One of the greatest survival games I have played. As someone that finds this genre of game incredibly saturated with poor quality and lazy mechanics, Valheim stands out in a crowd of mediocrity. Setting itself apart with its unique Norse setting, original mechanics and spectacular art style, Valheim is a wonderful experience playing both as an individual or as a group.

On its surface, Valheim appears to be another typical survival video game, you arrive in a large world, with little to no resources and must use the materials of the surrounding environment to build shelter, find food and survive. But upon further exploration, Valheim reveals itself to a richly in-depth experience. The lore and thought that has been created around the Norse Myths is fascinating and the various creatures to be encountered allow for gameplay that rarely ceases to entertain. Each biome is rich with new things to discover, whether that simply be what will provide your next death or the resources that will provide you with further gear and upgrades.

The difficulty curve of this game can be perceived as rather imbalanced, early on everything is a threat, even the trees can provide an untimely death if you're not careful, Greylings are no push over at this stage and venturing further into the world will lead you to more unpleasant creatures that would delight in nothing more than your demise. But as you continue to gather resources and craft new armor/weapons these creatures become light work. But the game does not stop there.

For every biome and creature you conquer there is another waiting to put you back in your place. The terrifying "Abomination" of the swamp lands provides players with a well needed humbling. The followers of Fenrir, taking the form of terrifying wolf-like creatures will not hesitate to tear apart your flesh. This continues throughout and it is only when you have explored all the different biomes and plundered all of their valuables that you truly feel powerful but even then, a warrior in the realm of Valheim cannot afford to be complacent.

Of course, we cannot talk about the enemies without mentioning the combat system. Utilising a simple dodge/block/attack system, Valheim can be an intense experience. Each attack uses stamina, as does movement and blocking, it can be incredibly intense when fighting large hordes of enemies. Seeing their HP fall to almost nothing but lacking the stamina to finish them off, meanwhile being close to death yourself. Managing your stamina, food and weapons is vital to surviving in Valheim and is a thrilling ganmeplay experience.

Exploration is one of the most thrilling aspects of Valheim's gameplay. The game provides a vast world to be uncovered, littered with the different biomes that each provide their own opportunity and danger. You can sail across the oceans, climb mountains, trudge through swamps and venture through dense forests, none of which are dull or absent of wonder.

What sets Valheim truly apart from many other survival games is the presence of its unique bosses. Each biome has its own boss fight that must be completed to truly experience the game's vast offerings. Each boss provides a vital tool/material for further exploration of the world before you. They also provide much needed motivation for progression, so often I find myself becoming bored with survival games, feeling there is little more the accomplish or that they simply become to tedious to continue progressing. The bosses provide such motivation, a reason to upgrade gear, fight through monsters and collect resources, so you can go to the next one.

Another of Valheim's unique aspects is its food system. Many games will use food/eating in games on a very basic level, being used only to heal your character. Valheim takes this further, featuring a complex cooking mechanic that allows the player to experiment with different foods and their benefits. This isn't unheard of, far from it, but Valheim's execution is unlike any other, it provides another sense of progression for the player, high benefit ingredients allow for the creation of food items that provide high health and stamina for a set amount of time. It allows for tactical and strategic thinking with something as simple as the food you take on an adventure.

For an Early Access game, Valheim provides oodles of content and entertainment with only more upon the horizon. However, it is not without its flaws. The experience is greatly improved with mods and changes. Some of the game's mechanics can be incredibly tedious, as is to be expected of survival games, but at times it seems unnecessary. Mods such as "Valheim Plus" I would highly recommend, it helps with small quality of life improvements such as increasing capacity of smelters and carry capacity both of which seem incredibly low especially in the late game.

I have also had a number of issues with optimisation, Valheim is not a graphically intensive game yet it can struggle with the presence of large structures or multiple players. I find this strange considering these things are actively encouraged. The game's building system is intuitive and fun to use and playing with other players is a joyous experience. I hope in the future such issues are resolved before the game's full release.

Overall, Valheim is a fabulous video game that I would recommend to any fan of survival games, and even those who may not have an affinity for the genre. It is a beautifully thought out game that provides so much quality and entertainment. I wish I could list everything I adore about this game in this review but it has to end some time. Its creatures, environments and gameplay are stellar and I simply cannot wait for more.