Valheim

Last updated

Valheim
Valheim 2021 logo.jpg
Developer(s) Iron Gate Studio
Fishlabs (Xbox)
Publisher(s) Coffee Stain Publishing
Composer(s) Patrik Jarlestam
Engine Unity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Early access
  • Linux, Windows
  • 2 February 2021
  • Xbox One, Series X/S
  • 14 March 2023
Genre(s) Sandbox, survival
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Valheim is an upcoming survival and sandbox video game by the Swedish developer Iron Gate Studio and published by Coffee Stain Studios. [1] It was released in early access on 2 February 2021 for Linux and Windows via Steam, and for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on 14 March 2023. [2] [3] The game was developed by a five-person team, building on development work which Richard Svensson had undertaken as a side project in his spare time. [4] Since its early access release, Valheim has achieved both critical and commercial success, being praised as a "rare exception" of a refined early access game. A month after its release, it had sold over five million copies and was one of the most played games on Steam.

Contents

Plot

Valheim takes place in a world where slain Vikings go to prove themselves fit for the halls of Valhalla. As one such, the player begins with nothing and soon discovers that to reach the Norse afterlife, they must defeat the evils that stalk Valheim. [5] Led only by their instincts and occasional hints from a raven, [6] the player must prepare to fight the sworn enemies of Odin himself. [7]

The term "Valheim" denotes a fictional tenth world within the world tree Yggdrasil of Norse mythology.

Gameplay

Valheim is an open-world survival game played from a third-person perspective. As fallen Vikings, players must craft tools, build shelters and fight enemies to survive. [8] The game uses low-resolution stylized 3D graphics, with a combat system inspired by action games. [9] Co-operative gameplay with up to ten people and optional PvP gameplay is also supported. [8]

After creating their Viking character, players can create a world that is procedurally generated from a map seed. [10] Each world is split into several biomes, such as meadows, the Black Forest, swamps, mountains, plains, oceans, the Mistlands, the Deep North, and the Ashlands. [11] Each biome has its own unique enemies, items, and bosses that change how difficult it is to survive there. Valheim operates on an in-game day and night cycle. [12]

To survive, players must gather natural resources found throughout the world, either through foraging, hunting, mining, or farming. These resources are used to build shelters, make tools and equipment, and forge weapons. Players have a health bar (which depletes from enemy attacks or taking large falls), as well as a stamina bar that drains as players perform actions like running and attacking. To replenish either bar, players can eat food. This can not only restore health and stamina, but can also temporarily increase how much of each the player has, depending on the variation and quality of the food that is eaten. [13]

In addition, the game utilizes a skill-level system that ranges from blocking to running. Each skill can be increased up to a level of 100 and has different effects on the game mechanics. For example, the spears skill will determine the damage the player can do with spears, [14] while the running skill will determine how stamina is drained while sprinting.

The main objective of the game is to kill the six bosses located in different biomes of the game. To summon each boss, players must travel to each boss' altar and give a specific item as an offering. Bosses will drop a collectable trophy when killed; this trophy can be placed at a central altar to grant each player a special power-up. Power-ups can be used infinitely, but the player needs to wait for a brief period between uses. [15] [16]

Combat makes use of one- and two-handed weapons, shields, bows, and spears. [17] [18] Players can travel through the different biomes either by foot or on crafted boats, which range from rafts to different types of Viking longships.

Development

Valheim is developed by Iron Gate Studio, a small Swedish game development studio formed during the game's production. Studio co-founders Richard Svensson and Henrik Tornqvist were both coworkers at a local game development company called Pieces Interactive. [19] [20] Before Valheim, Svensson had previously begun development on a simulation game called Tolroko in his spare time; however, this game was ultimately unreleased. [21] According to Tornqvist, Svensson realized that it was "redundant to implement simulation systems for their own sake, rather than for the player". [21] With his next game, Svensson wanted to make an open-world experience where its simulations improved the player's experience. [22]

Svensson began working on Valheim in 2017 under the working title of Fejd (Swedish for "feud"). [19] [20] He ended up leaving Pieces Interactive in 2018 to work on Valheim full time, and convinced Tornqvist to join him later that year. [19] The game was released into alpha in June 2018 [23] and officially released into early access in February 2021. [24]

Continued support for the game is planned, and it involves the expansion of unfinished biomes, as well as improvements to fundamental game mechanics. [25] Iron Gate Studio updated the game on 16 September 2021 with the "Hearth & Home" update. This update brought general improvements to the game and introduced new food, weapons, and build options. [26]

