Valheim, developer Iron Gates co-op survival game, was a breakout indie hit in 2021. It landed amid the global pandemic, in a strange moment in time where we were stuck indoors, some of us feeling slightly isolated and searching for ways to connect with the outside world, and a lot of us were playing videogames. It provided whimsy, goofiness, challenge, and togetherness that was so sought after at the time. Starting out in Viking purgatory, and in one of the easier biomes, The Meadows, Valheim managed to marry up the uneasiness and disconcertion of surviving your first day with all the excitement of the possibilities afforded by this dangerous world. It was also very pretty, and even now, years later, I always think of Valheim when I see a silver birch tree. Continue reading Not every new survival game has to be the next ValheimMORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games , Best Valheim mods, Valheim console commands and cheats