If you asked me if I like Valheim, I know exactly what my answer would be. I would say something like “Valheim is certainly an incredibly popular game, and a lot of people are talking about it. For that factor alone, you must accept that it is a success and a lot of people are enjoying it, and that before you start counts the sales figures , such an astronomical number that Iron Gate Studio rookies will probably never have to worry about money again. “
If I decided not to respond to a politician, I would say that I like Valheim, but I don’t like it either. I found myself getting more absorbed with Valheim than a glass of whiskey recently spilled is absorbed by my liver. At the same time, I also wondered why I am still playing the game during all sessions, even though they are marathon sessions. Even considering that, I still have more than Valheim to explore.
I feel like I’ve played almost every survival game since Minecraft was first released and kicked off the overdrive subgenre. Rust was the first to really absorb me, trapping me when it was first launched for early access, but I ended up leaving when I had no more worlds for Rust. Since then, I spent 7 days to die, the forest, the long darkness, Subnautica, don’t starve, Ark: Survival Evolved, DayZ, H1Z1, SCUM, Terraria and many more. All of this to say that survival games have become the next realistic shooting games and are now being supplanted by open world as the right thing for those without terminal inspiration.
That, unless there is something to give a reason, to attract people and arguably make them want to explore. For some, it is other people. That’s why Rust and DayZ are still so successful. For others, the scenario does that, which is why Subnautica, Raft and The Long Dark are so good. So you have creativity, the driving force behind the unsurpassed emperor of the genre, Minecraft. Valheim is rare. Valheim is trying to push all three simultaneously and, without a doubt, successfully.
Being dropped in this new world by a giant bird, you are given a simple task: to survive. Well, you have two tasks. Survive and kill the five abandoned. At least there are five now. These are boss fights in the very sense of the word, offering a gigantic challenge from Eikthyr, a giant electric Rudolph, to Moder, a giant ice dragon from Skyrim. You fight against them by essentially irritating them by placing some heads, or babies, of their respective animals or subjects on their podiums.
This is the current Valheim loop. You open a store somewhere, venture out to collect resources while trying your best to survive against the worst and most dangerous creatures. The greatest threat to your survival? Trees. Cut one, and a large log can fall on your head. After storing or things get too dangerous, you go back and store the equipment, cook some food and, hopefully, have the chance to update your equipment or even start making new and better equipment, stepping forward in their conquest of this new world.
Now, the problems so far with Valheim are the gaps between these bosses. They can look incredibly long. The biggest gap I’ve found so far is between the first and the second boss. You are starting to mine, starting to explore the black forest, facing Greydwarfs and skeletons. It’s the strange early-intermediate stage, and it really looks like a terrible amount of grind. Honestly, the faster you skip it – whether through a team or someone just giving you the materials you need – the better the game will be.
Repetition, limitation and lack of purpose are what eventually kill me with most survival games. I do not need a game to give me a purpose; I can do the whole sandbox thing. Since Minecraft, I am essentially the video game version of Kevin McCloud. I love building my own super home, one that is aesthetically pleasing and functional based on the world it is in. Valheim took advantage of this brilliantly with strong construction mechanics.
They are not perfect and some of them are irritating. The wood degrades a lot when the water reaches it. Wooden buildings in the last few years, so it might need some adjustments, just because the game seems obsessed with showing off its rather fantastic storm mechanics – the strong wind, the rain strikes you and everything around you, and the waves start to rise . I rarely find games with the weather adding so much atmosphere, but it’s the little things that count. This includes more aspects of the construction, which includes the need to build in a chimney. You need a fire inside to keep warm, but if you don’t have ventilation, you will suffocate while sleeping. This is highlighted by an impressive smoke and fog, which makes a very foggy day almost as atmospheric as Silent Hill.
At least visually. The terror is not on the same level. This is not to say that you will not find moments of horror. Your first time wandering through the dark forest and meeting a Troll will be one of many swear words, recriminations and then death. You will have to figure out a way to get your items back and then a way to get around the troll until you are equipped enough to defeat the huge idiot. The world is not full of these non-boss monstrosities. Not yet, anyway. They are enough to make any long journey dangerous to health.
Small things adding big things. Synergy. This is what makes Valheim impressive and enjoyable to play, even during the grind, which is awesome. Eating a balanced diet of meat, fruits and a sip of frost-resistant mead is how you will increase your health and vigor. It is not for leveling up. Of course, increasing the level of your abilities – leveled by usage, just as you would find in an Elder Scrolls game – will give you a bonus on reduced resistance use, increased damage and so on.
Keeping the idea that little things and synergy are what make Valheim so attractive, you have the aesthetic. You have smoke and fog, wind and rain, and a great lighting system. All of this combines with a visual design that would otherwise look old; instead, it manages to look stunning. That’s before you build your boat and start sailing the ocean, finding other biomes and seeing the creatures, dungeons and more that the world has to offer.
So, the original question is whether I like Valheim. I want to, but I also know that I’m close to the stage where I’m not going to catch him – unless I’m with a group of other people – for a while. Tradition is enough to attract me. The mechanics gave me some gigantic sessions while I build my house. I’m getting to the point where I see that making my own fun brings a lot of repetition, something that I know comes much earlier for me than for most other people.
Do I recommend this, despite being in Early Access? Yes I want. The hard work is impressive enough in Iron Gate, it is certainly worth the money you will pay for it and there is a lot of potential for what is to come in the coming months and years.