Pillage, plunder and murder? That's only half the story.

What the Vahalla was that?

I am still in awe of Assassin's Creed Vahalla since Ubisoft dropped the trailer on Thursday. Vikings are hot property at the moment. 2018's God of War was a monumental success on the PS4, and the TV series Vikings has had a steady influx of followers since 2013. It seemed the natural step for Assassin's Creed, with Creative Director Ashraf Ismail calling it the 'most asked for time period' in an interview with IGN.

Let's have a deeper look, and uncover details you probably missed in the trailer.

Story

Taking place in 873 A.D. you play as Eivor (pronounced 'a-vor'), a Viking raider making their journey from a small Norwegian village to pillage, plunder and eventually settle in England. At this time England is a combination of warring Saxon kingdoms who are fighting themselves and invaders. You take part in the Viking raids along England's beautiful coast that show green fields and resources aplenty, initially cementing the story of helpless villages being pillaged and plundered for Viking greed and honour.

Forget this narrative of Vikings being masochistic murderers who raids, kills, leaves and repeats. Ubisoft have made it clear they want to give a well-rounded telling of the Viking story during the 9th century, and immerse you in the culture, religion and the very fabric of Viking society outside the Horrible History books. The trailer greets you with a spiritual ceremony whereby the raiding party ask 'favour' from Odin, with a huge 20 foot wooden statue of god in the centre of the ceremony, while Eivor is marked with the sacrificial blood.

Once in England we meet Alfred the Great, one of the English Saxon Kings, who's aggressive rubber-stamping and declaring all-out war on the Vikings is a world-away from the actions of the Vikings we see in the trailer. We see the Vikings as heroes, and I am 100% down with that. Whether Alfred will be the antagonist is another matter, as there is the small matter of the Kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria and East Anglia. Already Ubisoft make you question the narrative and your perception of Vikings.

Gameplay

It wouldn't be Assassin's Creed without combat gameplay. The trailer showed us just how the combat works, and it did much to please Odin and this writer. It showed Eivor dual-wielding axes, and Ubisoft later confirmed you can dual-wield all manners of weapons and shields to plug the Geralt-shaped gap in a lot of Witcher fan's hearts. There was also the return of the much loved Hidden Blade. How Eivor got this is unknown, but what is apparent is that at some point Eivor must meet some assassins to be able to wear the Not-So-Hidden Blade brazenly on the outside of their arm.

Raiding will fulfil the inner Viking we all possess, using our longship to raid small villages, kill some villagers and to escape with hordes of treasure. With the already fantastic naval combat of Black Flag, Origins and Odyssey, I was even more hyped when Ashraf called the longship a 'ferrari on an empty highway' in a video from Ubisoft North America. Travelling from Norway to England will be a breeze. A beautiful breeze in next-gen graphics.

Battles will take place in the open or in fortified positions, and will require leadership and combat qualities to defeat an enemy army head-on. Ubisoft have confirmed there will be Ringleaders, like the one Eivor took down with the Not-So-Hidden Blade, who are the generals of the King on the battlefield. These Ringleaders are capable of leading and inspiring the men, and possess unique capacities. They are not only heavily armoured, but should be your main target to rout the enemy army.

Settlement building is one of the biggest highlights for me in Valhalla. The focus on building your settlement is what sets this story-telling narrative of pillage, plunder and murder into a story of culture, religion and society. Eivor will have the ability to build up their settlement with a variety of buildings to help the people thrive. Each of these buildings will have a unique and direct contribution to the gameplay. How these will influence the gameplay is to be seen, but the ability to customise the settlement and choose buildings will add a strategic level to the game that we have not seen before.

Politics is a dirty word. However words can be just as important as combat in Valhalla. With the prospect of fighting and negotiating with Wessex, Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia, political alliances will be vital in the direction of the game and the story. The ability to choose story-narrative is a brave option, as by previous experience in games you can steer the entire game ending, or have zero influence. Whether Ubisoft opt for a faction-choosing decision, or if your actions and dialogue influence the outcome is yet to be seen.

So there we have it, a lot of exciting information from a 4-minute trailer. With an expected release date of Late 2020 on the PS4, Xbox One plus the next generation, we will expect to see a lot of information coming soon. Let me know your thoughts and feelings on this trailer, and let me know if I missed anything.