It looks like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will return the series to its roots in some respects. Both the classic hood and the Social Stealth feature are making a comeback (along with the previously reported hidden blade). Most notably, the return of Social Stealth means players will once again be able to blend in with crowds and smaller groups.
Creative Director Ashraf Ismail confirmed the news during a brief Q&A video, which is now live on the official Assassin’s Creed Twitter account. See the video from Ismail in the post below:
The classic hood and social stealth are back! In our first Dev QA video, @AshrafAIsmail answers how these iconic elements are brought to life in #AssassinsCreedValhalla #ACFacts pic.twitter.com/zdyEmtBD51
— Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) May 15, 2020
The franchise’s Social Stealth served as an integral feature from the start in the 2007 release of Assassin’s Creed. From there on, it continued to expand in many respects throughout subsequent entries, even being the central focus of the series’ short stint with multiplayer . However, recent installments have abandoned this particular brand of stealth. As such, it should be interesting to see how Ubisoft Montréal evolves the feature and how it functions in a Viking setting.
AC Valhalla stars Eivor, a male or female Viking raider. At the start of the new title, Eivor will leave Norway in hopes of founding a settlement in ninth century England. Players will be able to return to the Norway map later, though. At present, the full scope of the game’s entire map remains unclear. But Ubisoft has confirmed AC Valhalla will span across four major English kingdoms–Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia. Still, don’t expect this to serve as AC’s biggest or longest entry.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will launch later this year for the PS4, PS5, Google Stadia, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. More details may emerge during Ubisoft Forward, a digital event slated to go live on July 12th.
[Source: Assassin’s Creed on Twitter]
