“Minecraft” is a wonderful game. However, it simply doesn’t cut it sometimes when playing and seeking adventure. Sure, one could always mod the game to make it harder to seem different, but that takes a lot of experimentation. The truth is that the gameplay mechanics make the game uninteresting at times, and things such as biomes don’t necessarily have any rewarding aspects that make a player feel compelled to explore often. It would be better for a game to incorporate a type of built-in progression to guide a player and to give them incentive to explore, craft and expand their inventory. Better options for movement and combat certainly make the game more interesting. Such things are available in “Valheim.”

“Valheim” is a survival and sandbox game that has a medieval, viking theme and includes aspects of Norse mythology. The basic story is that the allfather, Odin, created a separate tenth realm where the greatest warriors of Midgard would be revived and tested, which was done in an effort to increase his army in preparation for the rise of his enemies. This realm was known as Valheim. In the tutorial, the player receives guidance from a raven sent by Odin. The raven mentions that warriors who overcome challenges in Valheim and prove themselves can be taken to Valhalla. This can be done by exploring, crafting, harvesting and fighting.

The exploration in Valheim is across several biomes, which are kind of unlocked in a linear fashion as players need to visit different areas for more advanced materials. The biomes include trees, rocks, fruit, and other perishable items important to the player’s health. Wood can initially be collected from branches on the ground and rocks can be picked up without needing a pickaxe. With proper collection of resources, players can invest in farming and fishing too.

Players can craft benches to make tools, which can be upgraded and used to harvest wood and rock. The crafting system is simple as one does not need to memorize any recipes. Tools can easily be repaired without using many resources. This makes it easier to always have tools on hand and gives players a reason to keep track of their item durability. Crafting enables players to build houses, which are made up of pieces of floor, wall and roof that can be arranged in millions of ways to the user’s liking. To make building structures more realistic, certain pieces can only be placed on flat ground, a campfire is needed to consider a place “cozy” and a roof must be placed over workbenches and beds.

“Valheim” progress is dependent on how often a player seeks adventure. For each action there are individual experience points. For example, the more a player jumps the better they get at the jumping skill. This level of progression encourages players to use all of their skills and constantly improve their player’s health and stamina. Speaking of, the food is needed for passive fulfillment of hunger rather than being exclusive to health. This feels more realistic and can be helpful in longer adventures. If a player picks up a berry while exploring, they can consume it or brew it into a potion to maximize effects of healing, strength and speed.

Finally, the combat in “Valheim” is much more interesting. Players can wield weapons that deal three main types of damage: blunt, slashing and piercing.That means your character can use clubs, swords, spears, knives, axes and bows. The movement when a player is using a weapon changes so that dodging and counter-attacking is different depending on what you’re wielding. There are two main types of strikes, and there are options for quick evasion and blocking attacks. This combat system isn’t too advanced, but it certainly beats the bland style in “Minecraft.” The enemies in “Valheim” are much smarter and have various types of attack patterns. Sometimes they chase you alone, and sometimes they band together or carry powerful loot with them.

There are boss fights that get progressively harder and exist across the different biomes. A player’s ultimate goal is to summon the bosses in order to prove their worth as a warrior. If you would like to face a good challenge and get a taste of new opportunities in a sandbox game, pick up this title and earn Valhalla.