Highlights
- Valheim’s multiplayer is well-received, while Suicide Squad’s multiplayer has faced backlash due to always-online requirements and lack of offline play options at launch.
- Suicide Squad’s gear system and grinding mechanics have been criticized, while Valheim offers a complete game experience with hours of content that is less reliant on grinding.
- Suicide Squad’s similarities to other controversial titles raise concerns, while Valheim is compared to Minecraft and praised for its longevity and player satisfaction.
Despite the stigmas surrounding early access releases, Valheim has managed to carve out an isle of positive attention for itself. Its best qualities plant it in sharp contrast to an upcoming title, one that Valheim shares some surface similarities with in terms of multiplayer.
Valheim and the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League are entirely different games, no doubt. However, both share the commonality of being cooperative multiplayer experiences. In this respect, it’s clear to see how the two embody different sides of the multiplayer spectrum. Though Valheim‘s multiplayer has some early access jank, it’s already leagues more well-received than Suicide Squad‘s—which hasn’t even been released yet. An analysis of these differences works wonders in showing which pitfalls to avoid in executing multiplayer and pitching it to a playerbase.
Valheim’s Odin Easter Egg Explained
Valheim players are sent on their mission by the Norse god Odin, and the Allfather can be seen watching them in a random cameo.
Suicide Squad Could Do With Following Valheim’s Example
Suicide Squad’s Always-Online Requirements Are A Red Flag
It’s by no means an original criticism, but the disdain for Suicide Squad‘s always-online requirements is prevalent for a reason. The reveal that Suicide Squad will require an online connection even during single-player came in 2023, receiving enough backlash for Rocksteady to announce the removal of this requirement post-release. Not only is there an issue of access here, putting content that doesn’t need to be online behind a connectivity wall, but it also funnels players into online gaming whether they wish to engage with it or not.
At least, this is how Suicide Squad will operate for now. It has been confirmed that an offline mode for the story campaign will be made available at some point after launch, so this critique will hopefully be moot soon.
Valheim‘s multiplayer doesn’t have these issues, thankfully. This makes multiplayer a much easier pill to swallow when it can be ignored by those who don’t wish to engage in it.
Valheim Isn’t Reliant On Grinding
One of Suicide Squad‘s most maligned attributes is its gear system, which was confirmed to be a feature in 2023. This system will assign a gear score to each piece of in-game equipment. The higher the score, the better the equipment. With the need to upgrade gear and reach higher scores, grinding will almost certainly be a large factor in Suicide Squad.
This is one part of its larger microtransaction whole; whilst microtransactions will be for purely cosmetic apparel, artificially increasing game length with grinding will increase investment. Rather, all of Suicide Squad‘s post-launch DLC will be free aside from specific, cosmetic-exclusive content available in battle passes.
Whilst Valheim can require great investment, it’s not tied up in a web of microtransactions. Even in an early-access state, there’s a complete game to play. Hours put in are less spent on grinding and more on a slow burn, building a hook over time as players are drawn in by the exploration of a vast world map filled with fantastical creatures. Despite being cheap to play, all of Valheim‘s many hours of content are meaty, fit to chew on, and rich in choices and discoveries.
Suicide Squad’s Choices Put It In Bad Company
Suicide Squad‘s 4-player co-op multiplayer format is a dead-ringer for Marvel‘s Avengers and Redfall, both of which suffered the same issues of grinding looter-shooter elements, hackneyed live service integration, and post-launch roadmaps for vital features. Of course, any 4-player online co-op game isn’t automatically cast in the same boat as these controversial titles, but it does show how Suicide Squad could be following bad examples with familiar tropes. Valheim‘s more comparable to Minecraft with its 10-player servers and greater longevity, on the other hand.
Valheim
Valheim is a multiplayer survival sandbox game developed by Iron Gate Studio. It was released in early access on February 2, 2021.
- Released
- February 2, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Iron Gate AB
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox , Survival
- How Long To Beat
- 75 Hours
- X|S Enhanced
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 1 GB (November 2023)
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Steam User Rating
- 95%
