Valheim is a fantastic EA game. I'm having a wonderful time playing solo. You will absolutely get your money's worth and then some.

Is it grindy? Maybe, if you mine all of the ore that you can find, whether you need it or not, and ditto every other resource. As for standing somewhere clicking on the mouse, the only time that has a chance to get dull is when you are in a safe area, otherwise you will be attacked, and that is always fun. The lesser mobs attack in bunches, which can be dangerous, but with good weapons you can have a great time laying waste to them. Moreover, the stuff you need most is always in the biome that is most dangerous to go to.

There are some bugs, but no show-stoppers. For contrast, I can reliably make Civilization VI crash hard and take Windows down with it just by trying to invoke the desktop. As for Skyrim, don't get me started. Valheim doesn't think it owns my computer and I've had no lockups.

The graphics are deliberately retro in that the polys are big, but the use of color makes you feel you're walking around in an impressionist landscape, and that landscape is a huge open world with scenery to die for. And don't worry; you will.