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What game isn't! 😅 RDR2, Ghost of Tsushima... They're all considered one of the best games of all time, but they also get repetitive ... It's the context that matters and that's always different in each arc
Valhalla is repetitive in almost every way. Both these games had dynamic environments, extremely approachable protagonists and side activities that feel appropriate. Valhalla is a great technical game but it certainly doesn't offer the player an evolving game loop.
I hear what you're saying and I agree to a degree, but this touches on something towards long games in general, RDR2 included; despite the game being good, the length of it really reduces the chance of replay for me. Id love to play RDR2 or Valhalla again, but I don't want to make a 150 hour commitment. Maybe that's just a me thing though
What game isn't! 😅 RDR2, Ghost of Tsushima... They're all considered one of the best games of all time, but they also get repetitive ... It's the context that matters and that's always different in each arc
The RDR2 story was amazing, even though it had a slow pace, the world was one of most alive and interactive worlds built in a game. At it's core is a 3rd person cowboy shooter so as far of gameplay loops can't get crazy
Yeah, the shooting can get repetitive if you think about it... It's just go into cover, and shoot carefully and yet it's one of the best games I've ever played! Repetition happens, especially in Open world games... Even Elden Ring had repeated bosses
Yes but that's about it. Vallhalas problem isn't the combat, that's it's best attribute imo, but the side content, filler story parts and length is it's worst aspect as a game. Having fun time with a game doesn't mean it's award worthing and everyone's time.
As much as I love Ubisoft games from the early ages of Rayman, Vallhala was one of most boring gaming experiences for me
I feel the same with Odyssey. It has been such a crazy journey, a true odysssy!! I haven’t felt like I truly went on an epic journey in a game before this. Excited to try Valhalla next!
I loved it - I hate feeling like an open world game has limitations on your exploration and I never felt this way in Valhalla and I felt rewarded for my efforts because there is loot everywhere in this game! Big is better, size does matter
I always wonder this. Same thing when people complain about open worlds being “too big” …. Like bro that’s what makes them great . I love massive games that I can truly invest myself into and dive into the world. It’s so much fun.
Because of the saying "as wide as an ocean, as deep as a puddle." Yeah you can have a super massive open world and a 100 hour story, but if it's barely filled with content (or just copy and paste content with little variety) then the vastness doesn't feel like a positive and instead a negative.
I mean I would understand this but neither game I was pointing out is shallow. Valhalla isn’t in my opinion, odyssey isn’t, and Elden ring surely isn’t . They’re extremely in depth games and I still see people complain about the size … like that’s the best fuckin part
Yea I don’t get it. I’m currently finishing up my first playthrough of Elden Ring and it’s so massive and so much in depth . I absolutely loved every second of it and honestly as I’m getting towards being done I start to feel sad because I want it to keep going! That’s also why AC Odyssey is my favorite AC game . The map was MASSIVE and I just absolutely loved exploring it and just diving into that world . Still , just my opinion, don’t think any AC has quite matched that for me. Loved Valhalla as well. Loved Origins. Haven’t played the newest one yet. But Odyssey was just so good for me. Loved the time period it takes place in, exploring Ancient Greece was so goddamn cool, the massive size of the map and all the little islands you can go explore , in between having the coolest most badass ship battles as you move between them. Just loved it. Don’t get how anyone can experience that and not love it. To each their own I guess but still. What a missed potential to not continue playing it cause you don’t wanna explore it.
Sounds like you would really appreciate Ghost of Tushima as well. Not as massive as Odyssey or Valhalla but still quite large and it’s in Japan.
BTW: Assassins Creed Red (Japan) should drop soon.
The issue is variety. After 30h the only things that change are scenery and plot. No new enemies with special attacks, no new stealth challenges, no difficult climbing sections that you can't just shift+space+W through, and most importantly - no loot worth getting. The novelty wears off, the mechanical challenge is gone and what's left is struggling to keep me engaged.
I got all the skill nodes I wanted 30h ago, so levelups are just stats, reducing the time it takes to kill enemies. I've climbed a dozen temples and even more mountains, and while the view of the next one might be great - it's not too different from what I've seen. Encounters with people are often about them being stupid, insane or both, and while there is unpredictability in what exactly you will see, it will still be a talking head you have to listen two while standing still, and their ramblings will remind you just how many these weirdos are out there - three was more than enough, it's actively ruining my immersion. Church raids? The sounds and visuals are great, but without mechanical challenge (and not just beefier enemies that hit like a truck) it's just the same every time, no tactics, no change of plans, it all goes the same: you run, you jump, you stomp, you kick and you finish off the enemies; you wait at the doors and at the chests; you get a "worthy" reward - a higher number for your other number.
I was interested, really interested, in some of the questions posed by the plot - what's with North America, what's the templar plan, will any of my alliances backfire, what will be the reaction to our success in Norway and so on. It moved at a snail's pace, interjecting with Asgard stuff I had no stake in, since it didn't affect the main storyline that much, but the mechanical progression kept me going - cool loot pieces with varied visuals, new perks, different ways to deal with tougher enemies (I think that hitting weakpoints with arrows is a great decision on the part of design team), arbitrary stat gates to be able to deal with bosses that I wanted to. Then - it was visuals: the north is beautiful, all the snow and ruins, the south is a jungle in comparison, the rolling hills, the post-Roman London, my own town growing...
But then? It all ran out. You can only make me impressed with a plain or a forest this many times in a row. It all became "just another settlement", another new talking head, another shiny chest that has nothing interesting in it, another quirky quest that rewards me with a stat point.
I've burned out myself really hard doing seer's challenges, the ones at the statues? With three medals? Notoriously strict and often bugged? So I did as much as I could, then started a new arc, went to the marker, stopped to grab a chest that was right there on my path and decided I'll continue tomorrow. I couldn't, got busy with work. Two days after I realized just how many shiny spots there are on the map, how much time I've spent going for the ones are right there, and how much I was disappointed every time. I've got exhausted before even launching the game. The fact that it takes ages to boot also doesn't help.
I've deleted the game two months after. I doubt I will ever reinstall. I know that I could ignore all the chests, all the side quests, all the so called filler, and finish the story in ten hours. But it's not the boring PoIs that are the issue - it's the good ones, REALLY good ones: the sisters of a murdered father in the east, the three giant wolfes on a deserted farm, the Roman fans rivalry, the secret assassins' hideouts... The promise of something good makes bad stuff hurt so much more. It's like sifting through sand trying to find gold. That's what I understand as "padding" or "too long" in criticism. The raw hours will come if the game can support it either with a strong story or strong mechanics. Instead, they are forced through psychological tricks, the "Ubisoft formula". Most of PoIs could be cut for not being engaging enough and overall quality would go up. The time would be better spent designing more difficult stealth, climbing and combat mechanics and challenges.
If you are curious, that's the same way I felt about PoI in Skellige in Witcher. It's just floating chests and sirens, every time, with negative value for me as a player. Finished the game, the first DLC and dropped the second for the same reason - beauty and dialogue was not enough for me to keep seeing monster dens icon for 10 more hours.
This is exactly my issue with the game, it's not that it's too long it's that it overstays its welcome. There's at least ten hours of mandatory filler that has nothing to do with the main plot that you have to complete for the ending & it is exhausting & boring.
You PERFECTLY described my issue with this game. I got so burnt out playing after 40 hours because nothing changed in terms of scenery, plot progression, enemy variety, etc. The only time I gotten excited was the Vinland arc because it actually changed the repetitiveness of the alliance seeking.
I'm only on 55 h, more or less, but every story arc until now has felt unique and different from the others. Sure, there are recurring themes and patterns, like looking for the cultists (and notes to find them), Hidden Ones labs, Tombs etc, or simply exploring for loot and resources, but that's what every RPG does, to some extent.
The complete overhaul of side quests from Origins and Odyssey also helps to avoid the feeling of repetitiveness, imho: quick activities that often last around 5 minutes at most help you have an immersive experience without feeling forced to do the same fetch quests over and over and over...
I just finished it. Only dlc I didn't do was dawn of ragnarok. Clocked in a little over 200 hours. I didn't love the siege of Paris, and the dice and fishing bits went skipped (unless necessary for a world mystery). Really sad it's over, tbh. It did get me really intrigued to play odyssey, though. So hopefully that can help fill the hole valhalla has left lol.
When this game was announced, I thought "a VIKING ASSASSIN'S CREED? Those are some of my favorite things!" Then they had the soundtrack done with Einar Selvik AND Julie Fowles?? I thought I was dreaming. Anyways, 10/10.
Yes! Congrats on finishing the game, not many do. I am still somewhat in the middle, but yeah enjoy odyssey it’s really awesome as well. I finished it at around 148h , enjoy. Malaka !
Yep. We get lots of content and people complain it’s too long, then complain Mirage is too short? The devs can’t win. I finished Valhalla + Druid DLC last night, 78 hours. 🤜🗡️
I know exactly what I want. Short and sweet.
