VALHEIMLauren Morton, associateeditor: The
week Valheim launched, I scoffed, “Do we
really need another Early Access crafting
survival game?” Whether or not we needed one,
the appetite I and all of my friends developed for
scarfing down over 100 hours within a month
suggested we very much wanted one.
On paper, (^) Valheim is like any other crafting
survival game. You begin your adventure by
picking up rocks and sticks, slapping together a
crude stone axe, and then chopping down every
tree in sight. In practice, it’s full of twists. The
building system with supports and structural
integrity challenged me to finally think about base
building as a technical puzzle instead of just an
aesthetic one. The food system that required me
to think about boosting my health and stamina
convinced me that I should spare a thought for
cooking after I couldn’t be bothered in any other
game. Small touches like needing to touch a
resource before discovering what I could craft
with it made for a bit of extra delight.
hours before I realised that I’m
on an island, not a continent.
I’m on a tiny tutorial island and
there’s a huge world out there
full of other stuff I haven’t even
seen yet. The day I left my
island, bringing everything I
could carry
onto my little
wooden raft
and setting off
across a vast
ocean, headed
for the
unknown, was
a thrilling
adventure. And
now every trip I make into the
unknown in Valheim feels like a
bold adventure with that same
awe and wonder I felt on my
first shaky voyage.
Jacob Ridley: Like Lauren, I was
done with survival games when
Valheim rolled around. Well, I
thought I was. Tune in a month
or so later and I’ve played over
100 hours of Valheim and
counting. There was just
something so
accessible about
the look and
feel of Valheim’s
world, and the
fact there is
always
something to
keep you
occupied, be
that building or exploration.
I spent tens of hours building
a manor house on top of a
precariously placed rock, in one
of the most inhospitable biomes
in Valheim – racing to have the
highest tower against a friend
who set up on the next rock
over. I sailed across the ocean to
find the best sources of ore to
smelt to build up towns and
villages spanning islands. I set
up trade routes with friends in
other areas of the world, and
created bridges and canals,
partially changing the face of
the landscape.
Truly the most fun I’ve had
in a game all year, and it offered
a great opportunity to share that
enjoyment with my friends as
we explored together.
THE KIND OF
MAGIC I ADORE
ABOUT PC
GAMING
Ultimately, the fact that all
my friends wanted to spend
countless late nights together
planning some grand longboat
expedition across a sea we’d yet
to cross or into the swamps was
what I loved about Valheim.
Millions of people spending two
months absorbed in an Early
Access game made by a tiny
studio is the kind of magic I
adore about PC gaming.
Christopher Livingston, features
producer: It says something
about the size and scope of
Valheim that I played for 20
GAME OF
THE YEAR
2021