Valor Mortis is a Soulslike That Actually Stands Out from the Crowd

The trench-ridden battlefields of Napoleonic Europe were ne'er going to beryllium a bully spot to aftermath up in. Turns retired they’re overmuch worse erstwhile mutated mashups of erstwhile soldiers and gruesome, blistered horrors besides trudge done its mud. Valor Mortis places you close successful the heavy of it, and trusts that your accomplishment with a blade, pistol, and superpowered thenar volition guarantee you marque it done alive. Despite being rooted successful the fundamentals of the Soulslike genre, it adopts a non-conventional first-person perspective, which not lone afloat immerses you successful this horrifying satellite but besides adds an further furniture of precision and restitution to its parrying, slashing, and sharp-shooting combat. And portion I recovered that its battles tin beryllium tough, during my clip playing it astatine gamescom 2025, I recovered respective signs this won’t beryllium arsenic punishing an workout arsenic tin beryllium recovered elsewhere successful the genre.

Face down successful mud, Valor Mortis’ protagonist William hears the words of his general, Napoleon Bonaparte, echoing successful his ears and telling him to get up. Dozens of corpses enactment the wood way up arsenic a tattered French emblem droops successful presumed defeat. No different discourse is fixed arsenic to however we’ve ended up here, but the infamous emperor is insisting that I get up, truthful I bash precisely that and trudge connected ahead. Initially equipped with a sword and the quality to execute a block, parry, dodge, and some airy and dense attacks, there’s thing initially revolutionary astir developer One More Level’s caller project, which has slowed its Ghostrunner melee enactment to a overmuch much deliberate gait here.

The swordplay whitethorn not beryllium excessively different, but it remains incredibly enjoyable to instrumentality portion in. Blocking doesn’t wholly negate damage, truthful the timings of your parries go your champion stake for rapidly dispatching your opponent. There’s a fantastic metallic clang that rings retired erstwhile you get it conscionable right, followed by a momentary displacement into dilatory question that reminds maine of Dishonored’s arsenic gratifying maneuver. I aboriginal find a pistol nestled successful an ornate trunk decorated with a representation of Bonaparte himself. Further adding to the Dunwall of it all, this centuries-old sidearm hands maine a ranged option, albeit 1 with a constricted proviso of bullets.

But past things get a spot weird arsenic a dash of the supernatural is added to my arsenal successful the signifier of a burst of flames I tin task consecutive retired of my palm. This flamethrower quality volition look acquainted to anyone who has guzzled a changeable of 1 of Bioshock’s tonics. It’s a delightfully explosive accomplishment that helped maine woody with assemblage control, and adjacent inflict a burning authorities connected the demo’s brag (much much connected him later). There are decidedly aspects of the 2 aforementioned immersive sims here, but I wouldn’t spell successful expecting anyplace adjacent the flexibility successful its combat strategy arsenic you whitethorn find successful 1 of Arkane’s oregon Irrational’s games. This is fundamentally inactive a Soulslike that relies heavy connected one-to-one melee encounters portion delicately managing your stamina gauge, truthful I wouldn’t expect to beryllium mixing elemental effects and creating chaos of your ain plan here. Aside from the unusual accidental to sneak up connected 1 of your opponents and skewer them deliciously from behind, the demo’s options erstwhile entering combat seldom stretched beyond toe-to-toe duels.

The creatures I fought crossed this 45-minute illustration tin all, to varying degrees, beryllium described arsenic being rooted successful immoderate benignant of humanity. What starts retired arsenic lowly infantry staggering astir similar the undead made mode for much absorbing enemies the deeper I pushed on. I recovered an optional area, unlocked via blasting a glowing structural anemic constituent with the pistol, wherever I was greeted by a foreboding duelist who gracefully stepped towards, his haunted mode lone emphasised by an emotionless metallic mask. His attacks were accelerated and wellness bar-ravaging, and his parry windows choky – I rapidly decided that helium was a situation for different day. I astir made it halfway done this preview without mentioning Bloodborne, but the velocity and thrust of his leaf did punctual maine of 1 of Yharnam’s Hunter threats. An elevated challenge, but not rather a existent boss.

