Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris Review – Enjoyable if Uninspired

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris brings back actual assassinations, but struggles to bring any meaningful changes to the base game.

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If there’s one continued complaint about the Assassin’s Creed games since their reinvention with Assassin’s Creed Origins in 2017, it’s been the lack of actual assassinations. The series has shifted more into the realm of the open world RPG, and as such fans have spent more time on open battles, exploration, and general feature bloat than stealthily taking down high profile targets. The latter is something that Ubisoft is looking to reintroduce with the most recent DLC for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, titled The Siege of Paris.

In this latest expansion, Eivor travels to Francia and witnesses a rather brutal fight between current ruler Charles the Fat and the ambitions of a Viking force led by Sigfred. The Siege of Paris is loosely based on the historical events of the time, albeit given the usual Assassin’s Creed treatment in terms of mysterious plots and a sprinkling of melodrama. It also gives players a chance to visit a very different Paris from the one seen in the ill-fated Assassin’s Creed Unity.

The most noticeable change for The Siege of Paris is the return of the assassination of major targets. Rather than bumping off characters on the battlefield or via boss fights, The Siege of Paris instead showcases Infiltrations, which feel close to the Black Box missions of the pre-Origins era. It’s a nice variation from the tick box exercise that open world RPGs can turn into, and uses the mechanics that the franchise was first known for.

That said, long-term fans of the series may feel slightly disappointed in the application of these missions. The handful of stealth-based assassinations feel surprisingly linear in their approach, with the player given limited routes to reach their target and even less interesting options when it comes to taking down the target. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of previous titles like Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, let alone the recent Hitman games, although they are still enjoyable enough and a decent change from the usual.

Aside from the Infiltration missions The Siege of Paris doesn’t take too many extra risks. The player is once again at the beck and call of their supporting cast, troubleshooting problems and completing busy work as the wheels turn towards all-out war. The player can explore to find new trinkets and find the odd secret, as well as supporting Frank resistance groups, although these prove mild distractions from the core plot.

The other additions do also feel a little strange. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla gets another odd mount in the form of a bear, while the player will spend a lot of time in underground tunnels fending off swarms of rats. These are perhaps the least successful of the minor updates, acting more of a delaying tactic rather than a genuine challenge; it’s hardly A Plague Tale.

The Siege of Paris isn’t as long as previous DLC Wrath of the Druids, although that doesn’t need to be a bad thing, providing there’s enough variation. Although The Siege of Paris is enjoyable, particularly for those who enjoyed the gameplay loop of the core game, it does lack variety. This is showcased by the fact that the same boss reappears twice in quick succession, the second time around as a slightly more irritating battle, which feels a little padded.

Luckily the characters on show are pretty well-rounded. The Siege of Paris is generally successful from a storytelling perspective, feeling slightly more complex than some of the other narratives of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The base game has plenty of dislikable characters but rarely told a story with any serious friction, whereas The Siege of Paris certainly puts Eivor in a much more difficult position thanks to the flaws and egos of those around them.

Unfortunately The Siege of Paris also suffers a little from technical issues. It’s not as bad as the base game was when it first launched, where glitches were prevalent and immersion breaking, but it is worth noting that the DLC does have its problems with slowdown in particular. It’s at its worst during larger battles, although given the lack of these moments it thankfully means the problem isn’t as bad as it could have been.

Overall, The Siege of Paris is a bit of a missed opportunity. It’s still an awful lot of fun for those who enjoyed the base game, and the assassinations may be simple but do add a bit of a variety to the experience. However, there’s little that’s truly refreshing, and is not a must-have for those who own Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/assassins-creed-valhalla-sige-paris-dlc-review/