Valor Mortis Review: A Stylish Soulslike With a Brutal Opening

Valor Mortis takes an unusually bold route into the Soulslike genre. Developed by One More Level for PC, the action game trades medieval ruins and dark fantasy kingdoms for a devastated vision of 18th-century France, where Napoleon's wars have given way to cursed battlefields, reanimated soldiers, and experiments that should never have survived the laboratory. It is an immediately striking foundation for a first-person action game, and one that gives every saber clash, musket blast, and desperate sprint toward safety a memorable historical-horror flavor.

The result is a compelling, if inconsistent, debut Soulslike from a team best known for the speed and precision of the Ghostrunner games. Valor Mortis understands how to make movement feel exhilarating and how to build combat around a demanding rhythm of attack, defense, and positioning. However, its first half is burdened by balance problems severe enough to turn hard-earned deaths into bouts of irritation. The narrative also leaves some of its most intriguing ideas underdeveloped. Once the game settles into its broader toolkit and fairer-feeling challenges, though, its combination of exploration, weapon variety, psychic abilities, and traversal becomes genuinely hard to put down.

A dead soldier in a cursed France

Valor Mortis follows William, an otherwise ordinary soldier in Napoleon's enormous army. After dying on a ruined battlefield, he awakens under bizarre circumstances, with the Emperor speaking directly into his mind. Napoleon's telepathic presence gives William a mission and a direction, but it also creates a central mystery: why has he returned, why does he possess strange powers, and what has happened to the people and soldiers left in the wake of the war?

Over roughly 25 hours, William uncovers a France ravaged not only by conflict but by a sinister chemical agent capable of reanimating the dead. The setting supplies a steady stream of grotesque opponents, from zombified remnants of Napoleon's forces to corrupted civilians, animalistic horrors, and failed experiments. The imagery is consistently effective. French military uniforms, ruined settlements, bloodied battlefields, and occult science form an identity that helps Valor Mortis stand out in a crowded genre.

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Its plot is easier to follow than the deliberately opaque narratives common to Soulslikes, which can be a welcome change for players who prefer clearer objectives and character motivations. Yet the story's answers rarely prove as fascinating as its questions. The concept of Napoleon occupying the protagonist's thoughts, the source of William's powers, and the larger curse consuming the country all have potential, but the campaign generally follows expected paths instead of pushing its premise toward more surprising conclusions.

Side content adds more personality. A notable optional storyline concerns the Mice, a group of orphaned children seeking a different kind of leadership after the destruction wrought upon their homes. Their quest line brings needed humanity to the otherwise bleak journey and includes a deliberately unclear morality system that affects a handful of later moments. It is a well-made thread, even if some of its structure and themes will feel familiar to players versed in dystopian action games.

First-person Soulslike combat with a deepening toolkit

At its core, Valor Mortis is built around the recognizable pillars of the Soulslike format. Death causes William to drop a primary currency that must be retrieved. Resting at lanterns restores resources and resets the world's ordinary enemies. Bosses act as barriers meant to test a player's understanding of combat mechanics and character growth. What distinguishes Valor Mortis is its first-person perspective and the way it combines melee weapons, firearms, and supernatural abilities.

William can wield multiple blades, including a saber, rapier, and claymore, each supporting a different approach to range, speed, and commitment. Guns expand the possibilities further, with tools such as a pistol, a longer-range musket, and a shotgun-like blunderbuss. These are not merely emergency options. Firearms, melee attacks, consumables, and powers are designed to be used together, pushing players to adapt to enemy behavior instead of relying on a single favorite weapon.

The left hand provides an especially enjoyable layer to the combat system. William gradually earns BioShock-like psychic powers, including fire and stasis. Flame can set enemies ablaze, while stasis stops targets in place and can create explosive opportunities. The selection of powers is relatively limited, but each one complements the rest of the arsenal. A difficult encounter might call for freezing an aggressive foe, repositioning with a dash, landing a sword strike, and then finishing the exchange with a blunderbuss shot. When these systems click, Valor Mortis feels tense, versatile, and satisfyingly deliberate.