The game's original soundtrack was released 29 October 2021, by Iron Gate AB, to stream on Spotify and for purchase on Steam. [27] [28]

In December 2022, Iron Gate released the "Mistlands" update for Valheim. The update added a new biome (the Mistlands), along with a large quantity of new content. This content included enemies, neutral NPCs, random events, items, food, building parts, the sixth main boss, crafting stations, weapons, and a few other miscellaneous features. The update also saw the addition of a magic system (and four magic weapons to go with it). [29]

During the Xbox Games Showcase 2022 Extended on 14 June, it was announced that Valheim would be coming to Windows 10 via Microsoft Store in Q3 2022, and later in Q2 2023 to Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles. These versions, developed by external studios Piktiv and Fishlabs, would support cross-platform play and launch directly into Xbox Game Pass. Meanwhile, Iron Gate Studio would focus on the "core Valheim experience and its next major update milestones". [30] In February 2023, it was announced that the game would release in early access on the consoles on 14 March 2023. [3]

Reception

Valheim has received positive reviews from critics. [32] IGN Nordic gave the game a rating of 9/10, stating that the game has "excellent art and music highlighting a world that generates endless exciting stories". [31] PC Gamer called Valheim a "rare exception" for early access games, as well as stating that the game "feels refined and satisfying as it is right now". [33] The Washington Post appreciated that Valheim did not elaborate on certain gameplay and story elements, allowing its fans to build a sense of community with each other by sharing things like design ideas and theories about the game's lore. [34]

A month after its release, it had sold five million copies and was one of the most-played games on Steam. [35] [19] It sold over 10 million copies on Steam by July 2022. [36]

Awards and accolades

Valheim was nominated for Best Debut Indie Game and Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2021. [37] The game was named the Game of the Year for 2021 by PC Gamer. [38] Later, Valheim won the Best Debut and Audience Award at the Game Developer's Choice 2022. [39]

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <i>Minecraft</i> 2011 video game

    Minecraft is a 2011 sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios and originally released in 2009. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being fully released on November 18, 2011, with Notch stepping down and Jens "Jeb" Bergensten taking over development. Minecraft has become the best-selling video game in history, with over 300 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active players as of 2023. It has been ported to several platforms.

    Facepunch Studios Ltd is a British video game developer and publisher headquartered in Birmingham, England, founded in June 2004 and incorporated on 17 March 2009 by Garry Newman. The company is most known for its sandbox video game Garry's Mod and survival game Rust. Facepunch is currently developing s&box, which is regarded as a spiritual successor to Garry's Mod.

    <i>The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</i> 2011 video game

    The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011.

    <i>Dungeon Defenders</i> 2010 video game

    Dungeon Defenders is a hybrid multiplayer video game developed by Trendy Entertainment that combines the genres of tower defense and action role-playing game. It is based on a showcase of Unreal Engine 3 named Dungeon Defense. The game takes place in a fantasy setting where players control the young apprentices of wizards and warriors and defend against hordes of monsters. A sequel titled Dungeon Defenders II was released in 2015.

    <i>Terraria</i> 2011 video game

    Terraria is a 2011 action-adventure sandbox game developed by Re-Logic. The game was first released for Windows and has since been ported to other PC and console platforms. The game features exploration, crafting, building, painting, and combat with a variety of creatures in a procedurally generated 2D world. Terraria received generally positive reviews and sold over 44 million copies by 2022, making it one of the best-selling video games.

    <i>7 Days to Die</i> 2013 video game

    7 Days to Die is a survival horror video game set in an open world developed by The Fun Pimps. It was released through Early Access on Steam for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X on December 13, 2013, and for Linux on November 22, 2014. Versions for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in 2016 through Telltale Publishing, but are no longer being developed. In late 2022, The Fun Pimps announced that the game will be re-released on consoles targeting Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.

    Rust is a multiplayer survival video game developed by Facepunch Studios. It was first released in early access in December 2013 and received its full release in February 2018. Rust is available on Windows and macOS. Console versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One developed in conjunction with Double Eleven were released in May 2021. Rust was initially created as a clone of DayZ, a popular mod for ARMA 2, with crafting elements akin to those in Minecraft.

    <i>Halo: The Master Chief Collection</i> Video game compilation

    Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a compilation of first-person shooter video games in the Halo series. The collection was released in November 2014 for the Xbox One, and later ported to Microsoft Windows and the Xbox Series X/S. The collection was developed by 343 Industries in partnership with other studios and was published by Xbox Game Studios. The collection includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4.

