Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag heavily focuses on ship-based combat, but does ship combat reach the same caliber in the latest installment, Assassin's Creed Valhalla? With Valhalla taking place more than 800 years before Black Flag, there are noticeable differences between the weaponry available to players. Even with the different settings, it is important to note how much the series' naval gameplay has evolved over the past seven years.
With the storyline following the Viking warrior Eivor, it should come as no surprise that Valhalla includes longships - Scandinavian warships controlled by sails and rowers. Unlike Black Flag, the naval vessels are used primarily for travel and as a means of escape after a raid. In real-world Viking history, longships were designed to be quick, easy to maneuver, and capable of landing at any moment for warriors to quickly disembark. It seems Ubisoft paid close attention to these details when deg these ships for Valhalla, making them as authentic as possible without steering too far away from the classic gameplay of Assassin's Creed.
One of the most notable similarities between Valhalla and Black Flag is that players become pirates; however, Norse pirates and Caribbean pirates had very different approaches when it came to attacking enemies. Vikings usually raided villages, pillaging their victims' homes and brutally destroying everything in their path. Pirates, one may argue, had more finesse. Rather than going on a rampage on land, these marauders used naval tactics to overthrow enemy ships and sail away unnoticed, leaving the sinking ship of their opponents behind. The different naval technologies in Valhalla and Black Flag fit within their historical periods, which is part of the reason the combat in these games differ drastically.
The latest release in the Assassin's Creed franchise does not include the same type of naval combat as Black Flag, but for good reason: The naval fighting style portrayed in Valhalla accurately reflects that of actual Vikings. Their vessels were intended mainly for transport, both of goods and engers, rather than naval combat. In the world of Valhalla, it's apparent that the longships have fewer bells and whistles than the pirate ships in Black Flag. Without the power of bombs and other firearms, the Viking characters in Valhalla rely on hand-to-hand combat during raids. Instead of bombastic, water-based battles, players can expect to use their ships mostly to navigate to different locations divided by large bodies of water or to raid settlements on land.
Players of Assassin's Creed Valhalla should not expect the ability to initiate a full-blown naval battle, but its structure remains similar to preceding installments of the franchise. Main story quests, side missions, battles, and choices are just a few familiar features included in the game. Ubisoft certainly hasn't slacked off in developing the gameplay of Valhalla. As with previous releases, Assassin's Creed Valhalla's open world will provide hours of entertainment with its rich narrative and unique characters. It might be a challenge not to sail through the entire game.
