Valheim Review – Daunting Yet Beautiful Survival

Powerful enemies threaten the titular land of Valheim, and it’s up to you to stop them. However, you are thrown into a new land with just the clothes on your back. You must scrounge the materials to form a base, crafting equipment to protect yourself. Valheim is an open-world survival crafting game that doesn’t hold your hand. Developed by Iron Gate AB and published by Coffee Stain Publishing, it’s a tough game that rewards the effort you put in.

A long time ago, the god Odin fought a harsh war against unyielding enemies. He finally managed to win by pushing his foes back into the titular Valheim, cutting it off from the World Tree. Valheim was left on its own, but through the ages, various beings gained power and posed another threat to Odin. Using fallen warriors from Midgard, Odin hopes to suppress the threats on Valheim before it’s too late.

The narrative sets up your mission, but you probably won’t think of it too much. While it draws inspiration from Norse mythology, I didn’t need an in-depth understanding to know what’s going on. Said mythology impacts the enemy design, but you are more likely to focus on your own survival. However, you must defeat ten enemies across the realms of Valheim, and that remains your mission. Fortunately, there’s no time limit, and you can prepare as much as you need.

You are thrown into the deep end in Valheim, with just a torch and one tunic. The only assistance you get is from Hugin, a crow that provides advice. Everything else is learned through trial by fire. Finding materials, constructing equipment, and building a base is tough work. As you progress through the realms, every task gradually becomes more difficult. Enemies begin to ambush you at night, or new materials are required for stronger equipment.

What I liked is that there’s no pressure or time limit. Valheim is not a cozy game by any means, but it’s nice not to have the game slowly ramp up the difficulty. You can spend as much time as you like wherever you go, building a solid foundation before you move on. While traveling to tougher areas may have benefits, you may not be ready for them. Having the time to slowly build my strength let me fully explore areas and see everything I could.

Proper preparation is crucial as you advance throughout the game. Enemies attack your bases at night, requiring combat or fortifications to fend them off. Base building becomes more intricate as you construct new buildings to process resources. Upgrading your equipment, learning to dodge/parry, and eating the right food is essential to stay alive. It’s a challenge, but I really felt immersed in the survival experience.

However, part of that difficulty comes from the fact that Valheim demands a big time investment. Gathering resources is hard, especially the more advanced materials. Harvesting resources and building new structures consumes a lot of time if you want to stock a decent amount. Couple that with fighting enemies to survive, and I spent days in real life maintaining the status quo.

I didn’t expect the game to give me everything on a silver platter, but the monotony got to me. Sometimes I’d spend hours searching for resources without making any progress. For example, I’d be looking for copper to mine but have no idea what to look for. I might not find the cores necessary for creating ingots if I wasn’t looking everywhere. As immersive as the experience may be, the time spent might not be worthwhile unless you’re playing with friends.

Fortunately, if you have the time, there’s a genuine joy in doing your best. Planning out where you will go on your next journey, sailing across the ocean to a new land. The environment is wonderful to see, and you explore many new landscapes. As frustrating as the resource harvesting was, there’s something about sailing on a raft that took my breath away. The excitement of seeing what else was in store kept me going even if I knew I was going to struggle.

Valheim tests your survival skills as it throws the harsh reality of a hostile land at you. It’s genuinely rewarding to not only travel across the world, but refine your survival skills along the way. There’s a lot of trial-and-error as directions can be vague. You are also meant to invest lots of time, so it’s not for the time-poor. For those looking for a game that you can spend hours getting lost in, Valheim scratches that survival itch.

Victor reviewed Valheim on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.