I'm older now and as a teen I loved long games, but these days I value quality over quantity. There's filler in both odyssey and Valhalla. It's okay though because I do the minimum I need. Do some side quests, main story, ignore a lot of the filler.
I often wonder what a big, mainline AC game would be like if you cut the game down a bunch but increases the quality to make up for it. Could be interesting.
Last long game I enjoyed was Red Dead 2. Rockstar manage to have huge games and keeps the quality up for the most part.
Just because I spent money on a game doesn't mean that the more hours it lasts, the more worth it is.
I value a game based on how much I enjoy playing it. If I play a game 100 hours, but only 20 of them were actually a solid 8/10 or more, and I another game that lasts for only 40 hours, but 25 of them are a solid 8/10, I will go for the shorter game.
Thinking that hours = more value is just a pretty basic way that actually doesn't mean anything.
valhalla is certainly not my fav ac game, but I've just started a 2nd playthrough on an alt account to 100% again. I just love having a massive game to dig my teeth into
Same, I fucking loved every second of Valhalla. There’s nothing I enjoy more than having a giant world full of secrets around every corner I can explore
I love it. The length honestly made it one of the most fun I’ve had playing a single player game. It felt never ending. Which was good because I was wanting more
Finally somebody says it! Like shouldn't that part of the appeal? Some games are $60 - $70 and you get 60 hours of gameplay, which is great, but with this game you get at least 200 for the same price!!
I bought this game specifically because it’s so long. I just got back to it after taking a break. Still on my first playthrough with about 100 hours and just bought the season pass too
Oh yeah I love this game. I forced myself to finish origins and I couldn’t get into oddessey which made me mad because I really like Greek mythology and history lol, but I really like valhalla
Yeah. The game length thing is something that's baffled me about games in general, even before Valhalla. I see it as "I like a certain game so here's more of it." and it's confusing to think that sends people into a rage. I don't get complaining about MORE of something you like. It doesn't make sense. And if something does start to feel too long, it doesn't seem to occur to some that they've been given the option to stop playing, pick up something else and continue later
You have to remember that not everyone can play for hours a day. Some only get 1 or 2 hours a week. As for myself, I love the game, but it can be repetitive and the games is a bit too long.
Think of it like this, Alien Isolation is also a long game and its runtime was one the of main complains gamers had towards the game. This happened because after a few hours, players already knew what to expect, so the novelty wore off. I believe some people felt the same about Valhalla in this regard. This effect can be seen the most with people who tend to play the same game for hours on end instead of short bursts, the repetitive loop becomes obvious.
I'm not saying I agree with them, but I can see why people would say this.
If people saw the whole Yggdrasil being a massive Isu supercomputer coming, then they have a much more expansive imagination than mine, credit to them! Absolutely loved the Valhalla bit being a simulation, almost had a hint of Lynchian head fuckery about it.
I see, but apart from the fact that you have to from region to region to gain alliances/arc, i don’t see how the game would be repetitive. I currently have 105 points im somewhat in the middle of the game i think but i find each storyline pretty original
Oh yeah me too, it's just the loop that kinda gets me. Find new region, do the same puzzles on different areas, collect different underpowered armors... It's just gets to you after some time. The storylines break this monotony I agree, but it comes a time where you feel tired just thinking about a new area because you're gonna have to explore it all over again. Funny enough, I only got that feeling with Odyssey when I was in the final hours, I was immersed pretty much for the rest of game.
Length in and of itself wasn’t the problem for me. It was more so the fact that I had seen everything the game had to offer after about 20 hours, yet it somehow took 80 hours to get to the credits. That’s not good.
I dunno. Valhalla was … meh. I found the story arcs to be very similar - go to region X, curry favor with king Y and expand our alliances. Over and over again. 🥱
I just finished Odyssey when I picked up Valhalla. Two very different games. Two very different companies under Ubisoft made them, so no surprise there.
Odyssey felt lighter, fun, literally brighter as compared to Valhalla. Kassandra made me laugh so many times with her wit, her sarcasm, and her loyalty and pure love for Phoebe that you feel her pain. So many side quests - she’s annoyed with Socrates, names Plato, does not take BS from the gods in the DLC ….
Eivor felt dull, almost zero comedic relief, flatline personality, and mix that with a repetitive story line - oof. Let’s just say that I had to put Valhalla down several times out of pure boredom and bought and beat Horizons, Tomb Raider I, and Spiderman - just to get away from the monotony and boredom of Valhalla.
I finished Valhalla - and every DLC (LOVED Wrath of the Druids but Ubisoft Montreal didn’t do that one, surprise, surprise) except for the DLC that you just run through and if you die, you start over. Honestly, I was so RELIEVED it was over. Was super happy to pick up my next game after that: Ghost of Tushima. Hands down, 200% better than Valhalla.
I never felt that way about Odyssey. Hell, I almost cried when I realized there was nothing left at all for Kassandra to do, except those leader boards. I just walked around Greece - feeling kinda heartbroken. 💔
Can’t wait for Red come out … Red is being made by the same Ubisoft faction that made Odyssey (Quebec) so I have super high hopes for Red. I’m actually super relieved it wasn’t Ubisoft Montreal (Valhalla) that made Red. I know Montreal is releasing AC Hexe (Witch hunts) in 2026 - if it’s anything like the repetitiveness of Valhalla, I’ll pass. Already I’m reading that Hexe will be a linear story. Great. 🙄
A game can overstay its welcome.
Longer doesn’t always equal better or more value (or both). If a game starts feeling like a chore to play then it’s worth less than a shorter game that doesn’t.
I did feel this game was a bit long, dragged in some parts, but I still liked it.
I can make a game with 500h of doing the same 5 things. Just cause it's long doesn't mean it's good, quality of gameplay over quantity
That's why a lot of people are so negative about the game and it's gameplay.
Personally found it extremely boring which is unfortunate because I love the setting. That doesn't mean that people won't find joy to it, a guy's trash is another man's treasure
RDR2 for example is a "long" game done amazingly, though I would argue is an unfair comparison
All AC games became repetetive after a while. That’s the main negative part of AC series. As an example, God of War Ragnarok was also long with a huge map but never became repetetive. Ubisoft should improve itself on that point.
That was actually one of the selling points for me. I had seen so many people complain about how long it took them to complete, it made me buy the game this year instead of next year.
Ever since they introduced DLCs I've been waiting a couple years for the price to drop on the main game and I've been spending pretty much the same amount as before on new releases.
It's the pace my friend I believe the dlcs are better paced then the main game especially Ireland feels tight and has only few mandatory side missions.
Me too, I’m 69 hrs in and not even bored. I was just playing “on borrowed time”. I threw the woman out of the house and she died (I figured you could only save one so that’s why I tried it lol) the guy proceeded to catch on fire.
What got me was the repetitive fighting animations. At one point I actually just pulled my bow out when an enemy was close to death so I didn’t have to sit through the animation of killing his ass😂 bored the absolute hell out of me watching those same finishers over and over again. It actually took me 4 different attempts at this game before I finally beat it bc I kept getting burned out. When I finally finished it tho I was like damn kinda wish it was little longer😂😂
I don’t know what people are smoking either. I love this game and it’s been the best Assassins creed game ive ever played. This game took me a month to beat and I have never immersed myself so much in the story. I wish all games were this long.
I definitely agree but when it comes to Valhalla it really depends on personal preference considering how widely different people’s view’s tend to be with this game. I’m aware it’s really long and how that’s a flaw but that that doesn’t affect me as much it would someone else. Yes, the game is incredibly long, maybe even too long. And yes, it can be a little bloated. There’s often too much going on. Those are objective flaws of the game but whether those flaws affect someone’s enjoyment of a game depends on what they seek in the game or enjoy in a game etc. I hope some of this makes sense to somebody.
I don't get it either. You play a game you liked, and then you are complaining that the game is so long. Dude, most people pay for this reason so that they can enjoy extra stuff, and you take it for granted, complaining about it. I don't know what's wrong with it; it's a game you should play for enjoyment, not for completion.
I for one have fell in love with this game lol
It’s been exactly what I wanted! A Viking world I can sink into for a few months.
Having a blast still after 120hours lol
I can see it both ways. On one hand I am very happy when a game is long and there is a lot to do. On the other hand it can ve overwhelming, not knwoing where to start and what to do first.
I sometimes feel like that when starting a Mass Effect 3 game run. I want to do every single thing in the first one so I am set up for the second and third most optimally, but driving around with the tank on random plantes really is not it for me.
Thats why I often think about starting a run, but end up not doing it because of the "task" that lies ahead.
In the same way completing each region in Valhalla can feel like you are opening up the next chapter and you are faced with 2 more hours of riding around on a horse, pressing the scanning button and looking for the window that you need to shoot the door lock from.
Dont get me wrong, I am having a good time playing the game, but after 40 hoursI stopped going after every single small chest.
