Beyond the obvious which can be seen by every review the key points here are not what this game does but HOW it does it that sets it apart.

Progression - a sorta suedo Terraria style of boss fights = unique mats = unique utility/crafting options = progression and it works SO well.

Exploration - Sea faring - genuine sea faring and that feeling of "land ho!!!" - Sea of Thieves fans will feel right at home - 1 player managable, HAZARDS AT SEA!!!

Survival - Similar to ECO and Subsistence but more abstract and simplified food mechanics means that your health is directly reflected by what you eat - this leads to one of the best things about this game that usually comes with "survival" - NO THIRST OR HUNGER!!!! but that does not mean no risks of not eating, because health bar = food quality not eating means u sit at low health indefinitely but unlike every other survival game you are not stuffing your face ever 2mins and drinking like a fish to stop yourself from dieing - you can keep your mind on what matters :D
However surviving is paramount because the death penalty is steep but not brutal - when you die you will lose 1-2 levels of your skills with no means of recouping them other than to level them again .... thankfully subsequent deaths do not come at a cost due to "no skill drain" buff that triggers on death and a "corpse run" buff will allow u to grab your grave and loot and very quickly regen health/stamina while taking much less dmg to afford you a chance to get stuff back and regain your footing.

Just as an aside to this point - repairing is free too ... and this adds to both Survival AND Exploration because you are not being punished for venturing forth and having a go, using items doesnt mean u need even more mats ... something games like Ark really hammer you with at the start - the more you loot the more u need to repair the more u need to mine - the more u need to repair and so on. Repair bills are free in Valheim!!!

Skill system - A very Skyrim approach of you do it to level it but the aforementioned "Death Penalty" will keep you weary of getting too reckless when the levels take more than a run across the island to level up .... a very good balance of genuine penalty for recklessness and making sure the player understands they are perhaps too undergeared but equally allowing for flex and versatility in character progression and how you want to play.

Combat - Weapons pair with the skill system and something i didn't mention which is the ability to upgrade existing equipment and improve it. Combat is very refined albeit quite simple. Attack, Block, Special Attack unique to weapon type and a very satisfying and responsive Parry mechanic for buckler shields and weapons you would expect to parry with.

Item upgrades - You can upgrade items - using a fraction of the base mats a level 1 Bronze Sword can become a level 2 and 3 and the balance of this is notable when you get your next material type and find that your previously pimped out weapon is BETTER than the baseline "next tech" version meaning that upgrading is meaningful and worthwhile and thanks to no repair bills - very very satisfying.

These are just some refined examples of where Valheim is taking core concepts found in the open world survival genre but putting spins on them that remove the tedium and annoyances that are staple just because the genre is "survival" without sacrificing difficulty, challenge and the feeling you are in a living, breathing world that wants to kill you.

The balance of all this plus everything else you can read in the plethora of reviews before this one really highlight why Valheim has gone platinum TWICE in as many weeks since launch.

With only 50% of its' actual planned content available.

Probably the most no-brainer early access purchase this side of 2021.

Beyond the obvious which can be seen by every review the key points here are not what this game does but HOW it does it that sets it apart. Progression - a sorta suedo Terraria style of boss fights = unique mats = unique utility/crafting options = progression and it works SO well. Exploration - Sea faring - genuine sea faring and that feeling of "land ho!!!" - Sea of Thieves fans will feel right at home - 1 player managable, HAZARDS AT SEA!!! Survival - Similar to ECO and Subsistence but more abstract and simplified food mechanics means that your health is directly reflected by what you eat - this leads to one of the best things about this game that usually comes with "survival" - NO THIRST OR HUNGER!!!! but that does not mean no risks of not eating, because health bar = food quality not eating means u sit at low health indefinitely but unlike every other survival game you are not stuffing your face ever 2mins and drinking like a fish to stop yourself from dieing - you can keep your mind on what matters :D However surviving is paramount because the death penalty is steep but not brutal - when you die you will lose 1-2 levels of your skills with no means of recouping them other than to level them again .... thankfully subsequent deaths do not come at a cost due to "no skill drain" buff that triggers on death and a "corpse run" buff will allow u to grab your grave and loot and very quickly regen health/stamina while taking much less dmg to afford you a chance to get stuff back and regain your footing. Just as an aside to this point - repairing is free too ... and this adds to both Survival AND Exploration because you are not being punished for venturing forth and having a go, using items doesnt mean u need even more mats ... something games like Ark really hammer you with at the start - the more you loot the more u need to repair the more u need to mine - the more u need to repair and so on. Repair bills are free in Valheim!!! Skill system - A very Skyrim approach of you do it to level it but the aforementioned "Death Penalty" will keep you weary of getting too reckless when the levels take more than a run across the island to level up .... a very good balance of genuine penalty for recklessness and making sure the player understands they are perhaps too undergeared but equally allowing for flex and versatility in character progression and how you want to play. Combat - Weapons pair with the skill system and something i didn't mention which is the ability to upgrade existing equipment and improve it. Combat is very refined albeit quite simple. Attack, Block, Special Attack unique to weapon type and a very satisfying and responsive Parry mechanic for buckler shields and weapons you would expect to parry with. Item upgrades - You can upgrade items - using a fraction of the base mats a level 1 Bronze Sword can become a level 2 and 3 and the balance of this is notable when you get your next material type and find that your previously pimped out weapon is BETTER than the baseline "next tech" version meaning that upgrading is meaningful and worthwhile and thanks to no repair bills - very very satisfying. These are just some refined examples of where Valheim is taking core concepts found in the open world survival genre but putting spins on them that remove the tedium and annoyances that are staple just because the genre is "survival" without sacrificing difficulty, challenge and the feeling you are in a living, breathing world that wants to kill you. The balance of all this plus everything else you can read in the plethora of reviews before this one really highlight why Valheim has gone platinum TWICE in as many weeks since launch. With only 50% of its' actual planned content available. Probably the most no-brainer early access purchase this side of 2021.