Valor Mortis review: An ambitious European spin on Souls-like

I’ve played my share of action-platforming Soulsborne and Souls-like games, and I generally enjoy it when they can bring a little something (or a lot of something) new to the table. In the case of Valor Mortis, which comes from the team that brought us Ghostrunner, I was a little tepid on how One More Level’s experience would transfer to a slower-paced Souls-like game. I was wrong to be. Not only does Valor Mortis take on a subject not often used to paint a dark fantasy picture of the Napoleonic Wars, but One More Level’s expertise in first-person combat and acrobatics shines through in a way that makes Valor Mortis feel unique and satisfying once you get the hang of it.

The Emperor’s undying ambition

Valor Mortis is set in an alternate history 19th Century in the nightmarish wake of one of the battles of the Napoleonic Wars. Players take on the role of a man named William, a soldier in Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grande Armée who was slain in battle only to find himself rising from his grave to a twisted European countryside afflicted with a plague that raises the dead and warps them into vicious monsters. With little memory of what happened, and only the ghostly whispers of Napoleon’s commands driving him forward, William discovers he can wield the power of this cursed energy and use it to fight back against the monsters.

With that, he resolves to go as far as he can to uncover the mysteries of the cursed plague that haunts him and his fallen comrades.

Having played Onimusha, Nioh, and a number of other action-RPGs that play with history and some of its most notable characters, I found Valor Mortis refreshingly novel. It also makes no qualms about digging into the dreary despair and tragedies that the Napoleonic Wars left in their wake. You continually wander filth-ridden battlefields, villages ravaged by conquest, the bloody remains of tactical camps and mining operations, and so much more in graphic and gruesome detail.

In all of that, the topic of Napoleon is never far away, whether it comes in undying reverence for a doomed cause, the fear and anxiousness in doubting him, or the sheer revulsion of his monstrous deeds, there is an appropriate mystique given to the man who made the mess William and everyone he meets find themselves in.

Of course, it blends all of that with the dark fantasy nature of the plague. As you venture deeper, relatively simple zombified soldiers warp into all sorts of body horror abominations that provide a variety of threats to your progress. The bosses are grotesque champions of this concept, and William himself collects powers that burrow into his being and pulse out of his arms like some of the grisliest of Bioshock’s similar Plasmid skills. Simply put, the level design, creatures, weapons, and effects are all visual icing on the cake of this faux-history European Souls-like.

The part that doesn’t quite hit as well for me is sound design. The dialogue is probably the most apparent because while the voice lines aren’t lacking for quality, they also feel weirdly paced, with lines sometimes running right into each other in odd ways. I wanted to change the language in hopes that another might match the pace better, but Valor Mortis doesn’t have any other audio languages besides English.

There also isn’t a lot of outstanding music here. I know that’s par for Souls-likes, but in this case, Valor Mortis mostly puts up droning background noise when an enemy is aggroed on you, and sometimes that can be distracting and confusing when you’re not sure what’s attacking you or from where (partially also a problem with how enemies aggro you, which I’ll address later).

Through fires and muck for glory

As mentioned prior, given that I mostly know One More Level from its work on the Ghostrunner series, I didn’t know how the studio’s skill would translate to a slower-paced Souls-like adventure. Turns out, it translates quite well. You start limited with just a sword and the ability to block, dodge, swing, do a heavy attack, and parry. But soon you get things like a pistol to counter distant attackers and destroy weak points on enemies, a flame-throwing magic to torch your foes, an energy tether to grab onto anchors and whip yourself up for a plunging blow, and more, including unique firearms, melee weapons, and powers.

Valor Mortis is crazy tough at times. You get so many tools, but using them inappropriately against strong enemies or a pack will get you killed fast. Enemies don’t take turns fighting you in this game, they’ll rush you all at once and cut you down if you’re not careful.

If you try to brute force many of them, they’ll block and then counter you. Meanwhile, most enemies with a projectile are snipers once they notice you. It’s easy to take cheap deaths simply from taking a few too many stray bullets or bombs from an enemy about an Olympic pool’s length out.

Don’t get me wrong, I like a challenge, but Valor Mortis punishes swiftly for not always being aware of all things and strategizing appropriately.

It’s not even that enemies always act smartly. They just aggro and stay aggroed beyond reason. I had a bomb-chucking monster literally stay locked on me from behind a gate and wall, and instead of leaving me alone, they throw bombs at the wall in front of them until they died. Funny, but not particularly inspiring.

That certainly doesn’t keep the game from having exhilarating battles. Parrying an enemy or dodging a big attack to deliver a crushing blow or any number of intensely satisfying finishers feels earned and good. You also escalate along with the threats your enemies provide as you go through Valor Mortis.

Catalysts are the soul currency of this game, and you use them alongside scavenged parts and resources to upgrade William’s level, a healing flask, and his weapons and powers. The weapons and magic have different tiers where they’ll get upgrades like the pistol granting a stack every time you shoot an enemy, which you can then cash out with a melee attack for bonus damage. It also has a skill tree where you can increase character stats like stamina, health, and unique effects like being able to slow time when aiming a gun in mid-air.

Valor Mortis has a lot of ways to allow players to improve in directions that suit them.

Where I felt Valor Mortis cooks best is when One More Level takes its previous experience and mixes its weapons and powers together with good platforming inside and outside of battle. Oh, you might not suspect as a French 19th Century soldier that you would do wall-running. Guess again, and while that might sound silly, it’s some of the most fun I had with the game.

There are stretches where you’ll run and jump between crumbling ledges, dodging falling hazards or projectiles, and whipping between tether anchors, finishing the whole sequence by plunging into an unsuspecting foe on the other side of the chasm. You’ll also find plenty of environmental fun in arenas, with anchors letting you whip to the other side or drop down on a foe, explosive barrels and oil lanterns waiting to be shot, and hanging crates waiting to be dislodged and dropped on unsuspecting heads. I really liked how much of Ghostrunner I could feel in the moment-to-moment gameplay.

Your sword and soul for the Empire

As unforgiving as Valor Mortis can be, it doesn’t forget the fun between the frustration. I had many times where I feel it was a bit much, but for every one of those, there were about three more “okay that’s cool” moments I could bring to mind. It starts by being a sturdy Souls-like in an interesting setting, but it goes nuts by letting that play a bit like Ghostrunner sometimes, with responsive movement, platforming, and combat.

It doesn’t always strike true. The dialogue pacing is erratic, and some enemy behaviors are unfair when they’re not outright silly, but the frustrations often gave way to a smartly designed and tragic world with enjoyable tools for romping and fighting your way through it. I wouldn’t mind in the slightest if One More Level explored other famous European eras and legends this way.

This review is based on an early PC copy provided by the publisher. Valor Mortis comes out on October 13, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.