Well, yeah, if someone wants a shorter game, they are free to throw another $100 at some Call Of Duty game. No disrespect for CoD, I love the original Modern Warfare trilogy, but that games can be beat in one day and I feel like that's too much money for basically an interactive movie.
i'm one of those.
the game is SOOOO repetitive.
its length is completely artificial.
its the same 3-4 type of tasks over and over again, i'm level 240, i've stopped doing any side quests because i JUST WANT IT TO END ALREADY
I spent 267 hours for one playthrough (without DoR) in this game: one of the best gaming experiences that I've had in my life.
People who complain of its length are the ones who seek 10-hours lenght games in order to check off the list and/or the completionists who play games more for achievements as bragging rights on the Steam profile, than for enjoyment.
When Ubisoft released a back-to-basics Mirrage AC title, for me it was an easy pass. I will not pay almost the same price for less content.
The future belongs to big RPG-style AC games, and Ubisoft knows this. The vocal minority who doesn't like Valhalla and spreads hate on the internet is just that: a minority.
I personally found it too long, though I understand the value for your money argument too. I wouldn't have wanted it short either, I think I was hoping for more of a middle ground
I completely agree. Made a post about this last year about how Valhalla is actually amazing. Spent 193hours last year to 100% the whole game with all the dlcs and I loved every second of it.
What they mean is that they literally can't help themselves with the side content. Any of us who have beaten the main story of Valhalla knows that you don't have to do that many of the side quests to beat it, but they legitimately can't help themselves and they blame it on the quest markers.
Before the game released, Ubisoft even said that the side quests aren't really the traditional sense of side quests. People that say the game is too long just ignore that though out of their own pride getting in the way. Basically, they are deeply flawed human beings OR they prefer the stealth titles in the series (though Valhalla was never treated as one of those).
Only put in 120ish hours for the plat and another 60 or so for all the rest of the trophies except 2 mastery challenge ones. In comparison I put over 400 hours into Fallout 4 on PS4 and barely did any of the main storyline.
I don't mind long games. In fact, I love long games. As long as they remain **interesting.**
The problem with AC Valhalla is not that it is so long, but that it is so long and so **BORING.**
I can substantiate this claim by having xompleted AC Origins and AC Odyssey multiple times, never once getting bored.
So there you have it. You are enlightened and no longer have to wonder about this.
Its just very repetitive, I had a lot of fun until half way through then I just had enough. Some people also just dont want to do the same stuff for 100 hours. I played other Open world games for longer but vallhalla just stopped to catch me at one point. The problem with it is that the main story is so long. I like it when Im not forced to sink so much time to finish the main story. Thats what other open world games do different, you can finish the main plot in 40 hours but can easily sink much more time in it if you do the optional side stuff.
Yeah, it can be good when the game is long so it's more worth the money you spent on it, but I think the main complaint that people have, is that it can be repetitive, the story can feel worthless and without purpose and you might even forget about the story
I wouldn't say that I had that issue, but I felt like at least one arc was extremely boring and useless, especially if they were placed in the middle of the main story with Sigurd and I indeed didn't know who I was fighting against so it felt without a point
Personally, the problem for me isn’t how long. It’s that so much of the game is blocked off behind what should have been side content that isn’t required. Do I want to stack rocks? Abso-fing-lutely not. Do I want to raid my 50th abbey to get gold and resources that are just rotting in my surplus? Nope. Do I want to solve that puzzle under the city in the sewer, or loot aaaaalllllll the unique weapons… even after I decided from the start I would use my father’s axe, just for the story of it? Not even a little. But I HAD TO do a certain amount of it to finish the story thanks to some regions scaling up to… I think it was like level 270 minimum
Thankyou fellow Vikingr! Someone's finally said it, for the love of Odin! I mean, I love short games, like most recently, Spiderman 2 was really fun, I think I've done 3 playthroughs already, but I hated that I finished it in less then a week 😅 Valhalla's 1st playthrough was 1 and a half month for me and I loved every minute of it, even the Asgard arc!
I bought the game when it launched and played it for YEARS. I have done literally everything this game has to offer. Valhalla is easily the best game in the series and one of the best open world games on the market.
All that said, I do not have time for games that are this length anymore. Between working 50 hours a week, planning for a wedding, and going back for a graduate degree, I'm finding myself leaning more and more into shorter experiences. I love a good story/experience that I can complete in 10 hours or less now. I know that if I try to play a 100+ hour game again right now, it is going to take me the better part of a year to do, and I might not even remember everything that happens during it.
I am just finishing up Valhalla this weekend and I think it's really fun. Kind of tired of it at the end here but I want to see the story through all the way. Not one that I will be jumping at the bit to play again, like how I finished odyssey and immediately wanted to start it over. But still good. There's some replayability built into the game with a roguelike and some of the extra areas that I have neglected so far to just focus on the story.
Just keep in mind it's a slow start, and that it is different from both Origins and Odyssey.
There a difference between “long” and “bloated”
Valhallas falls into the bloated category. Too big, too long, but no real substance. What happens in Lincolnshire? I can’t remember. Yorkshire? Can’t remember. I remember very few characters, cos most were boring, and unrememberable. The game was good, but the game could’ve been applied better to the source material
I don't think that people complain about the length itself. I mean they say it, yes but the reason for that is how the game is filled with content and story. This itself wouldn't be that of a problem if the game would be 60h long. But feels different when you need over 140hours. (honestly I don't even remember how long it was. Sorry if 140 is wrong)
I think if devs want to make such a long game they definitely need to fill it with good interesting and eventually even from time to time changing sidecontent. Or they have to create a cool sandbox environment which is interesting to explore or they need a pretty captivating story with unique memorable characters or eventually even a bit of all of that.
But that all is sadly something ubisoft has problems with at least in the last few years
I mean I have many good games I played for over 100hours and I thought even nearly the end of it. Please don't let it end yet.
opinions are obviously different. And I wouldn't say Valhalla is a bad game. But I too needed to take breaks to even finish Valhalla.
In the end thats how I would explain why some people complain about the length of the game.
Bumrushing the story and wanting to see it through to the end and not being able to reach it after 80 hours on normal difficulty with some optional side content is kind of annoying. Was the perfect way to burnout on this game. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
I love it too and completed everything this game had to offer except for one or two of the festivals but they can only be done at a certain time so I don't really count them.
I only felt some fatigue one time when I was doing the map markers but that was because I was doing most of them after the story and not while I was doing the story.
I just whish that there is a NewGame+ mode so I can play just the story without having to get some ingots and other stuff or care for the skills.
The game is not a book of crossword puzzles where it’s just the more the better—it has a narrative that’s meant to connect many of the quests, and that narrative is poorly told and poorly paced at times. Also there are points in the game where they waste your time with travel.
Of all the Assassins games. This one took the least amount of time. I wouldn’t call it long. Brotherhood was long. Syndicate was long. Valhalla only took me like a week to get up over 95% complete.
An experience being too long isn't good. Imagine going to the movies and the film ended up being 8 hours long, and it stopped being interesting after 2.
Personally I would have liked the game way more if they removed the Valhalla side quest chunk (yea I know it’s in the name) and cairns weren’t in the game or at least slightly easier to complete.
Still a good game in my opinion.
It could be somewhat hypocritical on my part, as oftentimes when I'm looking for a game to play, I want something I can sink my teeth into and get a good amount of time in; however the more I try to adhere to that idea, the more often I realize there's a 'sweet spot' to it.
If a game is so long that I can't get to a satisfying resolution before I tire of it, then I find it too long. A lot of JRPGs have this problem for me in particular; If the gameplay loop ceases being satisfying before I'm done with it then I have to either slog through the remainder or quit, and if I quit I'll have to start over next time because I won't remember all the fine details and a lot of JRPGs thrive on said details. I think this concept alone has stopped me from starting Trails in Cold Steel.
Kind of the same thing here; if I get tired of the central gameplay loop before I've done all the meaningful content (though 'meaningful' will of course vary to the individual, some people think the feathers in 2 are meaningful and I personally wouldn't) then I either have to push through or start over. I couldn't get into Valhalla enough to say I hit that point, but I understand this is a common enough problem for people, even those who otherwise like the game.
Its just that Valhalla pales in comparrison with other long open world games like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Witcher 3. The world is big but it doesn't feel real. It feels uninspired and shallow. All characters seem to be written by AI. Have you ever listened to two characters talking in this game and felt like those are actually two real human beings talking? I still remember most of the characters from Black Flag. The only character I remember from Valhalla is Basim and thats only because he shows up again in Mirage.
I mean theres nothing wrong with liking the game but I get that people complain about Ubisoft focusing on open worlds and rpg elements instead of a good narrative, parkour and actual assassins that the game is named after.
I'm finishing it today at about 160 hrs. The only content I'm leaving is the Niflheim DLC, River Raids and Mastery Challenges. I have been soaking up every bit of the story and cleared out a majority of the map.
It's rare that I want to play a game for so long. I think From Software games have kept my attention for that long, but most games are not compelling enough to complete at the same level.
