The next title is coming to Norway with a Viking as an Assassin. The next game is going to be called Assassins Creed Valhalla, and it was a spectacle to watch it all unfold first on the long teaser video. Ubisoft then dropped the much-awaited cinematic premiere trailer. Everybody was hyped and it was the main focus for the last few days.
We all know that the protagonist is Eivor, who can be male or female, and it is his task to make a new settlement on the green, abundant lands of Britain. In this trailer, he battles against its armies and in the midst of it all, meets a hooded figure with a raven flying over him. He instantly recognizes the man and announces that Odin is with them. To us, it hints of an assassin and his raven is his ally.
That makes everyone curious: what does that raven do in the game? Lead producer Julien Laferriere tells us all about it, the mythology, and more details in an interview with gaming publication Eurogamer.
Assassins Creed Valhalla raven will play important role
While Laferriere did not give too many specifics on what the raven’s role will be in Valhalla, he did confirm that the bird will have new abilities to use when exploring the lands of Britain. He revealed that it will be a reason for players to re-explore the world to satisfy their curiosities and it will be less reliant on the UI. The developers want to make sure that by using this feature they will be rewarded for getting curious. Since the theme is Vikings, they want the community to be like them: great explorers of new lands.
Norse mythology integration
As was mentioned, Eivor recognized the hooded man as the Norse god Odin since there was a raven beside him. Odyssey allowed players to meet the legendary creatures and characters of Greek mythology, so it would make sense that Norse mythology will continue on Valhalla. The lead producer confirmed this and divulged a little bit more information about how they are integrating this to the game.
Laferriere revealed that the team has found a way to integrate the lore into the game and it seems to spoil something big. He did not continue to spill anything more, but he did hint that the gods were part of their daily life. The Vikings believed that the gods were just roaming around the earth, involved in fights, and just doing things what humans would do. This was actually what the spirituality of the Vikings was all about. This also hints us that things are not quite as they seem to be. It seems to be that the Assassins are somewhat revered as gods at this point… somehow. This is just speculation on my part by the way.
Single player all the way
Ubisoft has finally confirmed and dispersed some rumors saying that Assassins Creed Valhalla will be co-op gameplay. A spokesperson clarified that the game will be a single player experience, but it will have online components. These features will allow players to share their progress and creativity to the gaming community. Laferriere also confirmed that there will be present day gameplay and the team has found a way to blend the present day into a new type of experience for the players.
Assassins Creed Valhalla will launch sometime in holiday 2020. It will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC via Epic Games Store, and Google Stadia.
Interview source: Eurogamer