I’m back again with another gaming review, and this time we are heading to 19th-century Eastern Europe, where Napoleon’s endless war has unleashed a supernatural plague. That’s right, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of the latest soulslike, Valor Mortis. You might be like, “But Craig, the game came out over two weeks ago” and to that I say maybe, but after hearing about how, on launch, it had some major bugs and crashes on PC, I decided to hold off a bit and review other games and then come back to it, hoping that some of these day-one issues get fixed.
So I would like to say thank you to One More Level and publisher Lyrical Games for the opportunity to cover your game, and that I’m diving into it a few weeks later to make sure I’m getting a more polished product from what I have heard from the grapevine. Spoiler alert: I played 20+ hours of this game and didn’t come across a single bug, crash or PC reset, and with that being said, let’s dive into my review of Valor Mortis.
Story and World
This take on the souls-like genre combines an FPP camera with action gameplay. The FPP camera and action kind of remind me of the BioShock games back in the day. In a world where horror, supernatural forces, and war are present at every step, you play as William, a soldier of the Grande Armée who gets brought back from a battlefield grave.
A mysterious plague has swept through the continent, and William has been reborn with its corrupting power pulsing through his veins. Wield an array of melee and ranged weapons while also harnessing your new abilities to fight, and discover the secrets of an alternate 19th-century Europe, where Napoleon Bonaparte reigns supreme after setting the continent ablaze. Explore this Metroidvania-inspired world and try to uncover the mysteries and horrors in play.
Gameplay and Mechanics
Having played all the Dark Souls games, Demon’s Souls, Elden Ring and Bloodborne, I think I can safely say that I have become accustomed to the soul-like genre of games and know what I’m in for in terms of dying a lot, though it was funny seeing the lanterns as a rest point, as it had a familiar feel to the lamps in Bloodborne. Though from the start I noticed that you would have a limited number of weapons and abilities, as the weapons wheel was on the small side and there wasn’t a full-blown inventory as you get in Elden Ring.
Eventually, as you progress through the story, you will unlock three melee weapons, three firearms, and three abilities, and a combination of these will aid you in defending yourself in this hostile world. This combination can be changed on the fly, which is brilliant and really helps make the combat feel fluent and epic. These weapons and abilities each have a skill tree that you can level up to give certain buffs and features that make taking down enemies a little bit easier.
On top of this, William has a skill tree which you can customise to some extent to better suit a preferred playstyle or build; then you can collect certain Ambers from enemies or chests that give you extra boosts. For me, because I’m someone who goes in headfirst before thinking, one of the Ambers I took was the ability to restore health after a successful execution on an enemy, as it keeps me in the fight a little bit longer, but this is only one of many that can be equipped to William.
You can tell that the world puzzles and design are from the team behind the Ghostrunner series. The wall running, movement and puzzles carry forward in similar ways in Valor Mortis. I love that the abilities tie into the progression and puzzles, like using the grappling feature to propel yourself over large gaps and using the stasis ability to stop moving objects to utilise puzzle progression and even use as a weapon against enemies. These small things helped make traversing Valor Mortis so much more fun, rather than just running from point A to point B.
The gameplay loop is what we have become used to with soulslike games. You spawn, farm, die and repeat the process. By killing enemies, you gain Catalyst that you can spend at lanterns to increase your stats and add to your skill tree. If you die, you go back to the last lantern you interacted with and then must get back to your Catalyst to retrieve them. Though if you die before getting them back, you will lose them permanently, so if you have like 10,000 plus, just be mindful of your next course of action, as Valor Mortis can go south quite quickly. I have lost many Catalysts to silly mistakes on my end in combat.
Speaking of combat, there is something highly satisfying about it in Valor Mortis. It might at first seem quite limited, with only have nine weapons in total, three of these being abilities, but when you combine them and master each one, you can fully utilise them and feel like a proper badass, pardon my French. Enemies will have noticeable attack patterns, so timing that perfect parry and execution is so satisfying. At times, combat can feel clunky and choppy, but I found this only the case when you are in enclosed spaces and there are several enemies; for me, a huge selling point in this game is how much fun I had mastering its combat mechanics.
Graphics, sound and atmosphere
One of the best things about Valor Mortis is its setting. Getting to navigate through an alternate 19th century where the costs of endless war have corrupted the landscape really helps give the game a unique identity and not just a copy-and-paste of other soulslike games. The enemy designs are fantastic, and I loved the fact that there was a nice amount of variety when it came to them. Not to mention I’m a sucker for enemies that are deformed or plagued in some way. It’s why I love the Necromorphs so much from the Dead Space games.
The sound design is great; I love the audio of swords parrying off each other and the sound of the pistol when it fires. The voice acting is okay, but my favourite would have to be The Shrike, as Jennifer English provides her talent for this role. The atmosphere is what you’d expect from a plague swept world riddled with monstrous enemies. My PC was able to run Valor Mortis on high settings, and I believe that it shows off the talents that the artists over at One More Level have created.