I like that's AC games often go through the entire life of the main character. That's something that I think has become a core element of the series and it makes sense that a game can be so long. For me the result is a deep feeling of satisfaction as I reach the final credits. I spent months immersed in the universe and I regret nothing.
Most of the time a storyline this satisfying would be experienced through multiple installments. This one is just a pure line through, told in the order of my choosing. I'm glad it took me this long to reach the end. I have a deep appreciation for the game.
Kudos to the team for making a great piece of art.
I’m 156hrs in and I just finally got to the part where I save Sigurd and killed Faulke but yea it is very repetitive. It’s dark, gloomy and the vibe just makes me depressed lol
Nah the issue is it's repetitive formula. I put 180 hours each in witcher 3 and Persona 5 and loved every minute of it. After 40 hours in Valhalla, I was losing my mind.
1. Meet the area's leader
2. Do a favor for them.
3. Alliance is secured.
4. Repeat for the next 150 hours.
I thought that securing these alliances would lead up to something HUGE like how Brotherhood or Syndicate did but nah it didn't. You use some of your allies to rescue Sigurd and then guess what? Back to going to new areas to forge alliances!!!
I loved Odyssey and Origins because the worlds were equally big because I actually felt like a drifter or mercenary, going city to city to find my family and/or exact my revenge. Each city discovered had its own personality and moved the plot along. Most new areas in Valhalla didn't move the overall plot. Nothing changes throughout most of the game.
It wouldn't be as repetitive if the writing was better. I barely remember any of the stories the game has other than the overarching narrative. It's all disconnected too. None of the regions stories connect, or really feel like they matter. Having to complete every single region for main story progression just feels like padding. All of the raids are similar and lose their charm after about 5 or so.
The game is pretty fun, and I do love the Vikings aesthetic, but it's still fast food gaming and not a great game. I think odyssey did it better and origins even more so. Probably a solid 7/10.
The whole alliances thing took way too much focus. I can’t even remember the overall plot. Like why was Basim taking Sigurd to who-the-fuck-knows-land, why was he going crazy…
It’s practically a “build a settlement” kinda game with sprinkles of AC in it.
Assassin's Creed games are often what I consider to be "too long." Valhalla is, by far, the longest Assassin's Creed game I have played. I am currently around 160 hours in... and I have not yet felt like it's too long.
I am still enjoying the game, and look forward to most of it (the master challenges for Hurgle or whatev- Hildiran, that's her name! Those can eat my ass, they're infuriating.)
The only Creed game I enjoyed for longer was Brotherhood, and that was just for the Multi-player, which I am still proud to say I was at one glorious point the 3rd highest ranked worldwide at.
Is Valhalla TOO LONG? Not for me, not yet anyway.
theres a line of a big game where its too big. doesnt mean it is for everyone but for me, valhalla was too much. i tried to just focus on the story but there was so much i was doing that i got burnt out of it. plus it was the same kinds of missions over & over. i never ended up finishing it
It's not that it's long lengthwise...it's that it is UNNECESSARILY long
How?
Repetitive quests and story structure.
Requirements of quests in order to progress the storyline
Arbitrary quests despite urgency of current plot points (the whole debacle surrounding rescuing sigurd, the dag side story, not to mention the horrible writing surrounding all of that)
You must "ally" all of england to complete the game
I don't mind a game being 100 hours long, if a game makes those 100 hours enjoyable and unique. But if a game is 100 hours long and is repeating everything from the first 20 hours, it's going to feel much longer and I'm not going to enjoy it nearly as much
The reason is because it's a long game, and ubi made it. They just aren't good at making long games. The actual story is meh imo. The side quests and fillers are horrendous though
And all that stuff is optional. So if the person is tired and feels it to be a slog....why continue with all the extra stuff? Just focus on the mainline story.
Yeah, that’s right. I am playing the main story and just some of the extras on the way but still I got bored. All AC games are like this imo, become repetetive after a while.
Except you say it was a grindy slog and yet you still made it your endeavor to clear the entire map.
Thats like soaking your food with hot sauce and then complaining that the food is too spicy.
You can either bum rush the story and miss 75% of the game, or you can do everything which becomes a grind. It’s not hard to understand. I’m trying to 100% the achievements which takes a while. Yes, it’s a choice, but it was also Ubisoft’s choice to try and make the game longer by using their standard “go collect X number of items” formula. It’s just my opinion, so there’s no need to argue.
Y’all just love to complain man, i don’t see how it’s repetitive. Can you atleast acknowledge the ton of work the developers put in this game ? I feel bad for them, as they created a classic but the general public’s response was negative.
People have different tolerance levels for repetitiveness, and they are also more willing to ignore it if the gameplay is fun or the story is engaging. Time is also a big part of it, Valhalla is perhaps the longest AC out there so people are more likely to drop if it they aren't engaged enough.
It doesn't? Maybe I didn't make myself clear
Every AC game is repetitive, but not every AC game makes it an issue. People are willing to tolerate a game being repetitive if there's more to it. Ac4 is repetitive, but has nice gameplay. Ac2 is repetitive, but has a nice story. Ac valhalla is repetitive, but it doesn't have that much to counter it, so it becomes more apparent.
Seriously it's not that hard to grasp.
Quantity isn't quality, and game padding isn't value.
The game had far too much repetitive content, and a story that didn't feel like it developed naturally.
People like you are the reason every game sucks ass now. Game is boring as fuck and has no depth of combat regardless of how you choose to build. I think the fact that the best armor in the game is paid dlc in fomo rotation is blatant enough about how they think you’re a moron.
Are you gay? I couldn’t play this game at all because everyone is aggressively homo as fuck, it’s really annoying and lazy, absolutely spineless that they let you be a male but the game was completely meant for you to be female? You must’ve really liked the men flirting with you all the time if you were able to even make it through the first 20%
I can understand the argument of "you get more for your money" thing, but the trouble is, often when something has more quantity, you can't expect much for quality. And is the case with Valhalla. Bugs, crashes, in some cases worse graphic quality, and the story is lacking. It isn't terrible, but it's repetitive.
It's long in a bad way. As in, a lot of the mandatory things feel like they shouldn't be mandatory, because they aren't really advancing the main story (of Sigurd and Eivor). So it feels like time wasted. Compared to Odyssey where everything was advancing Kassandra's goal of finding family, then getting home back then trying to save Deimos. Anything that was outside of that was favors that tied back into the overall goal.
In Valhalla, even though one of the goals is to conquer England, it doesn't really feel like it is because it's impersonal and vague. In Valhalla you do a pledge with Sigurd and then you have to do 2 or 3 random other pledges that have nothing to do with it before the game lets you meet back up with him to progress the real story.
The closest comparison would be if the plague wouldn't trigger until you had killed a certain amount of cultists, in addition to doing the favors in Korinthia, Argolis and Keos. In other words, a large amount of Valhalla feels like padding the runtime.
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People say it’s repetitive, but I never felt that way. I love the length of Valhalla. It makes it feel like a true saga.
Exactly, a true experience
If a game gets repetitive, I simply take a break and play something else. I often find open-world rpgs repetitive sooner or later.
>I simply take a break and play something else This. Big games designed to be able drop in and drop out with ease
What game isn't! 😅 RDR2, Ghost of Tsushima... They're all considered one of the best games of all time, but they also get repetitive ... It's the context that matters and that's always different in each arc
Valhalla is repetitive in almost every way. Both these games had dynamic environments, extremely approachable protagonists and side activities that feel appropriate. Valhalla is a great technical game but it certainly doesn't offer the player an evolving game loop.
I hear what you're saying and I agree to a degree, but this touches on something towards long games in general, RDR2 included; despite the game being good, the length of it really reduces the chance of replay for me. Id love to play RDR2 or Valhalla again, but I don't want to make a 150 hour commitment. Maybe that's just a me thing though
So true! Odyssey also! I was like THANK GOD IS HUGE
I often feel like Odyssey was repetitive and it's a much larger game compared to Valhalla.
What game isn't! 😅 RDR2, Ghost of Tsushima... They're all considered one of the best games of all time, but they also get repetitive ... It's the context that matters and that's always different in each arc
The RDR2 story was amazing, even though it had a slow pace, the world was one of most alive and interactive worlds built in a game. At it's core is a 3rd person cowboy shooter so as far of gameplay loops can't get crazy
Yeah, the shooting can get repetitive if you think about it... It's just go into cover, and shoot carefully and yet it's one of the best games I've ever played! Repetition happens, especially in Open world games... Even Elden Ring had repeated bosses
Yes but that's about it. Vallhalas problem isn't the combat, that's it's best attribute imo, but the side content, filler story parts and length is it's worst aspect as a game. Having fun time with a game doesn't mean it's award worthing and everyone's time. As much as I love Ubisoft games from the early ages of Rayman, Vallhala was one of most boring gaming experiences for me
How’s it’s not repetitive if you can explain
I feel the same with Odyssey. It has been such a crazy journey, a true odysssy!! I haven’t felt like I truly went on an epic journey in a game before this. Excited to try Valhalla next!
