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News video games 14 January 2021, 18:45

author: Karol Laska

AC: Valhalla Players Attempt to Decipher Ancient Language Created by Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla players have been working hard to to decipher the fictional Isu language created for the game.

IN A NUTSHELL:
  1. Ubisoft has prepared quite a puzzle for the players - deciphering the fictional language of the so-called First Civilization;
  2. Fans of the series are dealing with the task quite well and they have already managed to develop a functioning system to decipher the characters and sentences.

Sandbox game developers usually prepare a lot of easter eggs, optional activities and details that can draw us into the game for hours. However, the hidden contents are not always as obvious as we think, and require not only consistent gameplay, but also advanced skills in various fields of science. In the case of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, the developers demand logical abilities, semiotic knowledge and a willingness to decipher foreign language messages, as Ubisoft has developed a fictional language and writing called Isu.

Isu is the name of the First Civilization, a species of humanoid beings that has died out, but left behind a legacy of written messages that can be found in some places in Valhalla. Players decided to take up the gauntlet thrown down by Isu and Ubisoft and tried to understand this language by reading individual messages. The whole thought proces is explained on the material below.

It's not an easy task, although the developers have left some necessary hints in the game, such as translated texts and photographs on the computer belonging to Layla, a member of the Assassin brotherhood. The language of Isu cannot be read only in one way, as some of the records differ from each other. It is difficult to achieve uniformity in writing and communication when we are talking about an ancient civilisation.

Work on the translation of individual messages is still in progress, but the fans have already managed to partially understand Isu's grammar and sentence structure. You can see the results, among other things, on the graphic below.

Sample of deciphered message. Source: Access The Animus, YouTube

While you may complain at Ubisoft for Valhalla's initial technical condition, and some of you may not like the game, it's hard not to appreciate the studio's attention to detail in the development process, if that's how we call creating a new language from scratch. And to all the players trying to figure it out, we wish you the best of luck and perseverance.

Karol Laska

Karol Laska

His adventure with journalism began with a personal blog, the name of which is no longer worth quoting. Then he interpreted Iranian dramas and the Joker, writing for cinematography journal, which, sadly, no longer exists. His writing credentials include a degree in film studies, but his thesis was strictly devoted to video games. He has been writing for Gamepressure since March 2020, first writing a lot about movies, then in the newsroom, and eventually, he became a specialist in everything. He currently edits and writes articles and features. A long-time enthusiast of the most bizarre indie games and arthouse cinema. He idolizes surrealism and postmodernism. He appreciates the power of absurdity. Which is probably why he also tried soccer refereeing for 2 years (with so-so results). He tends to over-philosophize, so watch out.

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Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla