Recent reviews by charmanth

I've already put 24 hours into this game (bought the 8th) and honestly? I love it. Even in early access, I'm impressed by the depth and how well it runs for such a game. My first two survival/building games, Minecraft and ARK, don't run nearly as good. Sure, the birds sometimes clip through the ground (which is kind of funny to see), and yeah there's server lag based on the host's ability to process things, but the lightweight nature of the game currently means you don't need a dedicated server to run it in multiplayer, and honestly while I love me some minecraft and ARK, I am starting to hyperfocus on Valheim due to the refreshing nature of how well everything so far works.

Sure, the graphics aren't top notch. But why focus on graphics (like ARK) when gameplay is just as, if not MORE, important? Maybe I'm just an oldie who remembers some great games whose graphics didn't age well, and would still play those games again. AAA game designers focus on graphics. This game focuses more on gameplay and progression.

Did I mention the progression is great? It's less of a luck-based or wiki based knowledge set than ARK and Minecraft. The in-game guide, the crow Hugin, will give you hints of things to focus on in the present. The game isn't as punishing at first, but once you beat the first boss, and explore, you learn that the game will punish you for trying to progress to far before taking steps necessary for it.

Combat is less hack and slash and more dodge and kite. If you're used to charging in with sword in hand, you might want to rethink how you do combat in this game. Run around, go in for a hit, and run around some more, make sure to dodge and block attacks from enemies. Trolls? Trolls will mess you UP. Do NOT engage in close combat with them. Same with brutes and shamans.

Also, the negative reviews claiming the popularity of the game is fake? Take them with a grain of salt. There's no such thing as a perfect game, and yes, the graphics aren't AAA quality. However there is a reason a lot of people love this game. Because even though it's "another one of those survival/crafting" games, it still has it own charm and it runs well.

And let me tell you. I'd rather have a simpler game that runs well, than a AAA studio game with beefed up graphics, decent plot, lots of different things to do, etc etc etc, only for it to not run well. Great gameplay is only as great as its playability.