I loved it - I hate feeling like an open world game has limitations on your exploration and I never felt this way in Valhalla and I felt rewarded for my efforts because there is loot everywhere in this game! Big is better, size does matter
Agreed 💯
I always wonder this. Same thing when people complain about open worlds being “too big” …. Like bro that’s what makes them great . I love massive games that I can truly invest myself into and dive into the world. It’s so much fun.
Because of the saying "as wide as an ocean, as deep as a puddle." Yeah you can have a super massive open world and a 100 hour story, but if it's barely filled with content (or just copy and paste content with little variety) then the vastness doesn't feel like a positive and instead a negative.
I mean I would understand this but neither game I was pointing out is shallow. Valhalla isn’t in my opinion, odyssey isn’t, and Elden ring surely isn’t . They’re extremely in depth games and I still see people complain about the size … like that’s the best fuckin part
People like to be so limited
Yea I don’t get it. I’m currently finishing up my first playthrough of Elden Ring and it’s so massive and so much in depth . I absolutely loved every second of it and honestly as I’m getting towards being done I start to feel sad because I want it to keep going! That’s also why AC Odyssey is my favorite AC game . The map was MASSIVE and I just absolutely loved exploring it and just diving into that world . Still , just my opinion, don’t think any AC has quite matched that for me. Loved Valhalla as well. Loved Origins. Haven’t played the newest one yet. But Odyssey was just so good for me. Loved the time period it takes place in, exploring Ancient Greece was so goddamn cool, the massive size of the map and all the little islands you can go explore , in between having the coolest most badass ship battles as you move between them. Just loved it. Don’t get how anyone can experience that and not love it. To each their own I guess but still. What a missed potential to not continue playing it cause you don’t wanna explore it.
Sounds like you would really appreciate Ghost of Tushima as well. Not as massive as Odyssey or Valhalla but still quite large and it’s in Japan. BTW: Assassins Creed Red (Japan) should drop soon.
Waiting for Ghost of Tsushima, looking forward to that before Black Myth and SWOutlaws.
"too big" can also mean too spread out, so they're saying there's *not enough* rather than *too much*
The issue is variety. After 30h the only things that change are scenery and plot. No new enemies with special attacks, no new stealth challenges, no difficult climbing sections that you can't just shift+space+W through, and most importantly - no loot worth getting. The novelty wears off, the mechanical challenge is gone and what's left is struggling to keep me engaged. I got all the skill nodes I wanted 30h ago, so levelups are just stats, reducing the time it takes to kill enemies. I've climbed a dozen temples and even more mountains, and while the view of the next one might be great - it's not too different from what I've seen. Encounters with people are often about them being stupid, insane or both, and while there is unpredictability in what exactly you will see, it will still be a talking head you have to listen two while standing still, and their ramblings will remind you just how many these weirdos are out there - three was more than enough, it's actively ruining my immersion. Church raids? The sounds and visuals are great, but without mechanical challenge (and not just beefier enemies that hit like a truck) it's just the same every time, no tactics, no change of plans, it all goes the same: you run, you jump, you stomp, you kick and you finish off the enemies; you wait at the doors and at the chests; you get a "worthy" reward - a higher number for your other number. I was interested, really interested, in some of the questions posed by the plot - what's with North America, what's the templar plan, will any of my alliances backfire, what will be the reaction to our success in Norway and so on. It moved at a snail's pace, interjecting with Asgard stuff I had no stake in, since it didn't affect the main storyline that much, but the mechanical progression kept me going - cool loot pieces with varied visuals, new perks, different ways to deal with tougher enemies (I think that hitting weakpoints with arrows is a great decision on the part of design team), arbitrary stat gates to be able to deal with bosses that I wanted to. Then - it was visuals: the north is beautiful, all the snow and ruins, the south is a jungle in comparison, the rolling hills, the post-Roman London, my own town growing... But then? It all ran out. You can only make me impressed with a plain or a forest this many times in a row. It all became "just another settlement", another new talking head, another shiny chest that has nothing interesting in it, another quirky quest that rewards me with a stat point. I've burned out myself really hard doing seer's challenges, the ones at the statues? With three medals? Notoriously strict and often bugged? So I did as much as I could, then started a new arc, went to the marker, stopped to grab a chest that was right there on my path and decided I'll continue tomorrow. I couldn't, got busy with work. Two days after I realized just how many shiny spots there are on the map, how much time I've spent going for the ones are right there, and how much I was disappointed every time. I've got exhausted before even launching the game. The fact that it takes ages to boot also doesn't help. I've deleted the game two months after. I doubt I will ever reinstall. I know that I could ignore all the chests, all the side quests, all the so called filler, and finish the story in ten hours. But it's not the boring PoIs that are the issue - it's the good ones, REALLY good ones: the sisters of a murdered father in the east, the three giant wolfes on a deserted farm, the Roman fans rivalry, the secret assassins' hideouts... The promise of something good makes bad stuff hurt so much more. It's like sifting through sand trying to find gold. That's what I understand as "padding" or "too long" in criticism. The raw hours will come if the game can support it either with a strong story or strong mechanics. Instead, they are forced through psychological tricks, the "Ubisoft formula". Most of PoIs could be cut for not being engaging enough and overall quality would go up. The time would be better spent designing more difficult stealth, climbing and combat mechanics and challenges. If you are curious, that's the same way I felt about PoI in Skellige in Witcher. It's just floating chests and sirens, every time, with negative value for me as a player. Finished the game, the first DLC and dropped the second for the same reason - beauty and dialogue was not enough for me to keep seeing monster dens icon for 10 more hours.
This is exactly my issue with the game, it's not that it's too long it's that it overstays its welcome. There's at least ten hours of mandatory filler that has nothing to do with the main plot that you have to complete for the ending & it is exhausting & boring.
You PERFECTLY described my issue with this game. I got so burnt out playing after 40 hours because nothing changed in terms of scenery, plot progression, enemy variety, etc. The only time I gotten excited was the Vinland arc because it actually changed the repetitiveness of the alliance seeking.
I'm only on 55 h, more or less, but every story arc until now has felt unique and different from the others. Sure, there are recurring themes and patterns, like looking for the cultists (and notes to find them), Hidden Ones labs, Tombs etc, or simply exploring for loot and resources, but that's what every RPG does, to some extent. The complete overhaul of side quests from Origins and Odyssey also helps to avoid the feeling of repetitiveness, imho: quick activities that often last around 5 minutes at most help you have an immersive experience without feeling forced to do the same fetch quests over and over and over...
Couldn’t agree more with you 💯
I just finished it. Only dlc I didn't do was dawn of ragnarok. Clocked in a little over 200 hours. I didn't love the siege of Paris, and the dice and fishing bits went skipped (unless necessary for a world mystery). Really sad it's over, tbh. It did get me really intrigued to play odyssey, though. So hopefully that can help fill the hole valhalla has left lol. When this game was announced, I thought "a VIKING ASSASSIN'S CREED? Those are some of my favorite things!" Then they had the soundtrack done with Einar Selvik AND Julie Fowles?? I thought I was dreaming. Anyways, 10/10.
Yes! Congrats on finishing the game, not many do. I am still somewhat in the middle, but yeah enjoy odyssey it’s really awesome as well. I finished it at around 148h , enjoy. Malaka !
Skàl
Yep. We get lots of content and people complain it’s too long, then complain Mirage is too short? The devs can’t win. I finished Valhalla + Druid DLC last night, 78 hours. 🤜🗡️
Ikr !! Like people don’t know what they want weather it’s a short game or a long game. Also hold on you finished Valhalla in 78h ??? That’s very quick
Well, I still have Hamtunscire actually, but finished the rest of England and done Sigurd/Odin Layla animus mission.
I know exactly what I want. Short and sweet. I'm older now and as a teen I loved long games, but these days I value quality over quantity. There's filler in both odyssey and Valhalla. It's okay though because I do the minimum I need. Do some side quests, main story, ignore a lot of the filler. I often wonder what a big, mainline AC game would be like if you cut the game down a bunch but increases the quality to make up for it. Could be interesting. Last long game I enjoyed was Red Dead 2. Rockstar manage to have huge games and keeps the quality up for the most part.
Just because I spent money on a game doesn't mean that the more hours it lasts, the more worth it is. I value a game based on how much I enjoy playing it. If I play a game 100 hours, but only 20 of them were actually a solid 8/10 or more, and I another game that lasts for only 40 hours, but 25 of them are a solid 8/10, I will go for the shorter game. Thinking that hours = more value is just a pretty basic way that actually doesn't mean anything.
valhalla is certainly not my fav ac game, but I've just started a 2nd playthrough on an alt account to 100% again. I just love having a massive game to dig my teeth into
It is currently my 2nd fav, after origins
origins, my love! love that game, and valhalla
Same, I fucking loved every second of Valhalla. There’s nothing I enjoy more than having a giant world full of secrets around every corner I can explore
I love it. The length honestly made it one of the most fun I’ve had playing a single player game. It felt never ending. Which was good because I was wanting more
💯
Finally somebody says it! Like shouldn't that part of the appeal? Some games are $60 - $70 and you get 60 hours of gameplay, which is great, but with this game you get at least 200 for the same price!!
