Non-RPG General News - Valheim: Early Access Review @ PC Gamer

[HiddenX]

PC Gamer checked out the survival game Valheim:

Valheim review: a challenging and rewarding Early Access survival adventure

Explore, craft, build, fight, and survive in a massive and engaging open world.

It's my first trip across the ocean on my tiny wooden raft and I'm holding my torch nervously as I peer through the pitch-black night. I feel intensely vulnerable. I've never left my starter island before and I have no idea what's waiting out there in Valheim's massive procedurally generated world. After a long, tense night of sailing I finally set foot on a new continent, and immediately discover what looks like a village. That's a surprise--I didn't know there were villages in Valheim. The village is full of draugrs. I didn't know there were draugrs, either.

The mob of undead warriors bash me with axes and bombard me with arrows. I flee and sail home miserably with little to show for my hours of exploration save for badly degraded weapons and armor and a few draugr entrails from the two I managed to slay. I decide I'm never going back there. Ever. But the discovery of draugr intestines has given me a new recipe for sausages, so I stuff the rotting entrails with boar meat and flavor them with thistle in my cauldron. Then I eat them, my eyes widening as my health bar grows to twice the size it's ever been.

I am going back to the draugr village immediately. I need more sausages. I am now in the sausage business.

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More information.

 

[wolfgrimdark]

I got this but couldn't get into it sadly. I couldn't get into the graphics. Seems like a lot of fun for those who like the game style though.

 

[JFarrell71]

This is like a game created from an algorithm of what I'm not into.

 

[BlackVoid]

I got this but couldn't get into it sadly. I couldn't get into the graphics. Seems like a lot of fun for those who like the game style though.

It's pretty boring in single player.

With a bunch of friends you'll get 70-80 hrs out of it.

it's a very good value for 20 bucks.

 

[FurtiveNyctophile]

I'm having a lot of fun in Valheim. It's fun single player but a lot more fun when a friend and I go at it together; he's super into survival games and building, I like the hunting and exploring so together we make a pretty good team. I find that these types of games that offer a small server where you can play with a friend (or a few friends) appeal to me more than some MMO style games or single player games in many ways. I've always been the type to prefer socializing in small groups over large parties, so this fits that bill.

 

[johnnysd]

I got this but couldn't get into it sadly. I couldn't get into the graphics. Seems like a lot of fun for those who like the game style though.

Not sure how long you tried but the graphics are quite beautiful and immersive in their own way. Textures are low res and pixelated up close but look great at distance and Vaheim has some of the best lighting and effects in any game I have seen. It is like a combination of textures circa 2000 with lighting, shading and special effects like water rain storms the movement of the ocean from a AAA 2011 title. Add to that exceptional in game physics and great motion modeling of the environment and they become exceptional in their own way.

I also think it is probably the best Alpha game ever. People forget it is truly in first release Alpha state with like 2 years left of development but it is one of the most stable and polished games you are likely to play. I love it. Feels like an Open World RPG to me in many ways. The hype on this one is actually justified.

 

[wolfgrimdark]

I need to connect to my character and there was almost zero character creation aspects to things. And they were super low res. Almost a blob.

I am particular about graphics in odd ways. I mean I love Pathfinder and don't mind the cartoon like art style. I am find with POE 1 and 2. Happy with Torment TON, Tyranny, and SIMS 4 graphics. Have even adapted to Waylander graphics.

But for an open world game where I would want to invest hundreds of hours getting lost in it ... I need to have a really good character I can bond with and that means having more control over making them and more graphical details.

As I said I am sure it is fun for those who like, or don't mind, the style. With 4 million vikings, according to their announcement on Steam, I am also sure it is a great looking game for many.

I didn't refund it either. I don't mind chipping in towards a game that looks like it has a devoted and honest set of developers. After it has more polish, or if I get really bored and need something to play, I may try it again. Got to many other games I prefer, however, right now.