Valheim

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 14

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The MetaMeter requires a minimum of 15 professional critic reviews before issuing an official MetaMeter Score and Recommendation.

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Early Access Game

Note: Valheim is in Early Access, which means it is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its CURRENT state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 14

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 14

The MetaMeter requires a minimum of 15 professional critic reviews before issuing an official MetaMeter Score and Recommendation.

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Critic Reviews for Valheim

Critic Reviews

Distribution

14

Reviews

High Score - 100/100

100%

Average Score - 88/100

88%

Low Score - 80/100

80%

9/10

Leana Hafer (IGN)

Whether I’m fighting for my life, plundering forgotten barrows, or just watching the sun play across the water in a calm moment of respite, Valheim has created a world I’m consistently joyful to live in and discover more of. It’s definitely a traditional survival game at heart, which means the further in you get, the more you have to put up with some tedious grinding before you can get back to the good parts. But even at its early access launch, those good parts are already very good, especially when you get to take to the seas or test your skill against its imposing bosses. And the simple but exceptional art and music create a strong sense of place in which to do it all. Grab some mead and come join me by the fire. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

February 17, 2021 |

Full Review

I’ll give it credit where credit is due: Valheim is highly polished and beautiful to look at. The mechanics are seamless and I haven’t experienced a bug so far. Still, I feel like some of the gameplay is too simple or safe, and the grind to gather materials particularly in the early portion of Valheim is tedious. I do look forward to what comes next, as the developers have clearly proven they are competent and know how to create a solid survival title. Come release, perhaps this will end up being the survival game for me.

February 16, 2021 |

Full Review

Recommended

Austin Suther (TechRaptor)

Recommended

Austin King (ScreenRant)

Of course, no game is perfect (especially ones in early access) and some players have criticized the game’s lack of tutorials for new players, which would be useful. Overall, though, Valheim seems to be a great addition to the multiplayer survival genre, and it’s definitely worth playing.

February 9, 2021 |

Full Review

Leana Hafer (IGN)

9/10 - (Read Review)

Austin Suther (TechRaptor)

Recommended - (Read Review)

Austin King (ScreenRant)

Recommended - (Read Review)

