Assassin's Creed: Valhalla Will Include This Fan Favorite Mode At Launch
If you're hoping to document Eivor's journey out of medieval Norway and into England, then you're in luck because photo mode will be available in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla when it releases on Nov. 10.
The inclusion of photo composition tools was confirmed in a tweet from the official Assassin's Creed: Valhalla account and included four screenshots of photo mode in action. From those stills, it looks like photo mode has eight filters to run photos through, as well as the usual tools to control advanced composition elements, including exposure, saturation, and bloom. Additionally, there are functions to toggle or remove headgear to get an epic shot and fine-tune the focal point for effects like depth of field.
Photo mode is nothing new is games. First used in Gran Turismo 4 in 2005, it has remained popular in racing games ever since, where beautifully rendered cars often drive past striking settings. However, it has become a common feature in the last few years, appearing in games like Death Stranding and God of War. Ghost of Tsushima had an incredibly elaborate photo mode that even let players stage photos by controlling the wind's direction and speed to get the perfect composition.
Considering photo mode's overall popularity with gamers and its inclusion in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and Assassin's Creed: Origins, it isn't a massive surprise that it's returning. However, with the elaborate post-launch plans for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, you might have wondered whether it would be available on day one or expected as an update down the road.
After all, another fan-favorite feature, Discovery Tour, does not look like it will be available when Assassin's Creed: Valhalla hits shelves. In Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and Assassin's Creed: Origins, Discovery Tour took players on guided tours of the historic environments — a perfect opportunity to stage some great shots with photo mode. While Discovery Tour's arrival date for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla remains unknown, Ubisoft confirmed its inclusion in the season pass trailer.
Ubisoft's Twitter announcement also told gamers to expect enhancements and added features for photo mode throughout Assassin's Creed: Valhalla's lifespan. While the developers didn't offer any hints about whether these might be Ghost of Tsushima-style weather manipulation controls or additional filters, features from previous Assassin's Creed games might offer some clues. Assassin's Creed: Origins, for example, added photos to the world map to document your journey. Also, community photo-sharing allowed you to see how others interpreted similar scenes and share your best shots with others.
No matter what Ubisoft has planned for photo mode in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla down the road, it will be good to see it back, alongside other heartwarming features, when the game goes live on Nov. 10.