I have now been playing Valheim (on Steam) as a single player for a few weeks. Although it is in early development bugs (so far) have not been game killers. The game is a survival, crafting, fighting game and it is quite brutal in punishing errors but this does not make it unplayable, rather it encourages you to find alternative ways of beating the many enemies in the game.
As an Engineer I find the crafting aspects of the game particularly appealing as the game physics encourages you to use realistic designs. (e.g. too large many unsupported wooden beams will collapse under their own weight so things like temporary scaffolding may be needed). In fact you can use your ability to terraform and construct to assist your ability to eliminate some of the otherwise difficult to beat enemies. (The weather being one of them!)
I’m taking the game slowly, and dipping in and out as time permits, and as a result nearly 100 hours of play have only taken me past the first boss. So far I have found no stupidly irritating sections that must be completed against the clock – other games please note!
I think the game probably benefits by playing with others, but single player does not suffer too many issues as the developers scale difficulty with player numbers.
Heavily recommended, a small download due to its procedural generation which plays well on a four year old mid-range Ryzen PC. The price is nice too £15.50 and can be played on Linux (via Steam). So far there is no native Mac version.
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