When Valheim Becomes A Horror Game
Valheim has earned the respect of critics and broken records, but now also might have won a spot as one of the creepiest games of the year.
Though Valheim has some scary elements all on its own (particularly when it comes to the game's bosses, like the Elder), nothing prepared players for the creepiest troll glitches this side of the World-Tree. Reddit user Leathermattress shared a horrifying troll encounter on Valheim's subreddit, in a post simply titled "TROLL."
The video showed a player running through the woods, when all of a sudden, a giant troll face flashed across the screen and then disappeared. This happened several times in the short video, and it seemed as if the troll's face was somehow glitched onto a troll's back instead. The broadness of the face seemed too wide to be a typical troll.
The effect of the face appearing, then disappearing, acted as a jump scare, making players question what was happening with this misshapen troll.
One user responded, "That's hilarious and terrifying at the same time," summing up how many players seem to feel about the open world madness of Valheim. Another player solemnly said, "You need a scare warning. Almost started throwing hands at the screen." One viewer accurately described the video as "Nightmare fuel." The video has clearly sparked the interest of Valheim fans, and the accompanying thread has already garnered over 200 comments.
Valheim has experienced bugs before, some that even threatened to wreck players' save files. That hasn't stopped players from making Valheim one of the hottest games on Steam right now, though, even surpassing the eternally popular GTA 5.
Valheim allows players to step into the shoes of a "battle-slain warrior" traveling through a version of the Viking afterlife, fighting monsters, solving mysteries, and settling the wilderness with an expansive building mode. The game is part resource management and part action-adventure, with online play thrown in. Players can tackle the challenge solo, or 2-10 players can team up for a cooperative PvE experience, which has made Valheim particularly popular with streamers.
Strange happenings like an unexpected troll face help make Valheim fun and increase discussion about the weirder, wilder aspects of the game. Vikings are having a bit of a moment in gaming right now, with Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Valheim making news. Fans are left to wonder what's so attractive about the harsh world of the Vikings — and if that troll is going to pop out of nowhere again and scare them out of their crafting reverie.