to dual wield weapons.
Ubisoft Montreal is also working on player progression, as well as gear and weapons, in a new way. This is a huge point to focus on as a player considering the absolute beating the publisher took over Ghost Recon Breakpoint. The backlash from that game’s systems caused Ubisoft to delay several high-profile titles, so there’s little doubt that Valhalla underwent some progression tweaks as part of that fallout.
We don’t yet have an Assassin’s Creed Valhalla release date, but when we do, we’ll stick it in with our 2020 video game release dates guide. We’ll also be sure to inform you when Ubisoft stops calling cinematics gameplay and releases an actual gameplay trailer for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.