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Read the Reviews (14 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
Ars Technica	Sam Machkovech	Recommended	02-16-2021	But any Valheim wishlist betrays the truth of the game's current, "unfinished" state: there's already so much adventuring, crafting, building, and discovery available-and in ways that can easily be shared amongst friends for only $20. (And if the screenshots I've chosen haven't made clear, this game can be very pretty, as its engine smothers its blocky characters with handsome effects and gorgeous vistas). We've put games in our year-end lists for less potential than what I've already enjoyed in Valheim thus far, and I don't see us getting out of 2021 without repeating praise for this killer multiplayer adventure option on PC.	Read review
Game Rant	Dalton Cooper	5 / 5 stars	03-10-2021	These issues will be ironed out and Valheim's content roadmap ensures that plenty of new content will be added to the game as well throughout 2021. In its current state, it's an incredibly engrossing experience and perhaps the first survival game of its kind to match Minecraft in pure fun factor. And if it's already this impressive in early access, one can only imagine how good it will be when it has its full release.	Read review
GameSpace	Chris Bowman	9 / 10	04-12-2021	Overall, Valheim is a fairly complete game even though it is still in early-access. It suffers from some of the normal bugs and glitches that you see in other early-access titles but it also has a lot of content that is wonderful and works well. It is a great group game if you have a bunch of friends who feel like building Norse villages and going raiding. You can get this on Steam right now. I can't wait for future updates.	Read review
God is a Geek	Mick Fraser	Recommended	02-22-2021	Having hit 2 million downloads on Steam in early access, Valheim is almost certainly going to stick around and get bigger and better. If Iron Gate AB stick to their current ethos of delivering faster-paced survival with the true freedom of opt-in PvP and community spirit, this could one day be the biggest survival game available. And considering the size of some of the current dominators, that’s no mean feat.	Read review
IGN	Leana Hafer	9 / 10	02-17-2021	Valheim is already a paragon of the survival crafting genre, with excellent art and music highlighting a world that generates endless exciting stories from only a few simple ingredients.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	Recommended	02-24-2021	After 30 hours you’ll still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface, with every new encounter feeling fresh and rewarding. It’s also impressive to think that this is your world alone and that anyone else playing will have their own unique experience with happenstance adventures. You can play solo but with more territories and bosses to come you’ll soon want to convince your friends to join you, so you can adventure together. And for such a low price it will be hard for them to say no.	Read review
MMOGames	Marc Pavey	9 / 10	04-13-2021	Having achieved a modicum of security, I decided it was time to pack my bags, unfurl the sails and expand my horizons. Preparation is key – having a good variety of food and potions available, with better options being more complex to create, will dramatically increase your health, stamina, and overall survivability. Better armour and weapons, meanwhile, will greatly increase your effectiveness at fighting. The crafting system is satisfyingly deep, and finding resources to unlock new recipes provides a strong incentive to explore the world.	Read review
PC Gamer	Christopher Livingston	Recommended	02-26-2021	Valheim might be the rare exception. The game as a whole is not complete, but the parts that are there do feel complete, if that makes sense. I can see the areas in which I'd like it to grow, but Valheim feels refined and satisfying as it is right now. I've put 70 hours into it so far, and I fully expect to at least double that, and it's a $20 game. No matter what happens in Early Access, it's hard not to feel like I've already gotten my money's worth.	Read review
Polygon	Kazuma Hashimoto	Recommended	02-27-2021	Valheim's world is low-poly for the most part, but features enhanced lighting and water refraction effects that create a beautiful blend of the early 2000s and modern graphics. Oceans and rivers look lovely, while even the dreariest of environments somehow stand out. Particle effects bloom and blossom in snowy locales, with dense fog sometimes permeating endless meadows of yellowing grass. It made me stop and appreciate the environmental design and procedurally generated scenery. This approach also allows for those even with fairly low-end machines to run the game.	Read review
Screen Rant	Maria Meluso	4 / 5 stars	09-21-2021	While there is a lot of content in this update to bring players back to the game, it may not be quite extensive enough to satiate fans long-term. Hopefully, the time between content patches will shorten as Valheim continues its Early Access period, and players can look forward to further updates as solid as this one.	Read review
The Digital Fix	Dani Cross	8 / 10	02-16-2021	It can be hard to rate an early-access title because you have to understand that what you're playing isn't complete yet, regardless of how good or bad it is. However, in its current state, Valheim is already well worth picking up. The future is very bright for this game.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Will Backus	Recommended	02-28-2021	Valheim’s realism is so apparent that it’s easy to recognize, but not too much so that it would turn those looking for a similar experience to, say, Minecraft, away. Survival games are what you make of them, and that’s the beauty in it.	Read review
Washington Post	Mikhail Klimentov	Recommended	03-29-2021	“Valheim” is a good, even great, game. But these days, games have to be more than just games. And “Valheim” is pretty good at that, too.	Read review
Windows Central	Zackery Cuevas	Recommended	02-04-2021	Valheim works very well in its current state, and it's worth exploring its procedurally generated world. With more updates on the way, Valheim has the potential to be a hit.	Read review

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Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

Valheim is a game about exploring a huge fantasy world inspired by norsemythology and viking culture. The world it self is procedurally generated and random seeds can be generated or set manually. You start your adventure at the relatively peaceful center of Valheim. The further from the center you travel, the more challenging the world becomes. But you will also find more valuable materials that you can use to craft deadlier weapons and sturdier armor. You will also build your own viking fortress and outposts all over the world. Eventually you will build a mighty longships and sail the great oceans in search of exotic lands … but be wary of sailing too far.

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