Souls-like games are a dime a dozen in the modern age of gaming due to the popularity of FromSoftware and their pioneering of the genre. And in recent years, we have been seeing more and more Souls-like releases, some centered on mythology, others on random creatures, but One More Level, the creator of Ghost Runner, has chosen to create one in first person, centered on an alternate 19th-century Eastern Europe during the Napoleonic Dynasty. Valor Mortis, as mentioned before, is a first-person Souls-like game in which you take on the role of William, a resurrected soldier of Napoleon’s Grande Armée. And you wield supernatural powers, battle horrifying monsters, and unravel a conspiracy that threatens all of humanity.
Now that we’ve got the premise of the game, I had the opportunity to try out a press preview version that takes you through the first four chapters. I am no expert in Souls-like games; I’ve dabbled in them, so I understood to some extent what I would be getting into. After all, I 100% Sekiro, so no Souls game is too hard after you beat what is considered the hardest one. But like most Souls games, I died a lot, but I’m getting ahead of myself. As I said, I played the first four chapters twice, and on my first playthrough, it took me about 8.5 hours to complete the main story and side missions. On my second go-around, I mainly focused on capturing gameplay and solidifying my thoughts, so throughout this preview, gameplay will be sprinkled in each segment from all four chapters. Spoilers ahead, and for those who want a complete no-spoiler breakdown, I’ll summarize everything at the end. The gameplay was recorded on a desktop with a 5080. My computer is a monster by today’s standards, so the game settings are on max with an ultra-wide monitor (3440 x 1440) at 100 Hz. So, now that the settings have been explained, let’s dive into Chapter 1.
Valor Mortis opens with a brief cutscene that paints a picture of the world the game is set in. Then we are thrust into a bloody battlefield, where you take control of William, a resurrected soldier of Napoleon’s Grande Armée, and, along your journey, Napoleon talks to you as if he’s in your head. The game’s story is, honestly, both interesting and confusing. Right off the bat, the game looks extremely good. I’m on the max settings, and the game looks beautiful. You’re on a battlefield littered with tons and tons of soldier corpses, and it looks both horrifying and fantastic. William himself is completely clueless about what is happening and why he was resurrected, and he has amnesia. You travel for a bit until you happen upon a saber, your first melee weapon. It’s a standard sword weapon. You can perform a light attack by pressing the attack button, or a heavy attack by holding the attack button. The combat for the game is pretty straightforward; you can attack, dodge, parry, and block. Even though it’s straightforward, this is a Souls game, so the combat goes a bit beyond attack and dodge; enemies have their own move sets you will need to study to avoid dying. Enemies also have a posture bar that requires perfect parries and attacks to break, opening for a devastating finisher. Speaking of finishers, if you perfect parry enemies, it opens them to a takedown, and depending on your weapons, it will be different each time, which is cool. The game also has stealth that allows for one-shot takedowns on lesser mobs, or in this game, Risen soldiers, the first mob introduced. After following a path, you are eventually led to a soldier whose chest is open; getting closer to it unlocks your first power in the game, Fire Transmutation, which lets you burn enemies and open pathways.
After opening a new path, the game becomes a semi-open world; you can explore the environment and discover hidden chests, enemies, and upgrades. The main resting point in the game is a lantern; think of Bonfires from Dark Souls or Grace from Elden Ring. This lantern will heal you, upgrade you, and reset non-boss enemies, so use it wisely. After fighting your way through the battlefield, taking on the enemy types, one having range while the other requires you to break posture, you eventually make it to the first boss. I initially lost against it, and it seems scripted for you to lose, but Souls veterans can most likely beat it, unlocking something or getting a different cutscene; either way, you’re carried off by an NPC and start Chapter 2.
Regroup is Chapter 2. After losing to the boss, you are carried off by an NPC and are told to find a group of two surviving soldiers. Chapter 2 is less linear, as the semi-open-world aspect comes into play, introducing side quests you can complete that boost your game time. The first side quest is titled “An Unheard Farewell.” You help a soldier find the rest of his squad by exploring a cave at the bottom of a cliff, which leads you to the outcome of their story and to a mini-boss that killed me plenty of times. But so long as you parry and dodge when he glows red, you can stop him in his tracks. You find a note about what happened to the squad you take to the soldier, and you can choose what to say: tell the truth or lie. This system isn’t a one-off, as the main story has you choose dialogue with other characters. After choosing your dialogue, you complete the mission and carry on as you find the missing soldiers. On your way, you will run into all sorts of enemies, and one in particular is annoying as they throw bombs at you, so you have to constantly dodge and poke till they die. You can find a deserted carriage that unlocks a new weapon: the pistol. Across the four chapters, I found two melee weapons, two types of guns, and three powers. You will fight your way through various military camps and wooded areas and happen upon poison. You eventually make it to a church, but before going in, you have a rematch with the game’s first boss, General Lothaire, the Eagle-Bearer. His design is grotesque in such a cool way, mimicking the world around you as it’s polluted by a plague that turns people undead and mutates them. His boss fight is well done, as it forces you to use everything you have learned up to this point: dodge red attacks, parry normal blows, and shoot weak points, all while breaking his posture. He does have two stages that include mobs, but you can one-shot them with the gun. Either way, beat him, and you finish Chapter Two and reunite with a long-lost soldier friend at the church, starting Chapter Three.
