Trying to stay true to the roots of the first Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft makes a commendable effort to create an experience that satisfies both old and new fans of the franchise, without achieving it as expected...
First of all, the game is - hypothetically - a new ID of the series, which has taken a lot from the last two games. Whether we like it or not, I believe this will be the new direction of the series, so it's good to get used to it.
Something that bothered me in Odyssey was that the map had too many explorations to the point of being annoying. Under every hidden rock, there was a side quest, for that matter. For completionists, this was a nightmare. The same exact thing happens in Valhalla, to the same (if not more) annoying degree. It's not necessarily a bad thing, someone might say, who wants to play this particular game for months and considers the game's duration as value for money. However, if one considers the COUNTLESS bugs of the game, half a year after its release, then they reconsider. Getting stuck in walls or stairs, falling outside the map where you walk randomly, and glitched missions are encountered from the first to the last moment you play. It doesn't make the experience prohibitive, but it certainly ruins it to a great extent. For example, trying to get the Platinum, I have obtained all the other trophies except one, because a side quest has bugged and the dialogue to start it doesn't activate for me... So after 120 hours of gameplay (in the main game) and almost 800 collectibles, a small bug in a side quest made me frustrated. I searched everything and found no solution. You must have a lot of manual saves if you don't want to experience the same as me.
In other areas, however, the game is quite good:
+ Graphics much better than Odyssey.
+ Characters, story, and dialogues are very nice.
+ Satisfactory Combat System.
+ Good Item Management, you don't search for countless weapons, there are a few sets and you upgrade them easily.
Stealth is a bit worse than Odyssey for me, but it's a personal opinion.
As a game, it is beautiful and has many elements of a well-crafted game, but the overall experience one gains when finishing it is quite mediocre, due to the bugs and the chaotic map. Maybe when it's patched 100%, I'll go back for the platinum... I would rate it 7/10.