    <i>Hunt: Showdown</i> 2019 video game

    Hunt: Showdown is a first-person shooter video game by Crytek. It was launched on Steam in early access on 22 February 2018 and for Xbox Game Preview on 29 May 2019. The full release of the game launched on 27 August 2019 for Microsoft Windows, it was also released on Xbox One on 19 September 2019 and PlayStation 4 on 18 February 2020. In the game, the player assumes the role of a bounty hunter who tries to kill mythical monsters in order to claim their bounties and survive long enough against other bounty hunters to reach an extraction point.

    <i>Ark: Survival Evolved</i> 2017 video game

    Ark: Survival Evolved is a 2017 action-adventure survival video game developed by Studio Wildcard. In the game, players must survive being stranded on one of several maps filled with roaming dinosaurs, fictional fantasy monsters, and other prehistoric animals, natural hazards, and potentially hostile human players.

    Nacon is a French video game company based in Lesquin. It designs and distributes gaming accessories, and publishes and distributes video games for various platforms. In 2020, Bigben Group was consolidated to form Nacon.

    <i>Praey for the Gods</i> 2021 video game

    Praey for the Gods is an action-adventure survival game developed by No Matter Studios. Initially released via early access in January 2019, and the full version of the game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One in December 2021.

    <i>Risk of Rain 2</i> 2019 video game

    Risk of Rain 2 is a roguelike third-person shooter developed by Hopoo Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. A sequel to 2013's Risk of Rain, it was released in early access for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2019 before fully releasing in August 2020 with a release for Stadia coming a month later.

    <i>Dead Cells</i> 2018 video game

    Dead Cells is a 2018 roguelike-Metroidvania game developed by Motion Twin and Evil Empire, and published by Motion Twin. The player takes the role of an amorphous creature called the Prisoner. As the Prisoner, the player must fight their way out of a diseased island in order to slay the island's King. The player gains weapons, treasure and other tools through exploration of the procedurally-generated levels. Dead Cells features a permadeath system, causing the player to lose all items and other abilities upon dying. A currency called Cells can be collected from defeated enemies, allowing the player to purchase permanent upgrades.

    <i>Deep Rock Galactic</i> 2020 video game

    Deep Rock Galactic is a cooperative first-person shooter video game developed by Danish studio Ghost Ship Games and published by Coffee Stain Publishing. Deep Rock Galactic was fully released on May 13, 2020 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One after its early access release in February 28, 2018. The game was later released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in January 2022, and for Xbox Series X/S in September 2022.

    <i>Forza Horizon 5</i> 2021 video game

    Forza Horizon 5 is a 2021 racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is the fifth Forza Horizon title and twelfth main instalment in the Forza series. The game is set in a fictionalised representation of Mexico. It was released on 9 November 2021 for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

    <i>Tribes of Midgard</i> 2021 video game

    Tribes of Midgard is an action role-playing survival video game developed by Norsfell Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on July 27, 2021, and was released for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on August 16, 2022.

    <i>Gunfire Reborn</i> 2021 video game

    Gunfire Reborn is a 2021 roguelite first-person shooter video game developed by Duoyi Games. It was released for Microsoft Windows in November 2021. It was followed by mobile ports in May 2022, then released on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in October of the same year, and released for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in June 2023. A Nintendo Switch port is also in the works.

    <i>Core Keeper</i> 2022 video game

    Core Keeper is a survival sandbox game developed by Pugstorm. Currently in early access, the game features mechanics similar to other games in the sandbox genre such as Minecraft, Terraria and Stardew Valley, including mining, crafting, farming and exploration in a procedurally generated underground world. It was released to Steam in early access on 8 March 2022 and received praise for its game mechanics, art style, tone, atmosphere and ease of access to multiplayer modes. The game is set to release on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 in Summer 2024.

    <i>V Rising</i> 2022 video game

    V Rising is an upcoming action role-playing survival game developed by Stunlock Studios and published by Level Infinite. First announced on May 5, 2021, for Windows, it entered early access on May 17, 2022. It is scheduled to be released on May 8, 2024. Within a week, it had surpassed one million sales.