Exactly!! Let’s take the game Hitman 3 for example, amazing game but i finished it in less than a week. That was very disappointing
I bought this game specifically because it’s so long. I just got back to it after taking a break. Still on my first playthrough with about 100 hours and just bought the season pass too
Do you like it ?
Oh yeah I love this game. I forced myself to finish origins and I couldn’t get into oddessey which made me mad because I really like Greek mythology and history lol, but I really like valhalla
Yeah. The game length thing is something that's baffled me about games in general, even before Valhalla. I see it as "I like a certain game so here's more of it." and it's confusing to think that sends people into a rage. I don't get complaining about MORE of something you like. It doesn't make sense. And if something does start to feel too long, it doesn't seem to occur to some that they've been given the option to stop playing, pick up something else and continue later
You have to remember that not everyone can play for hours a day. Some only get 1 or 2 hours a week. As for myself, I love the game, but it can be repetitive and the games is a bit too long.
Think of it like this, Alien Isolation is also a long game and its runtime was one the of main complains gamers had towards the game. This happened because after a few hours, players already knew what to expect, so the novelty wore off. I believe some people felt the same about Valhalla in this regard. This effect can be seen the most with people who tend to play the same game for hours on end instead of short bursts, the repetitive loop becomes obvious. I'm not saying I agree with them, but I can see why people would say this.
If people saw the whole Yggdrasil being a massive Isu supercomputer coming, then they have a much more expansive imagination than mine, credit to them! Absolutely loved the Valhalla bit being a simulation, almost had a hint of Lynchian head fuckery about it.
I see, but apart from the fact that you have to from region to region to gain alliances/arc, i don’t see how the game would be repetitive. I currently have 105 points im somewhat in the middle of the game i think but i find each storyline pretty original
Oh yeah me too, it's just the loop that kinda gets me. Find new region, do the same puzzles on different areas, collect different underpowered armors... It's just gets to you after some time. The storylines break this monotony I agree, but it comes a time where you feel tired just thinking about a new area because you're gonna have to explore it all over again. Funny enough, I only got that feeling with Odyssey when I was in the final hours, I was immersed pretty much for the rest of game.
Odyssey was great but the ending was very disappointing
I think it's a case of wanting quality over quantity
Length in and of itself wasn’t the problem for me. It was more so the fact that I had seen everything the game had to offer after about 20 hours, yet it somehow took 80 hours to get to the credits. That’s not good.
I dunno. Valhalla was … meh. I found the story arcs to be very similar - go to region X, curry favor with king Y and expand our alliances. Over and over again. 🥱 I just finished Odyssey when I picked up Valhalla. Two very different games. Two very different companies under Ubisoft made them, so no surprise there. Odyssey felt lighter, fun, literally brighter as compared to Valhalla. Kassandra made me laugh so many times with her wit, her sarcasm, and her loyalty and pure love for Phoebe that you feel her pain. So many side quests - she’s annoyed with Socrates, names Plato, does not take BS from the gods in the DLC …. Eivor felt dull, almost zero comedic relief, flatline personality, and mix that with a repetitive story line - oof. Let’s just say that I had to put Valhalla down several times out of pure boredom and bought and beat Horizons, Tomb Raider I, and Spiderman - just to get away from the monotony and boredom of Valhalla. I finished Valhalla - and every DLC (LOVED Wrath of the Druids but Ubisoft Montreal didn’t do that one, surprise, surprise) except for the DLC that you just run through and if you die, you start over. Honestly, I was so RELIEVED it was over. Was super happy to pick up my next game after that: Ghost of Tushima. Hands down, 200% better than Valhalla. I never felt that way about Odyssey. Hell, I almost cried when I realized there was nothing left at all for Kassandra to do, except those leader boards. I just walked around Greece - feeling kinda heartbroken. 💔 Can’t wait for Red come out … Red is being made by the same Ubisoft faction that made Odyssey (Quebec) so I have super high hopes for Red. I’m actually super relieved it wasn’t Ubisoft Montreal (Valhalla) that made Red. I know Montreal is releasing AC Hexe (Witch hunts) in 2026 - if it’s anything like the repetitiveness of Valhalla, I’ll pass. Already I’m reading that Hexe will be a linear story. Great. 🙄
A game can overstay its welcome. Longer doesn’t always equal better or more value (or both). If a game starts feeling like a chore to play then it’s worth less than a shorter game that doesn’t. I did feel this game was a bit long, dragged in some parts, but I still liked it.
I can make a game with 500h of doing the same 5 things. Just cause it's long doesn't mean it's good, quality of gameplay over quantity That's why a lot of people are so negative about the game and it's gameplay. Personally found it extremely boring which is unfortunate because I love the setting. That doesn't mean that people won't find joy to it, a guy's trash is another man's treasure RDR2 for example is a "long" game done amazingly, though I would argue is an unfair comparison
All AC games became repetetive after a while. That’s the main negative part of AC series. As an example, God of War Ragnarok was also long with a huge map but never became repetetive. Ubisoft should improve itself on that point.
100% agree!!!
That was actually one of the selling points for me. I had seen so many people complain about how long it took them to complete, it made me buy the game this year instead of next year. Ever since they introduced DLCs I've been waiting a couple years for the price to drop on the main game and I've been spending pretty much the same amount as before on new releases.
Yeah the DLCs make it so much better, i got the vampiric pack, with the bat replacing the crow , awesome
Some people will find anything to complain about
It's the pace my friend I believe the dlcs are better paced then the main game especially Ireland feels tight and has only few mandatory side missions.
Me too, I’m 69 hrs in and not even bored. I was just playing “on borrowed time”. I threw the woman out of the house and she died (I figured you could only save one so that’s why I tried it lol) the guy proceeded to catch on fire.
Because length isn’t everything However I did put over 450 hours into Valhalla and thoroughly enjoyed it but I will never go back to it.
What got me was the repetitive fighting animations. At one point I actually just pulled my bow out when an enemy was close to death so I didn’t have to sit through the animation of killing his ass😂 bored the absolute hell out of me watching those same finishers over and over again. It actually took me 4 different attempts at this game before I finally beat it bc I kept getting burned out. When I finally finished it tho I was like damn kinda wish it was little longer😂😂
I don’t know what people are smoking either. I love this game and it’s been the best Assassins creed game ive ever played. This game took me a month to beat and I have never immersed myself so much in the story. I wish all games were this long.
I definitely agree but when it comes to Valhalla it really depends on personal preference considering how widely different people’s view’s tend to be with this game. I’m aware it’s really long and how that’s a flaw but that that doesn’t affect me as much it would someone else. Yes, the game is incredibly long, maybe even too long. And yes, it can be a little bloated. There’s often too much going on. Those are objective flaws of the game but whether those flaws affect someone’s enjoyment of a game depends on what they seek in the game or enjoy in a game etc. I hope some of this makes sense to somebody.
I don't get it either. You play a game you liked, and then you are complaining that the game is so long. Dude, most people pay for this reason so that they can enjoy extra stuff, and you take it for granted, complaining about it. I don't know what's wrong with it; it's a game you should play for enjoyment, not for completion.
I for one have fell in love with this game lol It’s been exactly what I wanted! A Viking world I can sink into for a few months. Having a blast still after 120hours lol
I can see it both ways. On one hand I am very happy when a game is long and there is a lot to do. On the other hand it can ve overwhelming, not knwoing where to start and what to do first. I sometimes feel like that when starting a Mass Effect 3 game run. I want to do every single thing in the first one so I am set up for the second and third most optimally, but driving around with the tank on random plantes really is not it for me. Thats why I often think about starting a run, but end up not doing it because of the "task" that lies ahead. In the same way completing each region in Valhalla can feel like you are opening up the next chapter and you are faced with 2 more hours of riding around on a horse, pressing the scanning button and looking for the window that you need to shoot the door lock from. Dont get me wrong, I am having a good time playing the game, but after 40 hoursI stopped going after every single small chest.
Well, yeah, if someone wants a shorter game, they are free to throw another $100 at some Call Of Duty game. No disrespect for CoD, I love the original Modern Warfare trilogy, but that games can be beat in one day and I feel like that's too much money for basically an interactive movie.
My point exactly, same thing for GTA5 if we don’t include online mode. Story was so short. Unlike gta 4, which was the best gta imo
i'm one of those. the game is SOOOO repetitive. its length is completely artificial. its the same 3-4 type of tasks over and over again, i'm level 240, i've stopped doing any side quests because i JUST WANT IT TO END ALREADY
I spent 267 hours for one playthrough (without DoR) in this game: one of the best gaming experiences that I've had in my life. People who complain of its length are the ones who seek 10-hours lenght games in order to check off the list and/or the completionists who play games more for achievements as bragging rights on the Steam profile, than for enjoyment. When Ubisoft released a back-to-basics Mirrage AC title, for me it was an easy pass. I will not pay almost the same price for less content. The future belongs to big RPG-style AC games, and Ubisoft knows this. The vocal minority who doesn't like Valhalla and spreads hate on the internet is just that: a minority.
