The latest installment in the Assassin's Creed series developed by Ubisoft, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, is set to release on November 17, 2020. Are all you Master Assassins eager for it? Toy People is very pleased to have been invited by Ubisoft for an early hands-on preview of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and we're excited to share our experience right away!
(The following preview content is from a DEMO version and may differ from the final release.)
In the latest installment, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, players take on the role of the Viking protagonist, "Eivor," a legendary Viking raider and fearless warrior who seeks glory. Forced to leave Norway due to war and resource scarcity, you lead your clan from the rugged and mysterious coasts of Norway to the beautiful yet perilous lands of England, launching large-scale raids and plundering operations against Saxon armies and fortresses across England, establishing a new settlement on fertile ground. 
Initially, we can choose to play as either a male or female protagonist, "Eivor." Unlike the sibling relationship between Kassandra and Alexios in the previous title, Odyssey, Eivor, regardless of gender, is considered the same character in Assassin's Creed history.
At the start of the DEMO, our progress had already brought us to the British Isles to begin our adventure. England, during the Heptarchy, featured quaint rural villages and people. Wooden houses and stone-built cathedrals could be seen on the streets, accompanied by the melodious background music played on bagpipes and violins, immersing players in the medieval atmosphere. 
▼ In this game, horses won't throw you off when crossing rivers; you can ride them slowly across, which is very convenient in areas with many rivers.
▼ On the way, we encountered a super cute cat NPC, who, along with its young owner, was recruited as a crew member. Compared to past games where mostly enemies were recruited as crew, this time it feels like there are more diverse NPCs to recruit.
▼ When arriving in a new area, the first thing to do is find a synchronization point to synchronize and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Of course, we Vikings can also perform a Leap of Faith!
▼ The D-pad menu integrates functions like torch, meditation, whistle, and calling your horse, and also includes new features such as blowing the horn, donning a cloak, and fishing.
▼ Dialogue options with NPCs will affect character affinity, life or death situations, rewards, and even the plot's direction. Players need to think carefully before making choices, and this time, graphical prompts have been removed, so don't press too quickly!
After finding an NPC and learning the mission details, we arrived at the riverside dock and blew the horn to summon our Viking longship, ready to experience the first battle.
As the Viking ship approached the enemy stronghold's shore, we could blow the horn again as an attack signal. At this point, the entire crew would join you in the assault, and the background music would shift to a Viking-style blend of percussion and deep male vocals, making the scene incredibly exhilarating! 
▼ When a crew member falls, they don't die and disappear; players can revive them.
The overall combat system continues the style of Origins and Odyssey but is further enhanced, incorporating a strong Viking berserker flair. Normal attacks are divided into light and heavy attacks. When attacking, you can feel the fluid movements and the power of the weapon swings, and when defeating enemies, there are more violent animations such as blood splatters and dismemberment. 
The biggest change is the removal of the level system, eliminating clear level differences and restrictions. Equipment and skill strength are now more important, which also brings back the greatest charm of past Assassins: "one-hit assassination." However, the overall difficulty has also increased significantly; not only do enemies deal high damage, but the player's health no longer regenerates automatically and must be restored by collecting plants found on the map.
▼ Mushrooms on the ground? Collecting them restores health potion charges, currently up to 8 times.
The Vikings' avian companion is not an eagle, but a "raven," which they consider a deity. Through the raven's vision, players can directly see different colored light-pillar-shaped markers on the screen, which are more conspicuous than single markers in the past. However, this time the raven cannot directly mark enemies; this ability returns to "Eagle Vision" by pressing R3, which Vikings call "Odin's Sight." When activated, it can mark treasures and NPCs within a certain range.
Regarding weapons and equipment, you can freely choose what weapon to hold in your left and right hands. You can wield a shield in one hand and a one-handed weapon in the other, or use two-handed weapons like great axes or spears, or even dual-wield two one-handed axes to become a berserker. In addition to attack power, weapon stats now clearly display attack speed, critical hit rate, and a new stat called "IMPACT." Bows are divided into three categories, each with unique attack power, attack speed, range, and arrow types. Armor has three stats: defense, evasion, and weight, and can be upgraded anytime, anywhere using materials.
▼ A very distinctive weapon, the "flail." Although it requires a few swings before attacking, it can deal massive damage to shield-wielding enemies.
▼ In combat, you can parry or deplete an enemy's stamina to knock them down directly. When close to a downed enemy, you can execute them with moves like STOMP or STUN ATTACK. Smashing a shield directly into their head is incredibly satisfying!
▼ When aiming with a bow, you can see glowing "weak points" on enemies. Attacking these weak points can also knock enemies down directly, allowing for bow executions.
Valhalla's skill tree looks very much like a Japanese RPG, extending from a central starting point in three directions, which must be unlocked sequentially. In addition to major primary skills, there are many minor skills that increase stats like health and strength. Some active skills require obtaining Books of Knowledge to use, and each active skill can be upgraded to a second stage. This time, many Viking-style moves have been added to the skills; the most memorable is "Throwing Axe," which is incredibly satisfying to hurl axes directly at multiple enemies! Different skills used to finish enemies also have different execution animations, such as one move that decapitates enemies with a massive blood spray!
▼ While combat is exhilarating, don't forget that the game's difficulty is somewhat high. Be extremely careful when encountering dual-axe-wielding berserkers among enemies; during the preview, I was constantly chased by them!
▼ This game also adds many designs that utilize environmental objects for damage, such as shooting oil jars to cause explosions, shooting down suspended heavy objects, and I heard you can even shoot flaming arrows to burn down houses.
▼ After clearing an enemy stronghold, players must climb to the rooftop and blow a large horn to declare victory and claim the stronghold.
Next, we moved to the next part of the story, preparing for a "siege battle." This segment was incredibly impactful; as we sailed our ship towards the castle, we had to constantly watch the sky and defend, as the enemy launched a barrage of flaming arrows. After rushing ashore, both sides immediately engaged in a fierce battle amidst the flames. At this point, players could choose to operate our battering ram to breach the castle or focus on fighting enemies to cover NPCs. The cinematic presentation felt more immersive than the conquest battles in Odyssey. 
After breaching the castle gates, Eivor and allies prepared for a decisive battle with the enemy lord. If you want to embody the perfect Viking style, then charging in and hacking all enemies to pieces might be suitable. But don't forget this is an Assassin's Creed game, and as mentioned earlier, "one-hit assassination" has returned, meaning we can once again bypass all the fodder, stealthily climb above the BOSS, and leap down for a direct assassination!
▼ However, successfully performing a "one-hit assassination" also tests your reflexes. A QTE prompt will appear at the moment of assassination; you must press L2 and R2 when both curved indicators enter the judgment zone to succeed, otherwise, the enemy will still have some health remaining.
After conquering the castle, the main story segment came to an end. With the remaining time, the guide specifically allowed us to experience combat with a legendary creature. In the previous game, Odyssey, legendary creatures (BOSSes) on the map were mostly just unusually large animals; at most, you might encounter mythical creatures like minotaurs or cyclopes when collecting artifacts.
This time, Valhalla adds more fantastical creatures from local legends. Our opponent was a fast, witch-like character who specialized in lightning, capable of casting lightning elements and teleporting, giving a feeling of playing a soulslike game. Challenging her with insufficient equipment might lead to us eating dirt, just like we did! 
That concludes our experience and impressions of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. We once again thank Ubisoft for the invitation. Due to limited preview time, there were many new elements we couldn't try, such as fishing, flyting, drinking games, cairn building, and other mini-games. We encourage everyone to experience them for yourselves after the game's release!
▼ Assassin's Creed Valhalla Game Content Overview