    References

    1. ↑ "Norse survival sim Valheim coming from Coffee Stain Studios". PCGamesN. 13 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
    2. ↑ "FAQs 1". Valheim. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
    3. 1 2 Makuch, Eddie (17 February 2023). "Xbox Game Pass Adds Valheim On March 14". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
    4. ↑ Jagneaux, David (19 February 2021), "Valheim: How a 5-Person Team Created the Most Popular Game on Steam", IGN, archived from the original on 1 March 2021, retrieved 22 February 2021
    5. ↑ Borthwick, Ben (4 March 2021). "Viking survival game Valheim sails past 5 million sales in one month". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
    6. ↑ Chandler, Sam (3 February 2021). "Steam Game Festival 2021: Valheim hands-on preview". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
    7. ↑ "Valheim". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
    8. 1 2 Marshall, Cass (9 February 2021). "What is Valheim, the Viking game blowing up on Steam?". Polygon. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
    9. ↑ "How Valheim Looks So Good Without Fancy Textures". ScreenRant. 13 March 2021. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
    10. ↑ Rothery, Jen (23 September 2021). "The best Valheim seeds". PCGamesN . Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
    11. ↑ Ramos, Jeff (5 March 2021). "Valheim biome progression guide". Polygon. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
    12. ↑ Scheurle, Jennifer (26 March 2021). "Valheim offers the perfect balance of danger and coziness". Polygon . Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
    13. ↑ Livingston, Christopher (10 March 2021). "Keep your Viking belly full with this Valheim food guide". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
    14. ↑ Izaak (26 February 2021). "How skills affect combat in Valheim". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
    15. ↑ Leguiza, Santiago (12 March 2021). "Valheim boss guide: How to summon, locate and defeat bosses explained". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
    16. ↑ Toms, Ollie (16 February 2021). "Valheim bosses order: how to summon and beat each Valheim boss". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
    17. ↑ Machkovech, Sam (16 February 2021). "Valheim is the endless Viking survival game we have craved for years". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
    18. ↑ "Combat Basics for Beginners (Valheim)". EIP Gaming. 9 February 2021. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
    19. 1 2 3 4 Conditt, Jessica (9 March 2021). "Valheim surpasses 5.7 million copies sold in five weeks on Steam Early Access". Engadget . Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
    20. 1 2 Rogers, Reece (2 March 2021). "Valheim Is Changing How We Play Survival Games". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
    21. 1 2 Wilson, Ewan (15 March 2021). "Valheim will unleash your inner prepper from the safety of your sofa". Input. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
    22. ↑ Livingston, Christopher (17 February 2021). "Valheim developer says Zelda and Skyrim were bigger influences than survival games". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
    23. ↑ "Valheim – Viking survival & exploration game (ALPHA) RELEASED! – Release Announcements". itch.io. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
    24. ↑ "Valheim FAQ". Valheim. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
    25. ↑ "Valheim – Valheim Release and Roadmap! – Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
    26. ↑ September 2021, Marloes Valentina Stella 17 (17 September 2021). "Valheim Hearth and Home changes – all the new stuff". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    27. ↑ Shutler, Ali (29 October 2021). "The official soundtrack to Valheim has been released". NME. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
    28. ↑ Talbot, Carrie (29 October 2021). "Valheim's soundtrack is here with Viking beats and bangers aplenty". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
    29. ↑ "Mistlands – Valheim Update Guide – IGN". IGN. 7 December 2022. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
    30. ↑ "Valheim coming to Xbox Series, Xbox One in spring 2023". Gematsu. 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
    31. 1 2 "Valheim Early Access Review". IGN Nordic. 17 February 2021. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
    32. ↑ Statt, Nick (3 March 2021). "Steam sensation Valheim sold 5 million copies in one month". The Verge. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
    33. ↑ Livingston, Christopher (26 February 2021). "Valheim review: a challenging and rewarding Early Access survival adventure". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
    34. ↑ Klimentov, Mikhail. "Review | Valheim just works because it makes you work, too". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
    35. ↑ "Valheim – Five Million Vikings! – Steam News". store.steampowered.com. 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
    36. ↑ Stanton, Rich (25 April 2022). "Valheim has sold over 10 million copies". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
    37. ↑ Ankers, Adele (16 November 2021). "The Game Awards Nominations Announced". ign.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
    38. ↑ "Game of the Year 2021: Valheim – PC Gamer". PC Gamer . 31 December 2021. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
    39. ↑ Marasigan, Marc (26 March 2022). "Valheim Wins GDCA 2022's Best Debut And Audience Award, Mistlands Still A Ways Off". MMOs.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.