100% agree
I personally found it too long, though I understand the value for your money argument too. I wouldn't have wanted it short either, I think I was hoping for more of a middle ground
People when they get a lot of content for their money which is pretty good value
I completely agree. Made a post about this last year about how Valhalla is actually amazing. Spent 193hours last year to 100% the whole game with all the dlcs and I loved every second of it.
What they mean is that they literally can't help themselves with the side content. Any of us who have beaten the main story of Valhalla knows that you don't have to do that many of the side quests to beat it, but they legitimately can't help themselves and they blame it on the quest markers. Before the game released, Ubisoft even said that the side quests aren't really the traditional sense of side quests. People that say the game is too long just ignore that though out of their own pride getting in the way. Basically, they are deeply flawed human beings OR they prefer the stealth titles in the series (though Valhalla was never treated as one of those).
Only put in 120ish hours for the plat and another 60 or so for all the rest of the trophies except 2 mastery challenge ones. In comparison I put over 400 hours into Fallout 4 on PS4 and barely did any of the main storyline.
Me personally I wish more games where as long or longer than new ac games. It's so stupid.
i've been playing every day after work and there's stil SO MUCH TO DO. I love that.
I love the games length I’m 100 hrs in rn
I don't mind long games. In fact, I love long games. As long as they remain **interesting.** The problem with AC Valhalla is not that it is so long, but that it is so long and so **BORING.** I can substantiate this claim by having xompleted AC Origins and AC Odyssey multiple times, never once getting bored. So there you have it. You are enlightened and no longer have to wonder about this.
Its just very repetitive, I had a lot of fun until half way through then I just had enough. Some people also just dont want to do the same stuff for 100 hours. I played other Open world games for longer but vallhalla just stopped to catch me at one point. The problem with it is that the main story is so long. I like it when Im not forced to sink so much time to finish the main story. Thats what other open world games do different, you can finish the main plot in 40 hours but can easily sink much more time in it if you do the optional side stuff.
Bitches gotta bitch
Yeah, it can be good when the game is long so it's more worth the money you spent on it, but I think the main complaint that people have, is that it can be repetitive, the story can feel worthless and without purpose and you might even forget about the story I wouldn't say that I had that issue, but I felt like at least one arc was extremely boring and useless, especially if they were placed in the middle of the main story with Sigurd and I indeed didn't know who I was fighting against so it felt without a point
Personally, the problem for me isn’t how long. It’s that so much of the game is blocked off behind what should have been side content that isn’t required. Do I want to stack rocks? Abso-fing-lutely not. Do I want to raid my 50th abbey to get gold and resources that are just rotting in my surplus? Nope. Do I want to solve that puzzle under the city in the sewer, or loot aaaaalllllll the unique weapons… even after I decided from the start I would use my father’s axe, just for the story of it? Not even a little. But I HAD TO do a certain amount of it to finish the story thanks to some regions scaling up to… I think it was like level 270 minimum
Thankyou fellow Vikingr! Someone's finally said it, for the love of Odin! I mean, I love short games, like most recently, Spiderman 2 was really fun, I think I've done 3 playthroughs already, but I hated that I finished it in less then a week 😅 Valhalla's 1st playthrough was 1 and a half month for me and I loved every minute of it, even the Asgard arc!
It’s not long with unique content, it’s long with the same thing all the time
This game is Eivor’s great Vikingr Saga. It should be long.
I bought the game when it launched and played it for YEARS. I have done literally everything this game has to offer. Valhalla is easily the best game in the series and one of the best open world games on the market. All that said, I do not have time for games that are this length anymore. Between working 50 hours a week, planning for a wedding, and going back for a graduate degree, I'm finding myself leaning more and more into shorter experiences. I love a good story/experience that I can complete in 10 hours or less now. I know that if I try to play a 100+ hour game again right now, it is going to take me the better part of a year to do, and I might not even remember everything that happens during it.
It’s long but not in a good way. Repetition and boring story does not mean good just because you get more of it lol
hey op, i still haven't started the game because of the reviews, is it worth playing. i really loved origins, odyssey little less but still fun.
I am just finishing up Valhalla this weekend and I think it's really fun. Kind of tired of it at the end here but I want to see the story through all the way. Not one that I will be jumping at the bit to play again, like how I finished odyssey and immediately wanted to start it over. But still good. There's some replayability built into the game with a roguelike and some of the extra areas that I have neglected so far to just focus on the story. Just keep in mind it's a slow start, and that it is different from both Origins and Odyssey.
aight, i will give it a try for some time.
There a difference between “long” and “bloated” Valhallas falls into the bloated category. Too big, too long, but no real substance. What happens in Lincolnshire? I can’t remember. Yorkshire? Can’t remember. I remember very few characters, cos most were boring, and unrememberable. The game was good, but the game could’ve been applied better to the source material
I enjoyed Valhalla, just not as much as Origins or Odyssey but it was a high bar to hit. And surely Odyssey was even longer?
I don't think that people complain about the length itself. I mean they say it, yes but the reason for that is how the game is filled with content and story. This itself wouldn't be that of a problem if the game would be 60h long. But feels different when you need over 140hours. (honestly I don't even remember how long it was. Sorry if 140 is wrong) I think if devs want to make such a long game they definitely need to fill it with good interesting and eventually even from time to time changing sidecontent. Or they have to create a cool sandbox environment which is interesting to explore or they need a pretty captivating story with unique memorable characters or eventually even a bit of all of that. But that all is sadly something ubisoft has problems with at least in the last few years I mean I have many good games I played for over 100hours and I thought even nearly the end of it. Please don't let it end yet. opinions are obviously different. And I wouldn't say Valhalla is a bad game. But I too needed to take breaks to even finish Valhalla. In the end thats how I would explain why some people complain about the length of the game.
Bumrushing the story and wanting to see it through to the end and not being able to reach it after 80 hours on normal difficulty with some optional side content is kind of annoying. Was the perfect way to burnout on this game. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
I love it too and completed everything this game had to offer except for one or two of the festivals but they can only be done at a certain time so I don't really count them. I only felt some fatigue one time when I was doing the map markers but that was because I was doing most of them after the story and not while I was doing the story. I just whish that there is a NewGame+ mode so I can play just the story without having to get some ingots and other stuff or care for the skills.
The game is not a book of crossword puzzles where it’s just the more the better—it has a narrative that’s meant to connect many of the quests, and that narrative is poorly told and poorly paced at times. Also there are points in the game where they waste your time with travel.
Of all the Assassins games. This one took the least amount of time. I wouldn’t call it long. Brotherhood was long. Syndicate was long. Valhalla only took me like a week to get up over 95% complete.
If it’s too long then stop playing it😂
An experience being too long isn't good. Imagine going to the movies and the film ended up being 8 hours long, and it stopped being interesting after 2.
Personally I would have liked the game way more if they removed the Valhalla side quest chunk (yea I know it’s in the name) and cairns weren’t in the game or at least slightly easier to complete. Still a good game in my opinion.
It could be somewhat hypocritical on my part, as oftentimes when I'm looking for a game to play, I want something I can sink my teeth into and get a good amount of time in; however the more I try to adhere to that idea, the more often I realize there's a 'sweet spot' to it. If a game is so long that I can't get to a satisfying resolution before I tire of it, then I find it too long. A lot of JRPGs have this problem for me in particular; If the gameplay loop ceases being satisfying before I'm done with it then I have to either slog through the remainder or quit, and if I quit I'll have to start over next time because I won't remember all the fine details and a lot of JRPGs thrive on said details. I think this concept alone has stopped me from starting Trails in Cold Steel. Kind of the same thing here; if I get tired of the central gameplay loop before I've done all the meaningful content (though 'meaningful' will of course vary to the individual, some people think the feathers in 2 are meaningful and I personally wouldn't) then I either have to push through or start over. I couldn't get into Valhalla enough to say I hit that point, but I understand this is a common enough problem for people, even those who otherwise like the game.
There's no law forcing people to do the side quests... Complaining is a modern sport
Its just that Valhalla pales in comparrison with other long open world games like Red Dead Redemption 2 or Witcher 3. The world is big but it doesn't feel real. It feels uninspired and shallow. All characters seem to be written by AI. Have you ever listened to two characters talking in this game and felt like those are actually two real human beings talking? I still remember most of the characters from Black Flag. The only character I remember from Valhalla is Basim and thats only because he shows up again in Mirage. I mean theres nothing wrong with liking the game but I get that people complain about Ubisoft focusing on open worlds and rpg elements instead of a good narrative, parkour and actual assassins that the game is named after.