Fans of the genre’s accepted disgusting foes besides look to beryllium good catered for, arsenic determination are besides galore much mutated, monster-like enemies. Though each inactive look to beryllium clinging onto their erstwhile selves — service uniforms bent disconnected of them, oregon quality heads (sometimes multiple) ticker your movements intimately — they are precise overmuch not of this world, oregon astatine slightest however aboriginal 19th period Europe is depicted successful past books, astatine least. A mysterious plague has infected the battlefields, creating these aberrations that tin airs rather a challenge. One specified brute appeared to beryllium 2 soldiers conjoined together, who besides happened to person grown an other limb and developed a massively oversized, meaty, clawed hand. He took swipes astatine maine astatine adjacent range, but enjoyed thing much than throwing explosive cinders if I stepped excessively acold back. Luckily, a large ol’ glowing reddish sack looked acceptable to popular wherever his elbow should be, truthful I aimed a fewer pistol rounds astatine it to instrumentality vantage of his anemic point.

But helium was outclassed by another, acold much horrendous-looking entity. The demo’s last brag was General Lothaire, The Eagle Bearer, a man-mountain of a bastard with a comically normal-sized caput that I would person laughed astatine much if it hadn’t been for the 3 guns pointing astatine maine that emerged from his fleshy, contorted close shoulder. Dual-wielding a sweeping flagpole and slicing cutlass, his scope was immense and the hits heavy. I’ll freely admit it took maine a just fewer attempts to instrumentality him down, but aft a fewer upgrades astatine a adjacent rekindled Lantern (this universe’s mentation of the classical Dark Souls bonfire), I managed to instrumentality him down.

Well, his archetypal signifier anyway. Yes, One More Level has decided to instrumentality the piss and springiness the precise archetypal brag of Valor Mortis a 2nd phase. This mentation of Lothaire inactive has a deadly premix of ranged and adjacent attacks that support you connected your toes, but besides packs the quality to summon annoying minions and seizure you successful his clawed clutches. He’s tricky, but thankfully, thing overly hard for anyone trained successful this genre of combat.

But to those who are comparatively caller to Soulslikes, oregon adjacent find first-person combat a challenge, Valor Mortis is lenient… to a definite extent. Catalysts are your assets upgrade here, and you tin usage them to level up your stats astatine what seems to beryllium a reasonably inexpensive cost. I pumped points into getting a bigger stamina bar, arsenic a fewer speedy stabs tin rapidly drain your archetypal meter, and it made overcoming the brag a overmuch much manageable affair. Crucially, though, upon dying, your collected catalysts are dropped astatine the extracurricular perimeter of brag arenas, not done the murky, smoky gross that precedes them. One More Level doesn’t privation you to person to grind elsewhere successful its satellite successful bid to progress, and this connection of redeeming you a small frustration, combined with peculiar traits that tin beryllium unlocked done exploration that utilises a small of parkour plan the workplace perfected successful Ghostrunner (you tin plaything from trees, for instance) each travel unneurotic to assistance you consciousness much almighty much quickly.

My demo ended arsenic I yet took down Lothaire, the words “Abomination Eradicated” filling the screen. I ideate determination are galore much abominations to beryllium dealt with, though, if Valor Mortis’ uncover trailer is thing to spell by. All successful all, I had a precise satisfying clip with it, uncovering its blend of first-person swordplay and superpowered magic abilities an enjoyable powerfulness trip. I look guardant to digging deeper into what secrets its combat suite whitethorn person successful store and taking connected much of those abominations with it erstwhile Valor Mortis arrives sometime successful 2026.

Simon Cardy is simply a Senior Editor astatine IGN who tin chiefly beryllium recovered skulking astir unfastened satellite games, indulging successful Korean cinema, oregon despairing astatine the authorities of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him connected Bluesky astatine @cardy.bsky.social.