Parrying is the centerpiece of survival. Players can block, though doing so costs health, or dodge away from danger. Learning when to counter enemy attacks is much more rewarding. Hulking soldiers, twisted canine creatures, and monstrous test subjects all demand attention to their patterns, and successful parries create the openings necessary to take control of a fight. The game's best encounters make every aspect of the toolkit matter. Winning does not simply come from having the right level or a stronger weapon; it comes from understanding how the weapons, powers, mobility, and defenses fit together.

An opening that mistakes punishment for challenge

The major obstacle is that Valor Mortis does not always provide a reasonable space to learn these lessons. Its opening half is frequently overtuned. Boss fights and even normal enemy groups can inflict sudden, devastating damage, at times killing William in a single blow or through attacks that offer too little time to recognize and answer them. A Soulslike should be demanding, but its setbacks are most satisfying when they clarify a mistake and inspire a better attempt.

Too many early deaths in Valor Mortis do not have that educational value. Instead of thinking through a missed parry, poor position, or wasted resource, players may simply be left wondering what happened. That issue is particularly frustrating because the game otherwise has such a firm grasp on its combat fundamentals. The sensation of being overwhelmed can make the earliest stretch feel more hostile than exciting.

Eventually, the balance improves--or character upgrades to health, stamina, and weapons finally provide the margin needed to engage with encounters properly. The second half is far more likely to deliver the classic "one more try" loop. Progress becomes gratifying rather than exhausting, whether the reward is a difficult victory, a powerful piece of equipment, or simply the next lantern after a long and dangerous stretch. The journey can easily result in more than a hundred deaths, but its later failures are much more likely to feel like part of the intended learning process.

Exploration and movement keep the journey lively

One More Level's experience with Ghostrunner is most evident in Valor Mortis' movement sequences. While the main combat pace is measured and focused, the game periodically unleashes William into exhilarating traversal challenges involving wall-running, grappling, swinging from poles, and leaping between collapsing or shrinking platforms. These sections inject bursts of speed into the adventure and are executed with clear confidence.

They also highlight an interesting tension within Valor Mortis. The studio's expertise at high-speed first-person movement remains unmistakable, and these passages are among the game's most immediately enjoyable moments. In a different context, they might make players wish for even more of that pure kinetic energy. Here, they function as a useful contrast to the slower, more methodical Soulslike combat while reminding players of the developer's particular strengths.

Exploration is similarly rewarding. The campaign regularly encourages detours away from the golden path, offering grenades, enhanced ammunition, minibosses, quests, and other useful discoveries. The chapters move through distinct locations that build naturally on the journey without feeling interchangeable. Searching through the damaged French landscape is not just an excuse to collect materials; it is a meaningful source of combat resources, optional stories, and fresh risks.

Who should brave Valor Mortis?

Valor Mortis is best suited to players who enjoy demanding action games and are willing to tolerate a rough early curve in exchange for a combat system that grows more rewarding over time. Fans of Soulslikes who value build flexibility, exploration, and learning enemy patterns will find plenty to appreciate once the upgrades begin to accumulate. It is also a natural fit for players interested in One More Level's first-person design sensibilities, particularly its sharp movement and emphasis on precision.

Those seeking a richly unpredictable narrative may be less impressed. The Napoleonic setting is novel, visually evocative, and full of potential, but the story does not always rise to the level of its premise. Likewise, players with little patience for abrupt deaths and uneven early boss tuning may find the opening chapters difficult to endure.

Final takeaway

Valor Mortis does not fully transform its inventive historical-horror idea into an essential genre landmark. Its story is more straightforward than its setup suggests, and its early difficulty too often crosses the line from stern to unfair. Still, the game has a strong core. Its first-person swordplay, guns, psychic powers, and parry-driven combat create a distinctive action system, while exploration and standout traversal give its cursed French campaign plenty of momentum.

For all its frustrating early moments, Valor Mortis becomes a tense and engaging Soulslike once it gives players enough room to understand its rules. It is a promising step into the genre for One More Level: uneven, certainly, but imaginative enough to make this grim vision of Napoleon's France worth surviving.