A new generation of game consoles is exciting and exciting, but also a bit tricky. Because if different versions of the same game come out, how well optimized is that game? What can you expect on your console? Assassin’s Creed Valhalla scored an 8 in our review and is therefore an excellent game anyway, but the game was played on ‘old’ hardware. On an Xbox One X to be precise. I have now played the game on an Xbox Series X for just as long and that was a pleasant experience.
Ubisoft left the end of October already know what exactly we can expect from Valhalla on the new generation of game consoles. The game runs in a 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, and thanks to the faster SSDs, loading times are shorter. It is very secluded. Nothing more and nothing less. But what do these technical improvements mean in practice?
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Valhalla in a nutshell
Let’s talk about those loading times first. We’ve mentioned it before on Gamer.nl, but the faster loading times are a real blessing. I just grabbed the stopwatch. From the moment I press ‘continue’ in the start menu, it takes more than 2 minutes, 31 seconds and 86 milliseconds for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to be loaded on an Xbox One X. The exact same save was loaded on the Xbox Series X in 17.23 seconds. Especially in combination with Quick Resume it is impressive to play Gears 5 one moment and then be in the middle of the game world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla in a few seconds – at least if Quick Resume works, because that feature of the Xbox Series X is currently available. a bit unreliable with every game.
Faster loading times not only mean that you don’t have to wait as long when you start the game or use the fast travel function, for example. I also noticed that because of this I really started to play the game differently. In the game, just like in Odyssey and Origins, you have a bird with which you can explore the area from the air. Switching to that bird, and especially switching back to Eivor if you have flown a bit further away, always causes a delay on the old hardware. That was also the case with Origins and Odyssey. I never really wanted to call that delay a nuisance, but it does take you out of your flow for a while and so I actually only used the bird before an infiltration piece, or when the game had to.
On the Xbox Series X, however, you switch seamlessly between Eivor and his bird Synin. Since my transition to the new generation, I use Synin much more often to see from a bird’s eye view where enemies are walking around, where a window is open or where the next bushes to hide myself in are. Especially during stealth missions I constantly switch between Eivor and Synin to keep a good overview. And with caution we can say that that was the intention of Ubisoft, since enemies and interesting items are no longer automatically marked like in Odyssey.
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Less pop-in, more playtime
The Xbox Series X’s faster architecture also means less pop-in. As you gallop through the English hills on your horseback, you will see grasses and small bushes getting their details a few meters before your stride. On the Series X, however, that ‘bubble’ is a bit bigger. The border where the details are loaded is just a little further away. On a 55-inch TV, this is generally just outside your focus point. This makes the landscape look more beautiful and lively, and also calmer for your eyes.
The higher frame rate in turn makes countering attacks just that little bit easier. Because of the double amount of images, you can estimate just a bit better when you have to press the button. It’s these kinds of subtle differences that make Valhalla a lot more enjoyable to play across the board.
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It’s these kinds of subtle differences that make Valhalla a lot more enjoyable to play across the board.
Promising for the future
Of course we don’t have to tell you that the next-gen version is the better version. That should speak for itself. Plus, Ubisoft gives you a free upgrade on both Xbox and PlayStation with no hassle or extra costs. So nobody has to persuade you to buy the game again. Still, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has been a nice practical example from day one of what the new generation of game consoles brings us into practice. After all, a higher resolution or frame rate, or faster SSD is only technical nonsense as long as a game does not actually benefit from it.
Does this mean we are adjusting the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla review rating? No. For the very simple reason that the game is the same (including bugs) and these technical improvements are really the new industry standard. We can expect this from every game. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla does show how enjoyable that new industry standard is. We are looking forward to good times.
Want to know more about next-gen versions? Then read this article:
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