I for one really love these RPG AC's with their big worlds and secrets in every nook and cranny, and as a lover of all things ancient history and mythology, these are right up my alley, albeit...not without their faults. I'm an Ásatruar myself so I kept my critical Odin's eye wide open but am not gonna fault them on being original. My main problem with Valhalla is all in the physics, the awkard movement of Eivor while running or fighting and the cramped yet huge map. What I mean by that is that the towns etc. don't feel...natural and the landscape, especially in England, doesn't quite feel like England in the slightest. It often feels more like Floridian swamps instead of the beautiful dense forests the UK has. But that's all just a personal nitpick ofcourse. What I do appreciate very much is the fact the game, for this size, ran ever so smoothly on both my PS4 Pro and PS5. no glitches or bugs encountered during a double 150 hours run (yeah, I platinumed it twice). What made the game an absolute beast was it's fantastic soundtrack!
The missions themselves felt a bit repetitive at times, so much so I'd wander for hours to avoid them and tackle the little side missions or simply go fishing (all for that trophy might I add, not simply for fun). Now, I have yet to play "Origins" (shame on me) so I can only compare with "Odyssey"...and to my surprise, "Odyssey" still takes the cake. I was surprised that "Valhalla" actually looked worse than it's predecessor, and not just a little. Also surprised it has a smaller map size.
I gave it a big ol' rating because I loved playing it, absolutely loved it but not even my closer connection to Norse mythology could save it's rating compared to "Odyssey"