Valhall

About

Valhall is a single player and multiplayer open world hack and slash game with medieval, historical and violence themes. It was developed by Blackrose Arts and was released on October 22, 2020. It received neutral reviews from players.

VALHALL - the place where the best warriors are fighting to the death. Now it’s time for the last battle. Ragnarok is coming!

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46%Audience ScoreBased on 273 reviews

graphics24 positive mentions

stability13 negative mentions

The game has beautiful graphics and a great Viking atmosphere which many find immersive and visually appealing.
Combat mechanics, while needing refinement, offer a unique directional system and some players find the fighting fun and engaging.
Developers are actively updating the game, listening to player feedback, and showing commitment to its long-term development.

The game remains in an early pre-beta state years after initial funding, with many fundamental features incomplete or missing, leading to a lack of meaningful content.
Numerous bugs, glitches, and balance issues severely impact gameplay, causing frustration among players.
The original promised game (Viking battle royale) was abandoned or drastically changed, leading to accusations of misleading backers and a perceived lack of clear development direction.

graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
20%
9%
The graphics are widely praised for their realism, beautiful landscapes, and atmospheric Viking vibe, with many noting impressive details like moving foliage and dynamic weather effects. While some users mention occasional bugs and crashes, the overall visual experience is considered stunning and a major strength of the game, especially given its early access status.
- “The visuals and graphics are really incredible and flow very well; rain, snow, and the winds are very cool to play in.”
- “Beautiful graphics: landscapes are real-life like, particles and ray-tracing are mesmerising; the developers have clearly put in a lot of effort.”
- “The graphics and scenery are breathtaking, in my opinion.”
- “They sent me a video that wasn't loading and all they do is send you a 1000 word essay about what will be in 15 years. Graphics are trash.”
- “Second launch - dialed down the graphics to medium settings, it did work, checked the gameplay and stuff.”
- “The game crashes frequently, the graphics are outdated, and gameplay (even when the game does work) is clunky and terrible.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
73%
9%
The gameplay is currently plagued by repetitive gathering, frequent bugs, and clunky mechanics, limiting meaningful engagement beyond basic building and combat. While combat animations and building mechanics show promise, overall gameplay feels underdeveloped and poorly optimized, reflecting an early, unpolished state with minimal content and frequent crashes. Many reviewers acknowledge the game's potential but advise caution until future updates improve core gameplay and stability.
- “This game for what it is does feel fairly polished mechanically with the exception of the dueling arena which is a notable downgrade from when I played last; it has a crazy long reset and sometimes spawns like 4-5 guys for no reason.”
- “Animations for sword & axe are really smooth, base building mechanics are also very easy to use.”
- “Basic build mechanics seem like they are on the right track and combat mechanics are fun.”
- “90% of my gameplay was spent walking around looking for the same types of materials scattered all over the ground because the whole opening 2.5 hours of the game is just following a strict quest line where it makes you build a bunch of stuff over and over.”
- “After about 5-10 minutes of gameplay my weapons would not switch or be able to swing and I had to restart my game, this happened over and over.”
- “The game crashes frequently, the graphics are outdated, and gameplay (even when the game does work) is clunky and terrible.”
music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
39%
13%
The music in the game is widely praised for its epic, authentic Viking vibe, often featuring artists like Danheim and Wardruna, which greatly enhances the Norse mythology atmosphere. However, some users note the soundtrack currently has limited variety, with one track repeating endlessly, and they hope for more diverse Viking-themed music in future updates. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout element that significantly enriches the gameplay experience.
- “The soundtrack is epic and the graphics are phenomenal; the artists are going hard in this for sure.”
- “A special mention has to go to this game's soundtrack; it really sets the tone of a game based on Norse mythology and makes me want to pick up my axe and go raiding!”
- “Beautiful graphics, landscapes are real-life like, particles & ray-tracing are mesmerizing, and that Viking music makes my adrenaline rush through my veins and makes me want to kill someone (in the game only, of course).”
- “Add more music into the game, because there is just one track that keeps repeating in an endless cycle.”
- “Add more music into the game, because there is just one track that keeps repeating in an endless cycle.”
- “What I hope to see in future development and updates for this game is more Viking music that plays frequently during gameplay.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The story is widely criticized for being nearly non-existent, with many players describing the singleplayer mode as lacking narrative structure, quests, or meaningful content. Instead of a developed story, gameplay mostly involves repetitive resource gathering and aimless combat, leaving users disappointed by the absence of a coherent or engaging storyline.
- “Bit buggy at times, especially in the fights, but great graphics and the story could be awesome.”
