Valheim is a game that people never saw coming. More than just a “Minecraft game with Vikings,” this survival simulator is an enticing combination of great combat, deep building mechanics, and amazing visuals. It’s still in Early Access, but it is already looking to be a promising RPG for years to come.
So why is it that above all games, Valheim stands out the most as of February 2021? Read on as I’m about to discuss the game’s features and my first-hand experience with it.
A Fresh Take on the Survival Genre
It’s been done there, right? You generate your own world, you can pick whatever seed you like, gather some resources, forge weapons and materials, slay creatures, build a house, gather better resources to forge better weapons and materials, slay bigger creatures, and build a grander house. Rinse and repeat.
However, Valheim is a whole new level of such things. It stems from its great world generation that is so masterfully crafted, you would think every world you enter is manually designed by the developers in Iron Gate AB. Yet, even if they are all computer-generated, the lushes look lovely and the ambiance is amazing.
Personally, I haven’t gotten far in the game, and I currently have 25 hours of gameplay. Yet, within those 25 horses, I felt like I was in a fairytale thanks to its mystical Nordic theme.
The graphics are a bit unique too. Up-close, there are no highly rendered textures here, fooling you into thinking they’re from a PS1 game. But what makes it magical to look at is the liveliness of just about everything. The level designs, the swaying of the trees on a windy day, the eeriness of the night, and the gorgeous rain effects during a storm. It all comes together beautifully along with some well-crafted enemies.
Combat That Will Take You to Valhalla
Early on in the game, you will die. A LOT. And no, I will not compare it to the game that you-know-what but it has its own scale of difficulty, which I enjoy. It punishes you for not having the right items in a certain situation, and it makes you learn more about how predatory the environment is.
While I may not enjoy how “grindy” the resource-gathering is, I do enjoy having the fruits of my labor blossom as I slew my very first troll that kept on chasing me as I mined deeper in a mysterious cave.
There are over nine boss battles that a Valheim player needs to experience. As I’ve heard from other players, the boss battles are epic. Although, it’s still on Early Access, so there are only five available bosses as of this writing.
Great Coop Experience
So, I managed to persuade two more friends to join me on my journey. It was an 8-hour expedition, and we plan to do more again in the following weekends. It was so great to have the same vibes as playing Terraria but in a more serious environment. The last time we had this much fun in a survival game was last year when Terraria released Journey’s End.
Currently Active Valheim Community
As of today, there are over 97,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, giving a good first impression to just about anybody, especially in an Early Access state. The number of players peaked at 498,478 during February 2021, and it is believed to have those numbers grow even more. It also hit the top five in the peak player count just right above Terraria, which has 486,918 players as of May 2020.
More Promising Content
I believe Valheim is going to be the IT game of the new decade, and it’s just going to get better from here on out. We’ll definitely get more jaw-dropping scenarios in the future. Now if you don’t mind, Valhalla calls for me in Valheim.
