War is horror and it’s hard to imagine how it could possibly get any worse. But when you throw a supernatural mutant disease into the mix, you end up with a gory, disgusting cocktail of viscera and violence the likes of which the world has never seen. In this world ending scenario, an important question must be asked. In the wake of a devastating war that claimed the lives of men, women, and children without remorse, are the real monsters the 10 foot tall inhuman beasts, or the mortal men who give them orders?
Valor Mortis is a first person soulslike set in an alternate history 19th century Eastern Europe, 5 years after Napoleon Bonaparte led his French army to victory at the Battle of Waterloo. Immediately upon waking up, you are greeted by the voice of your great leader, as you rise from a pile of corpses. In this game you play as William, a French soldier, who is about to learn that while some of his former comrades still walk, few still live. And not only does there seem to be a virus turning soldiers and civilians alike into violent mutants, this virus also gives William the ability to wield fantastical powers.
The first few moments of gameplay are very straightforward, introducing you to standard enemies, your beginning arsenal of weapons, and two of the most important characters in this post war land. Of course, as the player, you take up the mantle of the main character, a miraculous super soldier of Napoleon’s army, seemingly the only one who still has the capacity to think. These thoughts come alongside the voice in your head, that of Napoleon himself, as he urges you forward into the unknown. The story that follows is fittingly supernatural, and surprisingly mysterious. It is better experienced rather than described, but it deserves a mention for its quality writing, voice acting, and the themes it tackles overall.
The game has a realistic art style, which is pulled off well and complements the horror of both the war and the plague. The realistic art and minimalistic UI are solid, if not somewhat run-of-the-mill, but that’s not what sets Valor Mortis apart. Alongside the story and your surroundings, you’ll also immediately notice quite a jarring break in the structure of this game’s genre. Valor Mortis is a soulslike in a first person perspective.
The impact of this decision cannot be understated. So much of this game, from its combat to its level design, lives and dies by the choice to put the player in a first person perspective. For those out of the loop, soulslike games are infamous for many things, but two of the most prominent are difficulty and rolling. For now, we will focus on the latter.
How do you let a player roll in first person without a motion sickness nightmare? How do you give players a good idea of what attacks are in range of hitting them or not? How do players know when they’re backing themselves into a corner? All of these questions are answered to varying degrees of satisfaction. Firstly, use a dash instead of a roll, a quick jump to the side makes dodging feel good. Secondly, make the game difficult enough so that players just assume they’ll get hit, and simply feel lucky if they don’t. Ok, that’s workable, but now what about that last part? Well there really isn’t an answer. If something is behind you, you’ll only find that out after spamming the dodge button 10 times, which doesn’t work. You’re then met by the familiar words: “YOU ARE DEAD.” There are several issues when trying to put a soulslike game into a first person perspective, but it isn’t without its benefits.
Some of the settings across the war-torn land are tight knit communities or winding caverns, and these areas benefit greatly from the first person point of view. Small cottages and claustrophobic tunnels which would be difficult to build for an over-the-shoulder camera feel more natural and real because the first person perspective allows for navigation in small enclosed places. The tension created by the atmosphere in these areas is also strengthened as there is less separation between player and character. Building tension is something Valor Mortis thrives at. Enclosed, dark areas keep you guessing what’ll be around the next corner; I know I personally jumped a couple times, even against weak foes.
This tension is only heightened by the difficulty. You’ll often find yourself hoping and praying for a checkpoint as you slowly creep around every corner. Then, all of a sudden, a diseased corpse blows up at your feet and you’re set back ten minutes. Yes, while soulslike games are known, and often praised, for their difficulty, there is a fine line between fun challenge and bad design. This line is obviously subjective, and as someone who before this game had not played many soulslike games, that line was crossed for me very often. While certain moments could be written off as one-off scares to keep you on your toes, there are some pieces of this game that simply suck the enjoyment out from what could be a fun experience. For example, fighting a knight who towers over me is a cool challenge, but shooting at bugs that release explosive fireflies, making me choose between my health or my limited ammo supply, is not fun.
Unfortunately adding onto this less than enjoyable experience is an array of oversights on release. While I could excuse a couple small bugs after release, the issues can easily hamper the experience. Some of the most memorable moments of my playthrough were deaths caused solely by bugs, or other gameplay issues. I distinctly remember getting caught between a cliff face and a fence and having to surrender just before a checkpoint because I was completely stuck. Luckily, the developers at One More Level have been very receptive to feedback and are reportedly working on fixes for these issues.
Now all of this talk about bad design and oversights paints the game in a very bad light, but the truth is that they are somewhat minor blemishes in the grand scheme of what this game accomplishes. The greatest of these accomplishments is the boss design. In particular, the first boss of the game is not one to forget. With an incredible visual design, mixing military artillery with mutant strength, General Lothaire, The Eagle-Bearer, brought me to understand the appeal of soulslikes.
You first face him extremely early on, and being very new to the game, you’ll lose this engagement. You then learn you were never supposed to win, being brought to a new area to explore rather than rematching him. Then, once you’re face to face with him again, you’ve got a chip on your shoulder. He beat you before but you’re stronger now. And he beat me again and again. It wasn’t until I implemented all the mechanics I had learned up to that point that I could finally defeat him. Parrying his various attacks, shooting his weak points, and lighting him ablaze, adrenaline was flowing in my veins as I desperately threw grenades to finish him off. I genuinely jumped out of my chair as he fell. It was precisely in that moment that I understood the appeal of not only Valor Mortis, but the entire soulslike genre.
Overall, Valor Mortis is a love letter to soulslikes, told from a new perspective. It breaks convention, and sometimes stumbles along the way. Despite this, there’s a lot to love. Grinding through annoying enemies and some minor technical issues is well worth it for the story, and the incredible boss fights.
Score: 7 out of 10
Reviewed on PC