Chapter 3: Rendezvous picks up after your boss fight inside a church, where you talk to a fellow soldier, James Stewart. He explains that his friend, Louis Moreu, has gone to the village in search of something to help, and that you must find him and bring him back, as he is needed. The church is your main hub; think of the Round Table from Elden Ring. You can upgrade your weapons and abilities, but that comes after Chapter 3. Now is the time to get into the upgrade system; it runs on resources, just like other souls-like games. To upgrade weapons, you need special items found in chests pertaining to either melee or guns. To upgrade oneself, you need Catalysts, which you gain from killing enemies and consumables. Catalysts allow you to upgrade your health, stamina, damage, block, parry, and unlock other abilities. Now that the upgrade system is explained, we move on to the next area: a village. Before entering the new area, you can find the second melee weapon, a rapier, which is best for stabbing enemies’ weak points. Arriving at the outskirts of the village, the time of day has changed to night, and the plague has swept through the countryside. Throughout this segment, you will fight villagers rather than zombie soldiers; they’re similar to the villagers from Resident Evil 4. Honestly, this entire section is very reminiscent, which isn’t a bad thing; it’s cool. You will be introduced to a new enemy called Volunteers, and they are tough to fight: they hit hard and fast, and they combo you with red and normal attacks. Defeating your first one, you immediately happen upon the second firearm, the Blunderbuss, a sawed-off shotgun that packs a punch but has low ammo. You will travel around the village until you reach the first Amalgam: Remnants of the Iron Regiment. This boss is a bit tricky, as he can shoot a big blast at you, so be careful. Beating him leads you to the second transmutation. As before, walk up to the trapped soldier, absorb his power, and unlock the grappling hook. This game is made by One More Level, the creators of Ghostrunner, a first-person parkour action game, so it’s no surprise we get a grapple hook to traverse. Throughout the game, there have been parkour obstacles such as tree branches and ledges to maneuver, and the grapple hook brings it to the next level. Grapple your way across to the main village, meet up with the second soldier, Louis, and end the chapter.
Chapter 4: Dark Descent begins in the church, and you’re tasked with exploring a mine using your new power. Once you reach your objective, you unlock the ability to upgrade your Transmutations, increasing their damage and capabilities. You can also return to former areas and explore them using your new abilities. Make your way to the mine and start your descent. This chapter is mainly inside the mine, so expect cramped hallways, darkness, and lots of traversal. The mine itself is a giant maze with many places to explore and a lot of enemies. As you go deeper into the mine, you will encounter the last soldier who can give you a power-up in the current preview: Stasis Transmutation. As the name suggests, it allows you to freeze objects in time so you can proceed. The mine is heavily parkour-focused, reminiscent of Ghostrunner, culminating in a giant mine-cart segment akin to Resident Evil 4. The mine cart segment is fun, as you have to quickly cycle through your powers and weapons to avoid crashing and dying; I failed around 3 times in my first playthrough. You eventually reach the end, where you fight the build’s last boss: a Sphinx. Then the boss fight itself isn’t too hard as you dodge, parry, and attack it when you can. You also shoot its projectiles to avoid getting hit and dodge its poison sandstorm. Defeating it ends the build and earns a thank-you from the developers.
The parkour aspects of the game are fun to go through and show the devs’ experience from Ghostrunner. The game is filled with elements from other Souls-like games: enemies punish you for being reckless. You have to learn enemy move sets to avoid dying, and, on the topic of death, you’ll die plenty. It’s not the hardest souls-like, nor do I think it’s the easiest; honestly, it’s a happy medium, and most can pick it up and play it. The upgrade system for both weapons and William is traditional Souls-like, as you need catalysts for William and parts for your weapons. The world itself is both pretty to look at and disgusting in nature and horrific to experience. The enemies fit the world, and most are engaging to fight, other than the bomber; hate that guy. The story itself is mysterious and engaging, and having Napoleon talk to you in your head is cool, but also creepy. The game isn’t without its flaws, but for what it is, it’s great.
Valor Mortis is releasing on October 13th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam. And it’s only $39.99 for the base game, with a deluxe edition that includes major story DLC next year and several cosmetic items for $59.99. Honestly, the price alone makes it totally worth it. The game is set for October 13th; don’t miss out on this Bonaparte of a time.