Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is Ubisoft’s latest installment in the long-running Assassin’s Creed series, and many fans are calling it one of the series' best entries to date. Plenty of earlier reviews for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla praised the game very highly, complimenting the new direction the series is continuing following Odyssey.
Valhalla has been pulling in acclaim from gamers all over the world, but one bit of praise recently came from a source that some might not expect. On Twitter, famed horror director John Carpenter took time to praise Assassin’s Creed Valhalla calling it “a return to excellence.”
Sometimes it can be hard to remember that all sorts of public figures enjoy playing video games in their private lives. Most people probably know John Carpenter from the Halloween film series, or perhaps even 1982’s The Thing. Carpenter is perhaps one of the most prolific writers and directors in the horror film genre, with many of his films being dubbed some of the best horror films ever made. However, it might surprise some readers to learn that Carpenter is actually an avid video game fan and has followed the industry for quite some time.
Recently, Carpenter took time on Twitter to praise Ubisoft’s latest entry in the Assassin’s Creed series: the Norse-inspired Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Apparently, Carpenter was very impressed by Valhalla calling it an “incredible game.” Carpenter briefly praised the game’s beautiful game design and massive open world, while calling it a return to form for the franchise. This isn’t the first time that Carpenter has complimented a modern video game on Twitter either, as last year Carpenter took time to praise Borderlands 3’s opening gameplay segment.
Recent sales reports for Valhalla also suggest that Carpenter isn’t the only one who thinks the game is a return to excellence for the series. Ubisoft recently announced that Assassin's Creed Valhalla broke multiple sales records for the Assassin’s Creed series, selling through more units in it’s first week than any other title in the series to date. It’s an impressive feat to be sure, as the series has more than 20 entries in total. While Valhalla does have various flaws that fans and reviewers took issue with, it seems like the overall experience more than makes up for the hiccups experienced along the way.
Still, it seems that many of those hiccups are not impacting Carpenter’s overall impression of the game to say the least. It’s always a nice reminder when video game fans see someone on the outside of their sphere praise games publicly. Especially when that praise comes from such an esteemed creative figure like Carpenter. At the end of the day, Ubisoft can at least take pride in knowing that one of horror’s most prolific director’s thinks Valhalla is a triumphant return to the series bar of excellence.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