As mentioned in the opening section, I was able to put a lot of hours into the game and not once did I come across any bugs or crashes. Though, that being said, is that a good thing, seeing as if you played it on release, it had issues that some consider game-breaking. It was interesting to see One More Level go for the FPP camera with a souls-like.
Though at times I did feel like I would have favoured a TPP, as when you encounter several enemies you only have vision in front of you and little indication on the screen when an attack is coming off camera. When you have a TPP, you can use the extra camera space to position better and see the incoming attacks, so there may have been several times where I panic-dodged way too much because I was scared of what attack was coming in from the right.
Strengths and weaknesses
Right, it’s time for the pros and cons. For me, there are only a small number of issues. These being the limitations of first-person melee combat: it is a cool feature, but when surrounded by multiple enemies or in cramped spaces, it becomes awkward to position yourself, so you aren’t getting dogpiled on. Then there is the limited number of weapons.
The combat works with the current three melee, three firearms and three abilities, but it would have been nice to see more variety. Then at times I feel like there is some uneven difficulty and frustrating level design, mainly in terms of the ambushes, traps and packing a lot of encounters in small places. Like, I did find navigating the levels difficult at times, like which way to go, but it wasn’t anything game-breaking, and sometimes I even stumbled across an item or two, so it was worth the exploration.
Then we move onto the positives, and trust me when I say there are more of these than there are cons. Firstly its setting and atmosphere, the combination of Napoleonic-era Europe entangled with a plague-ravaged world is a good selling point (well it was for me), then we have the satisfying parry-focused combat. There is nothing more amazing than getting the timing right and parrying incoming attacks to then be able to quickly counter or perform one of the many different types of execution moves that are so visually stunning.
I found the movement and traversal elements fun, and who doesn’t like swinging through the air and then running along walls. The interconnected world design allows for exploration and storytelling, which I love. Then we go on to the enemy designs; for me, these are incredible, and I really like what One More Level has done with the bosses and enemy types, even if at one point you are fighting a Sphinx in Egypt, but I digress.
The final verdict
Now time to wrap it up. Valor Mortis is a brilliant example of how to put a fresh spin on an established formula. The brutal combat, satisfying parry mechanics and atmosphere all come together to create an experience that feels distinctive and rewarding. It doesn’t go without saying that there are some negatives that prevent me from saying that this is the perfect experience, but these shortcomings never overshadow what the game does well (this is based on my time in the game).
I know that other people have outlined technical issues, but I’m not one of them. Ultimately, Valor Mortis is a fantastic soulslike action game that offers memorable moments that kept me invested from start to finish. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a challenging action game with its own identity, and for me Valor Mortis is it, and that’s why I’m giving it a well-deserved 9 out of 10.
Valor Mortis Trailer
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The game was provided to us for the express purpose of reviewing.
Reviewed and played on PS5 and PC.
Review Summary – Valor Mortis (PC)
Is Valor Mortis worth playing?
Yes. Valor Mortis is an excellent first-person soulslike action game featuring brutal combat, satisfying parries and a distinctive plague-ravaged 19th-century European setting. It successfully brings something fresh to the soulslike genre.
What type of game is Valor Mortis?
Valor Mortis is a first-person soulslike action game with Metroidvania-inspired exploration, melee combat, firearms, supernatural abilities and interconnected environments.
How difficult is Valor Mortis?
Valor Mortis offers a challenging experience built around enemy attack patterns, precise parrying, executions and careful resource management. Players will need to learn combat mechanics and expect to die along the way.
How does combat work in Valor Mortis?
Combat combines three melee weapons, three firearms and three supernatural abilities. Players can switch between their equipment on the fly, upgrade their weapons and abilities, and use perfectly timed parries to create opportunities for devastating executions.
Does Valor Mortis have exploration and puzzles?
Yes. Valor Mortis features interconnected environments, exploration, hidden items and puzzles. Movement abilities such as wall running, grappling and stasis also play an important role in navigating the world.
How good are the graphics and atmosphere in Valor Mortis?
The game features impressive visuals, excellent enemy designs and a distinctive alternate 19th-century European setting corrupted by supernatural plague. Its sound design also adds considerably to the atmosphere.
Does Valor Mortis run well on PC?
During this reviewer’s 20+ hours of gameplay on PC, Valor Mortis ran without encountering any bugs, crashes or PC resets. The reviewer played using high graphics settings, although launch-day technical issues had previously been reported by other players.
What are the biggest problems with Valor Mortis?
The first-person melee combat can become awkward in cramped spaces or when surrounded by multiple enemies. Weapon variety is also somewhat limited, while certain ambushes, traps and encounters can create frustrating difficulty spikes.
What is the best thing about Valor Mortis?
Its satisfying parry-focused combat, unique setting and excellent enemy designs stand out. The combination of first-person action, supernatural abilities and interconnected exploration gives the game its own identity.
What score does Valor Mortis receive?
Valor Mortis receives a 9/10. It is a fantastic soulslike experience that successfully puts a fresh spin on the genre, delivering memorable combat, impressive atmosphere and plenty of reasons to keep exploring.
