Developer:Â Ubisoft Montreal
Platforms: Â PC, Coming to Consoles early 2022
Genre: Educational
Publisher:Â Ubisoft
Discovery Tour: Viking Age is a game / educational experience that uses the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla game engine and Viking story to help inform the player about the historical and geographical places in which Valhalla takes place. The game comes as a free add on if you have the existing game or can be bought as a standalone game too. It’s available on PC now and will be arriving in early 2022 for consoles, Stadia, and Amazon Luna.
The game is stunning; the environments, characters and all visual effects have the hallmark of an Assassin’s game. It has everything you expect from the Ubisoft game, but that is expected as it uses the Valhalla engine, landscapes and similar areas. Visually stunning and wonderful to explore.Â
However, as it is educational, it’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla without the violence to be blunt with historians and archaeologists giving context to the world. The emphasis has been placed on getting to know the characters and their surroundings which is everything from boats, people, buildings, rituals, beliefs and the sea. While the game technically has missions, these missions do not involve the killing of Vikings or others as this; is an educational and open-world exploration with an emphasis on learning. You do get all the open world of Assassin’s Creed and the feel of level exploration with a deeper context to the Valhalla world. It’s an interesting; concept but feels somewhat light compared to the Valhalla game a, bit hollow. I don’t think it’s trying to be a full-blown game though it’s a beautiful world with some educational bits to it.
For the Viking tour, Norway and England are the primary locations that you will learn about. It does give context and some background information to the game. I don’t think I’m the target audience of this game so it’s not aimed at me.
It’s hard to judge this game as such, a lot of the main mechanics in particular the combat elements, are missing. However, the main exploration and quest-based missions are there. It’s an Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla Lite with some educational elements thrown in. It does allow users to get a better understanding of the world that Valhalla exists in.Â
Overall:Â 6/10
Enjoys more than the odd game, long time gamer, somewhat a technologist and everything else in between.
Also enjoys a good solid game of FIFA online. Currently PS4, XBOX 360 and STEAM.