Recent reviews by 188Octane

So far I am 115 hours into the game and I'm enjoying it greatly.

I will say this, if you like the modern Bethesda formula (think Oblivion through Fallout 4), then you should understand and enjoy this game too. If you don't like the formula, the space setting may grab you, but let me be clear, this is, as others have said/joked, very much "No Man's Skyrim."

There's plenty to do and see, the main story is great, the side stories are great, the characters are awesome, there is just enough squeezed out of the facial animation to add a little life to the normal lifeless NPC faces... but only a little.

I admit, I was a bit concerned about how much there would be to do on the procedurally generated areas on planet surfaces or in space around them as opposed to the specifically designed and hand-placed areas, but after a bunch of exploring, I'm happy to say that I've had all sorts of emergent adventures, be they ships I've battled and commandeered, a bounty hunter I stumbled across at a random camp who hired me to take down a target, which then led to a full-blown raid on a mercenary compound, to a lady and her big green lizard space-dog thing.

Some added benefits to the game are no level cap, which will eventually allow you to earn every skill, if desired, and a new game + mode which, as you advance through it, will introduce additional variables each time.

I do wish there were ground vehicles for navigating the planet surfaces a bit quicker, even if it was some kinda space-horse that I could pay for space-horse armor dlc. I also wish you could actually pilot the ships too and from the surface, but the system, as it is now, works well and feels alright.

As for bugs, I haven't encountered much at all, except a store clerk who now has no clothing on for some reason. From what I've seen and heard from others, this game has far fewer bugs than Skyrim stands even today.

It's not a perfect game, but it may be perfect for me. I will be playing this game for years to come.

88/100

It's amazing. If you're a fan of Battlefield-style multiplayer games, then this one is a guaranteed purchase. It has all of the things you want, dudes on the ground, screaming for medics, guys in helicopters hot-micing Fortunate Son and other battle-jams, NIGHT MAPS, and so much more. It's worth it!

Valheim is as deep or as shallow as you would like it to be; the more you put into the game and explore, the more you will get out of it. If you stick to YouTube videos about the game, you will spoil much of what is to love and discover about this game, but you will also see what surprising depth this game has.

This game has a notably small install (by comparison to current AAA titles these days) and the graphics are designed to look and feel more retro, and yet despite that, there is much to explore and learn about how the systems of the world work, every sweep of the camera is an absolutely stunning treat for the eyes, and there is a lot of gameplay value here.

You will start out early off, just trying to scrap together whatever items you can to survive (and beware of falling trees), but after gathering and building your homesteads, you will eventually be able to explore the world and build gear made of metals and monsters alike.

Join the honored dead and roam the world of Valheim.

I highly recommend!

I won't bother getting into the details about game mechanics and play; look elsewhere for these things. This "review" is to serve as a BUYER BEWARE for anyone who has hopes to play with friends on other systems and platforms.

While the HOOD folks have marketed both "cross-progression" and "cross-play" as features of their game leading up to launch, we have come to find that we have been duped, somewhat. The game will play you matchmake and play with players on other systems, but as they have no enforced HOOD account login, there is no current way to invite or be invited to groups with friends not on the same platform as you are. To add insult to injury, currently there is no way to keep a matchmaked party together for continued gaming; if you find a good team, you best exchange contact info before the game ends and again, hope they're on the same platform as you.

The game can be fun and is quite playable, but if you're looking to include non-Steam friends, then this game ain't it, homie. Just beware and be aware.

Cheers.

If you are at all a fan of either the Warhammer 40k setting/lore, or Diablo/Torchlight/Path of Exile type games, then this is a must pick-up. The voice acting is very well done and it's worth noting. The levels ooze that grim-dark, gothic style.

I will note this though, if you aren't a fan of the Imperium of Mankind, and would rather play as xenos or chaos, then you're out of luck here... but if you don't mind playing as a throne agent, then you have a decent variety of options with 3 classes (4 with the prophecy DLC), and each of those classes having 3 sub-classes of their own. You can customize your character with various items, skills, powers, etc.

I highly recommend, even at full price, but if you were lucky enough to get in on a sale (like I had been), then it's a must-own in my opinion.

Cheers and praise the Emperor

The game can be consumed VERY quickly. I managed to finish the game and hit credit roll in 2 play sessions. I do feel it was worth the price of entry. I've since heard the developers have ideas to add more moving forward and would welcome this.

The gameplay loop is enjoyable and the world the developers have put together is very amusing. I went out of my way to snag some of the tunes from the webpages to enjoy while I was digging my way to the end.

I did hit one sizable bug where progress seemed to get stuck, but in the community, the developer had the solution posted up to bypass it and progress; they seem to be quite responsive in the community section to address any issues.

Still one of the finest co-op multiplayer experiences on Steam. With or without the extra DLC packs, Payday 2 offers fun gameplay in a criminal package. Pick-up the content on any sale and I recommend just grabbing it all.