Valor Mortis preview — Vive la death

I've played through more soulslikes than I care to admit, and most of them blend together after a while. Same stamina management, dodge rolls, and checkpoint systems dressed up in different medieval settings. So when One More Level, the studio behind Ghostrunner, announced they were making a first-person soulslike set during the Napoleonic Wars, I was skeptical. Another studio chasing the Dark Souls formula in an oversaturated market? But after spending 30-45 minutes with the pre-alpha playtest, I'm intrigued.

Valor Mortis puts you in the boots of William, a soldier of Napoleon's Grande Armée who died on the battlefield and has been mysteriously resurrected. A supernatural plague has ravaged the Europe you wake up to, and you're infected with the very corruption that's destroyed the world around you.

The game maintains a steady pace through flashbacks rather than sprawling exploration. So expect a linear approach that delivers a tighter experience. Mysterious characters point you toward old comrades for answers, only for you to discover they've been transformed into plague-ridden monsters. It's clear that One More Level has a higher production budget this time, allowing them to prioritize some narrative depth.

This is a first-person soulslike that combines Ghostrunner's fast-paced action with methodical, punishing combat. Your right hand wields a sword for light and heavy attacks, while your left hand switches between a pistol and fire magic. The pistol excels at targeting enemy weak points, while fire magic builds massive damage over time. You'll need all three working together to survive.

Combat flows around dashing in, swinging your sword, parrying enemy attacks, or dashing back out when things get heated. The parry system turns every encounter into a series of clutch moments, rather than a button-mashing fest. Movement uses a quick dash gated by stamina rather than traditional dodge rolls. There are also parkour and traversal moments between fights that are filled with environments where horror, supernatural forces, and war collide.

The preview playtest includes ten character levels and the first section of William's upgrade tree, letting you improve core stats like health and parry capabilities. Visions of fallen soldiers scattered throughout the world serve as collectibles that teach you more about what happened to Europe.

You collect experience from enemies and use lanterns as both upgrade stations and respawn points. Limited healing potions replenish at these lanterns, and you'll drop all of your experience when you die. The formula is familiar if you’ve played any Souls game before.

Performance and optimization aren't great right now. The game crashed on me twice during my playthrough, and frame rate drops with constant stuttering made combat more frustrating than necessary. The first-person perspective, while unique for the genre, also made me dizzy during extended play sessions. Camera clipping during death animations, unfinalized enemy animations, and controls stopping after returning to the main menu are other issues I encountered. These are understandable for pre-alpha, but they definitely impact the experience.

The keyboard bindings feel particularly awkward, with Ctrl assigned to parry and Alt to dodge. These aren't natural positions for the fast reactions soulslike combat demands. A controller would be better instead, which should feel much more intuitive for this type of game.

The aesthetics blend realistic, grimy European battlefields with a dark aura. The Napoleonic setting is underused in games, and the fact that it is corrupted by supernatural plague creates an identity that stands out. The first-person perspective makes combat more immersive, letting you read telegraphed attacks and react immediately.

Valor Mortis could be a sleeper hit if One More Level maintains this trajectory. The soulslike market is saturated, but this game can stand out if done right. The combination of Napoleonic setting, first-person combat, and smooth movement could revitalize a genre in need of new approaches. If you're burnt out and want fresh ideas, keep Valor Mortis on your radar.

Valor Mortis is planned for release on PC, Xbox Series S and X, and PlayStation 5 sometime in 2026.