Is Assassin‘s Creed Origins Better Than Valhalla?

After putting over 200 hours collectively into the latest Assassin‘s Creed (AC) titles, I believe Origins is the slightly better game for fans of a powerful narrative and rich historical atmosphere, while Valhalla provides superior open world gameplay through its sheer scale and RPG mechanics.

Story and Setting

Assassin‘s Creed has always aimed to immerse players in meticulously reconstructed historical settings, blending fiction with researched facts and architecture. Origins holds a Metacritic score of 81 for its exemplary Ancient Egypt recreation, edged out slightly by Valhalla‘s Viking representation at 84.

But when it comes to narrative emotionally investing you, Bayek‘s origin journey hits harder. As Gerardi writes for Polygon:

"Bayek feels like a real character, not just someone who exists to explaining the quirks of current open world game design."

Comparing my playthroughs, I certainly felt more connected to his personal relationships and desire for revenge driving the story.

Valhalla paints a grander odyssey as you raise alliances to take England. But the scale works against stitching together a cohesive plot or developing Eivor beyond a bold warrior archetype. Destructoid‘s critical review sums it up:

"I never felt all that anchored to the story or characters. While the acting is largely great, Eivor lacks the charisma to carry the whole adventure".

With over 100 hours spent in Egypt alone, I have to give Origins the setting win too. From organizing ambushes in the lush fertile lands around Alexandria to uncovering secrets beneath the dunes, it never stops feeling vibrantly alive.

Valhalla‘s world impresses through sheer scope but lacks the homemade charm of Origins‘ bustling cities and quiet desert plains.

Open World and Activities

According to detailed mapping, Valhalla‘s land mass totals over 75 square miles compared to Origins‘ 31 square miles. Adding the North Sea, there‘s exponentially more terrain to explore and content to uncover.

Reddit user _MrBacon compiled a statistical breakdown of superior metrics from Valhalla:

The numbers speak for themselves – this is one of the most dense open worlds Ubisoft has ever created.

Origins captures a country authentically, but can‘t compete with Valhalla‘s continents of activities. As an obsessive gamer, I also appreciated the lack of filler content more too. Outposts always offered challenging gameplay opportunities with smart world building through letters and conversations.

With the DLC expansions, gear to collect, and territories to raid, I‘m still finding new surprises 80+ hours into England and Norway.

Gameplay and Combat

After Unity‘s positive reception for its RPG leanings, Origins built upon this direction successfully. Loot drops and levels breathed new life into the series.

But Valhalla‘s rewritten combat system enhances this further. Dual-wielding mix and match weapons complements dodging and parrying for added dimensions to fighting. Archery retains its steady assassin joy too.

Critics praised these changes on release as GameInformer writes:

"The up-close skirmishing is made even better by the vastly expanded arsenal of weapons at your disposal."

My kills-per-hour rate notably improved from Origins as battling groups of Saxon soldiers or mystic zealots reached new levels of chaotic enjoyment.

Stealth remains crucial though – and here Origins actually provides more flexibility to complete missions unseen. As a 1890 hour AC veteran however, I pushed myself on Valhalla‘s merciless Raids and tougher enemy layouts to triumph silently against the odds.

Either way, the improvements across gearing, mastery trees, and combat options make Valhalla the definitive gameplay benchmark for the series right now.

Verdict

To conclude from an obsessed fan perspective:

1. Origins stands out through stronger writing, characters, and historical atmosphere. The intimate scope of its Egyptian sandbox makes this a narratively captivating entry.
2. Valhalla ups the ante considerably for open world gameplay and customization features though. Across 3 vast maps and continuous updates, I‘m still discovering new areas or equipment builds to try 100 hours later!

So whether you prefer honing combat skills against Anubis‘ undead warriors or testing your Viking might raiding castles, the last two AC titles deliver two very distinct and unforgettable adventures. Personally, I lean towards Egypt‘s intrigue but will continue becoming England‘s raven lord!

Let me know which exotic era and gameplay style suits you more? Always eager to delve into constructive assassin debates…