Since its announcement in April, fans have been clamoring for more news about Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Now, the game finally earned its ESRB rating of Mature.
On ESRB's website, the game is listed as Mature for "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language and Use of Drugs and Alcohol."
The rating summary for the game on the official ESRB site reads, "This is an action-adventure game in which players assume the role of a Viking mercenary (Eivor) who travels through England to forge alliances, lead raids, and defeat rival clans/rulers. Players explore open-world environments, perform missions (e.g., hunting for items, battling enemies), and use stealth to discreetly kill human targets. Players also use swords, axes, arrows, and siege weapons to kill multiple enemies (e.g., soldiers, mythic boss characters) in frenetic melee-style combat. Combat is highlighted by screams of pain and frequent blood-splatter effects. Some weapons allow players to decapitate enemies; zoomed-in sequences depict victims' bones, organs, and muscles getting damaged by players' blade. The game contains some sexual material: a mission taking place in a brothel; topless women straddling men; a character agreeing to “lay with” a man (kissing is depicted before the scene fades to black). A handful of sequences depict screen distortion/discoloration and impaired movements after players' character consumes mushrooms or inhales mushroom-based fumes (dialogue states, “I may still be buzzing from these mushrooms."). Players' character can also engage in drinking contests; later sequences depict the character stumbling as the screen tilts and blurs. The words “f**k” and “c*nt” appear in the dialogue."
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is the 12th major installment and the 22nd release in the long-running Assassin's Creed series. It's a follow-up to 2018's Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the first game in the series which famously allowed players to play as a female protagonist. Set in 873 AD, Valhalla tells the story of the Viking's invasion of Britain from the point of view of Eivor, a Viking raider who finds himself in the heat of conflict between the Brotherhood of Assassins and the Templar Order. The player has the choice to play Eivor as either a male (voiced by Magnus Bruun) or a female (voiced by Cecilie Stenspil).
Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, Assassin's Creed Valhalla arrives on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia Nov. 17.