Over the years, the Assassin's Creed franchise has gone through various gameplay and story structure changes, but perhaps its biggest alterations came with Assassin's Creed Origins, which leaned more heavily into an RPG style. This meant that players would now have to level up before completing specific tasks, as well as finding the correct gear to face off against certain enemies. The learning curve for older fans of the series was steep, but as the series got comfortable in its new genre, players did too. However, one issue that always remained was accessibility, but this has been righted with the new Saga Mode.
Assassin's Creed has a sprawling and confusing story, but its saving grace is a gameplay system that allowed for new and old players to pick up a controller without feeling like it's an uphill battle. As the franchise embraced its new identity as an RPG adventure, it meant that the difficulty would also better fit the genre. Unfortunately, this meant players looking for a good story would be forced to endure hours of grinding and difficult combat. However, with Assassin's Creed Valhalla's latest update, the learning curve for players has been lowered drastically, and it offers a jumping-on point for new players or players that took a break from the franchise during the transition.
The new Saga difficulty is a level below easy and is the game's most story-driven difficulty. The setting automatically keeps enemy levels from matching the player's, meaning that quick kills are easy to attain. The damage players take is also considerably lowered along with the reaction time of enemies during stealth missions. Players can now dictate the health of enemies, how much health and adrenaline players can gain, and their damage input and output. It essentially gives the player the game's base mechanics so that a totally customizable experience can be created, as far as ease of combat goes.
While it seems late in the franchise to implement such an experience-changing difficulty, the overall narrative makes Valhalla the perfect game to bring in new players. The proceedings occur before the original Assassin's Creed and only a few centuries after Odyssey and Origins. As a whole, this means that this is the best game for new players to get accustomed to the franchise should anyone want to venture back in time to older titles. Plus, with so much story and DLC to uncover, newcomers can easily play catchup with the game's events.
When it comes to more seasoned players of the franchise, the RPG shift proved to be too big of a change for some, or at the very least, was an issue because the games no longer resembled what had come before. Plus, with the leveling system and enemy difficulties, what started as a series where anyone could defeat any enemy no matter the difficulty has now become a genuine challenge that takes time to overcome. For players unable to devote the time needed, Valhalla felt like a nearly impossible hurdle. But now, Saga difficulty allows story-driven players a chance to experience the game without the time sink.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a unique title that blends the classic essence of the original games with its newer RPG-focused gameplay loop. While this kept away players looking for a laid-back experience, the new Saga difficulty finally lets those players into the sprawling world of Valhalla. As a result, it's become one of the most accessible titles in the franchise. With new DLC constantly releasing, it will be an exciting experience for players looking for a challenge and those still wanting the impactful and emotional stories for which the franchise is known.