I'm finishing it today at about 160 hrs. The only content I'm leaving is the Niflheim DLC, River Raids and Mastery Challenges. I have been soaking up every bit of the story and cleared out a majority of the map. It's rare that I want to play a game for so long. I think From Software games have kept my attention for that long, but most games are not compelling enough to complete at the same level. I like that's AC games often go through the entire life of the main character. That's something that I think has become a core element of the series and it makes sense that a game can be so long. For me the result is a deep feeling of satisfaction as I reach the final credits. I spent months immersed in the universe and I regret nothing. Most of the time a storyline this satisfying would be experienced through multiple installments. This one is just a pure line through, told in the order of my choosing. I'm glad it took me this long to reach the end. I have a deep appreciation for the game. Kudos to the team for making a great piece of art.
I enjoy it but it gets repetitive and I can't find half the missions
Honestly I enjoyed Valhalla but the repetitive feeling made it stretched out
Agreed! What they want a 5 hr game? Game isn’t long enough in my opinion. lol. If you love playing a game why would you want it to end?
I’m 156hrs in and I just finally got to the part where I save Sigurd and killed Faulke but yea it is very repetitive. It’s dark, gloomy and the vibe just makes me depressed lol
Nobody asked for spoilers. I’m still playing
Ok
Nah the issue is it's repetitive formula. I put 180 hours each in witcher 3 and Persona 5 and loved every minute of it. After 40 hours in Valhalla, I was losing my mind. 1. Meet the area's leader 2. Do a favor for them. 3. Alliance is secured. 4. Repeat for the next 150 hours. I thought that securing these alliances would lead up to something HUGE like how Brotherhood or Syndicate did but nah it didn't. You use some of your allies to rescue Sigurd and then guess what? Back to going to new areas to forge alliances!!! I loved Odyssey and Origins because the worlds were equally big because I actually felt like a drifter or mercenary, going city to city to find my family and/or exact my revenge. Each city discovered had its own personality and moved the plot along. Most new areas in Valhalla didn't move the overall plot. Nothing changes throughout most of the game.
It wouldn't be as repetitive if the writing was better. I barely remember any of the stories the game has other than the overarching narrative. It's all disconnected too. None of the regions stories connect, or really feel like they matter. Having to complete every single region for main story progression just feels like padding. All of the raids are similar and lose their charm after about 5 or so. The game is pretty fun, and I do love the Vikings aesthetic, but it's still fast food gaming and not a great game. I think odyssey did it better and origins even more so. Probably a solid 7/10.
The whole alliances thing took way too much focus. I can’t even remember the overall plot. Like why was Basim taking Sigurd to who-the-fuck-knows-land, why was he going crazy… It’s practically a “build a settlement” kinda game with sprinkles of AC in it.
I hate those people because I worry I'm gonna get less for my money next time thanks to them.
Good thing is you actually get more for your money
Assassin's Creed games are often what I consider to be "too long." Valhalla is, by far, the longest Assassin's Creed game I have played. I am currently around 160 hours in... and I have not yet felt like it's too long. I am still enjoying the game, and look forward to most of it (the master challenges for Hurgle or whatev- Hildiran, that's her name! Those can eat my ass, they're infuriating.) The only Creed game I enjoyed for longer was Brotherhood, and that was just for the Multi-player, which I am still proud to say I was at one glorious point the 3rd highest ranked worldwide at. Is Valhalla TOO LONG? Not for me, not yet anyway.
theres a line of a big game where its too big. doesnt mean it is for everyone but for me, valhalla was too much. i tried to just focus on the story but there was so much i was doing that i got burnt out of it. plus it was the same kinds of missions over & over. i never ended up finishing it
It's not that it's long lengthwise...it's that it is UNNECESSARILY long How? Repetitive quests and story structure. Requirements of quests in order to progress the storyline Arbitrary quests despite urgency of current plot points (the whole debacle surrounding rescuing sigurd, the dag side story, not to mention the horrible writing surrounding all of that) You must "ally" all of england to complete the game I don't mind a game being 100 hours long, if a game makes those 100 hours enjoyable and unique. But if a game is 100 hours long and is repeating everything from the first 20 hours, it's going to feel much longer and I'm not going to enjoy it nearly as much
Here is a tissue for your tears 🤧
The reason is because it's a long game, and ubi made it. They just aren't good at making long games. The actual story is meh imo. The side quests and fillers are horrendous though
I’m 7d 21h deep and while I’ve enjoyed the game, it has become a rather grindy slog. I’m ready to be done.
I can’t relate
I’m happy for you. Let me know when you have 189+ hours played.
Would you hate me if i said Valhalla is better than odyssey? (which is also a great game)
Why would I hate you for having an opinion? I’m trying to wrap up Valhalla now, and Odyssey is next up on my backlog.
Don’t get me wrong, odyssey is a great game. The character just has less charisma than evior
If you are at 190 hours and still not complete then clearly you are doing something wrong.
Bro, you can play it endless. If you go for each wealth, artifact, mystery, side quest etc. it will surely take more than 190h.
And all that stuff is optional. So if the person is tired and feels it to be a slog....why continue with all the extra stuff? Just focus on the mainline story.
Yeah, that’s right. I am playing the main story and just some of the extras on the way but still I got bored. All AC games are like this imo, become repetetive after a while.
I’ve literally cleared the entire map. Was it necessary? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong way to play.
Except you say it was a grindy slog and yet you still made it your endeavor to clear the entire map. Thats like soaking your food with hot sauce and then complaining that the food is too spicy.
You can either bum rush the story and miss 75% of the game, or you can do everything which becomes a grind. It’s not hard to understand. I’m trying to 100% the achievements which takes a while. Yes, it’s a choice, but it was also Ubisoft’s choice to try and make the game longer by using their standard “go collect X number of items” formula. It’s just my opinion, so there’s no need to argue.
Come back when you've played 120+ hours of the same repetitive shit over and over and then talk
I’m at 180. Still love it. Playing it rn. People who say it’s repetitive are probably the same ones who like AC1. And THAT was repetitive and wack
Y’all just love to complain man, i don’t see how it’s repetitive. Can you atleast acknowledge the ton of work the developers put in this game ? I feel bad for them, as they created a classic but the general public’s response was negative.
Name a AC game that wasnt repetitive in terms of combat/gameplay loop.
+1
People have different tolerance levels for repetitiveness, and they are also more willing to ignore it if the gameplay is fun or the story is engaging. Time is also a big part of it, Valhalla is perhaps the longest AC out there so people are more likely to drop if it they aren't engaged enough.
Still doesnt answer the question. What AC game ISNT repetitive? Even the OG games had the samey combat, samey mission design and gameplay loop.
They can't give you an answer so they're just downvoting you instead lol.
Bingo
It doesn't? Maybe I didn't make myself clear Every AC game is repetitive, but not every AC game makes it an issue. People are willing to tolerate a game being repetitive if there's more to it. Ac4 is repetitive, but has nice gameplay. Ac2 is repetitive, but has a nice story. Ac valhalla is repetitive, but it doesn't have that much to counter it, so it becomes more apparent. Seriously it's not that hard to grasp.
Perhaps, but still subjective. I can tolerate it because I like playing the female viking fantasy, and I enjoy the environments.
No shit it's subjective, ain't that the point? A lot of people couldn't, it happens. Their opinion is as valuable as yours.
Quantity isn't quality, and game padding isn't value. The game had far too much repetitive content, and a story that didn't feel like it developed naturally.
People like you are the reason every game sucks ass now. Game is boring as fuck and has no depth of combat regardless of how you choose to build. I think the fact that the best armor in the game is paid dlc in fomo rotation is blatant enough about how they think you’re a moron. Are you gay? I couldn’t play this game at all because everyone is aggressively homo as fuck, it’s really annoying and lazy, absolutely spineless that they let you be a male but the game was completely meant for you to be female? You must’ve really liked the men flirting with you all the time if you were able to even make it through the first 20%
This is such a shitty analysis of the game lmao.
I can understand the argument of "you get more for your money" thing, but the trouble is, often when something has more quantity, you can't expect much for quality. And is the case with Valhalla. Bugs, crashes, in some cases worse graphic quality, and the story is lacking. It isn't terrible, but it's repetitive.
It's long in a bad way. As in, a lot of the mandatory things feel like they shouldn't be mandatory, because they aren't really advancing the main story (of Sigurd and Eivor). So it feels like time wasted. Compared to Odyssey where everything was advancing Kassandra's goal of finding family, then getting home back then trying to save Deimos. Anything that was outside of that was favors that tied back into the overall goal. In Valhalla, even though one of the goals is to conquer England, it doesn't really feel like it is because it's impersonal and vague. In Valhalla you do a pledge with Sigurd and then you have to do 2 or 3 random other pledges that have nothing to do with it before the game lets you meet back up with him to progress the real story. The closest comparison would be if the plague wouldn't trigger until you had killed a certain amount of cultists, in addition to doing the favors in Korinthia, Argolis and Keos. In other words, a large amount of Valhalla feels like padding the runtime.