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Valheim is available on steam and included with game pass, released on March 14, 2023. Created by Swedish developer Iron Gate Studio and published by Coffee Stain studios, Valheim is a survival and sandbox single-player or multiplayer game. A month after its release it sold over 5 million copies, success whilst still being a game preview. Many critics praise the game for its attention to details, showing how much effort and care the team put into Valheim.

Played in 3rd person as a slain Viking, in order to reach Valhalla, you must fight evil monsters. Starting with nothing, build yourself up and survive Valheim.

Worlds are procedurally generated; this creates a fresh undiscovered world for every new save. Monsters can vary by level, class and biome. Each biome spreads part of an island. Islands are spread throughout the vast world which can be seen on a map.

For the sake of survival, you must find natural resources and upgrade your technological age. Dungeons are full of monsters and difficult to clear, although each dungeon holds resources necessary for technological upgrades. Using your skills gained from applying mechanics associated with it and a large hunting party, powers should be your next point of focus. 

Combat is based on stamina and weaponry. Running out of stamina renders you helpless, unable to sprint or attack. Heavy attacks do more damage than light attacks but drain more stamina, taking longer to perform. Timing, dodging and parties can turn the course of any fight.

Each biome not only presents new monsters, but new resources. In each biome resides a boss, bosses have extraordinary health, although each has a weakness that causes extra damage. After killing one, you may place the trophy on an altar and gain a timed cooldown power.

Valheim features a relaxing soundtrack that seems to always play at the proper time. My favorite feature is that boss fights play heavy metal music. The game also features a realistic day-night cycle, and weather that can deteriorate buildings without maintenance.

 When building a village or home tools and copious amounts of supplies are necessary. Realistic building means structures will collapse without proper support design and placement. This makes unique architectures all that more impressive.

If I had to compare this game to something close, I’d have to be a Minecraft/Ark Survival mix, but Viking themed. Enjoyable by yourself and with others, but it’s a preview and has server crashing issues, 7/10.