Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Ubisoft’s open-world model was made for Vikings.

Developer/publisher Ubisoft (Montreal)

Format PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series (tested)

Release Out now

Ubisoft’s open-world model was made for Vikings. What were Norse raids if not the original collectathons? You call them pillagers; we see aggressive completionists. The truth is, in the heat of Valhalla’s battles you might not even notice you’re crossing icons off a map. Sounding a horn turns a gentle river cruise into a raiding party, AI charging warriors up the banks to carve a route towards resource crates. It’s a show of shock and awe that’s initially hard to parse, as murky uniforms force you to rely on health bars to tell friend from foe. Get a few monasteries under your belt and it becomes second nature as you, as lead berserker Eivor, do the lion’s share of the slaying to inspire troops towards doors requiring a second body to barge open. The looting goal isn’t new to the series, but the brazen speed at which you strip the map of its prizes is bracing.