- “More quests with depth and more points of interest would be awesome.”
- “The whole opening 2.5 hours of the game is just following a strict quest line where it makes you build a bunch of stuff over and over.”
- “There is no instruction on what you do in that mode, no story, no audio, text, nothing but some AI and a handful of weapons.”
- “All you can do is run around and attack people that half the time don't even die. Why release this? I was hoping there would at least be a story mode or even one mission; there's nothing but running around the woods and attacking people.”
- “I will be returning this game and getting my money back until there is at least a story to play or online battles.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The game currently suffers from numerous stability issues, including bugs in combat, physics, NPC behavior, and animations, making it feel incomplete and frustrating at times. However, these problems are expected in its early access alpha state, with developers frequently updating to improve stability. Players interested in the game's setting and potential may overlook these glitches, but those seeking a polished experience might want to wait for further improvements.
- “The combat is buggy as hell, the physics are absolutely broken, the animations don't even look complete half the time, and absolutely nothing works right.”
- “The game is a mess at the moment and the NPCs are very buggy; there is no correct AI pathing and some NPCs wander aimlessly.”
- “Major delays because obviously they couldn't do what they wanted (big dreams, I guess?), and now we have a buggy alpha with no multiplayer (the only reason I bought this game is for an obvious battle royale feature).”
monetization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users feeling it is overpriced given its incomplete and poorly developed state. Many express frustration over paying for an early access game that lacks clear direction, playable modes, and meaningful improvements, leading to a strong recommendation to avoid purchasing until full release.
- “Nothing has changed - you cannot do anything that it shows you - it's a free asset Unreal put-together cash grab, nothing more.”
- “Unfortunately, this is a cash grab. If it said 'help kick start our game,' I would understand, but for $36.50 even for an early access game, it feels criminal.”
- “Run, don't buy this scam until it fully releases. I made the mistake of backing them on crowdfunding a long time ago, and it has been nothing but disaster after disaster. I feel cheated out of my money and would never recommend anyone pick this up in early access. This is a perfect example of a cash grab and everything wrong with crowdfunding and the early access system.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game currently suffers from poor optimization, leading to performance issues and bugs, especially on older PCs. While some acknowledge it is somewhat expected at this early alpha stage, many users feel the performance problems significantly hinder the experience and need substantial improvement.
- “Surprisingly good for an alpha game and no real performance hit from it.”
- “It does need more optimization, but that comes with development.”
- “You need to execute on all angles at the launch and if I have to be honest, this was a sloppy performance from the team.”
- “Hopefully this doesn't become a dead game because it has potential to go far, as of now just bugs and poor optimization.”
- “It first came out hella honky and poorly optimized (which is a big issue but forgivable since it just came out) and no multiplayer.”
- “Do not expect any decent gameplay or optimization at this moment and yeah this game will run crappy for older PCs as it has poor optimization atm.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from unintended, quirky bugs and ragdoll physics that create amusing, chaotic moments rather than deliberate comedic writing. While some players find this zany, bug-induced slapstick entertaining, others see it as unpolished and frustrating rather than genuinely funny.
- “It was kind of funny because I thought I was just tired - no bug!”
- “You then get to enjoy zany, hilarious bugs such as spontaneously being launched into the sky, ragdolling down mountains, AI that only follow you a short distance and forget how to attack, and... actually that's about it.”
- “If you like swinging a hammer around like Thor and laughing at the ragdoll animations with no actual purpose or objective, then this game is for you.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users consistently praise the game's atmosphere for being immersive, visually detailed, and effectively blending semi-mythologic elements, creating a compelling and engaging environment.
- “The atmosphere of the game looks amazing and detailed.”
- “The concept of the game is great and atmosphere is amazing.”
- “The semi-mythologic atmosphere feels great.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game offers a rewarding experience with ample opportunities tied to Viking-themed content, though some players find resource gathering, like flax spawns and stone mining, tedious or unrealistic. While the overall gameplay and graphics receive praise, certain mechanics such as item crafting and environmental interactions could benefit from improvements to reduce repetitive grinding.
- “Every item should have multiple ways to make it. The flax spawn rate is crazy low; all plants should yield fiber, which should be used to make cords and clothes. Stone gathering is inefficient—it's faster to pick stones than to mine them. The ground should be destructible, with cave systems and stone to mine. Farming, milling, hauling logs need improvements. The animations of falling trees and dying animals look terrible.”