Valor Mortis Preview

Every so often, a game comes along that feels both familiar and yet completely fresh at the same time. Valor Mortis is one of those games. On paper, it's easy to slap the "Soulslike" label on it and move on. Dark atmosphere? Check. Brutal combat where a few hits can end you? Double-check. A mysterious story with mysterious world-building? Absolutely.

But the twist here is that it's all happening in Napoleonic-era France. It's this setting of history and horror that already cements Valor Mortis as a force to be reckoned with in the world of Soulslike. At Gamescom, Valor Mortis announced itself in style and very quickly stamped its authority amongst a lineup that included some serious blockbusters.

That should give you enough of an idea about the ambition of this game. One More Level: The devs have really upped their level for this one. Also, keep in mind, this is the same studio that came up with Ghostrunners 1 and 2, so there's all the more reason for excitement. A Soulslike burnout is imminent, given how widely followed the template has gotten.

After you've seen so many medieval castles, giant knights, and familiar "dodge-roll, parry, backstab" patterns, it's hard not to feel like you've played the same game a dozen times. But Valor Mortis has seemingly pulled the rabbit out of the hat to give you a fresh take on a genre that desperately needed a hard look in the mirror. Most of it is down to the first-person perspective they applied to the game, which we will get to in a minute.

But as for the setup, it is wild. You play as William, a soldier in Napoleon's army, smack in the middle of a war. Except something has gone horribly wrong. Everyone around you is dead, and their corpses aren't just lying there; rather, they rise from the dead to become zombies. You don't really know why, and William doesn't either. That's part of the appeal.

On top of that, you've somehow gained magical powers and the ability to revive after death. If it wasn't obvious, the game is heavily influenced by the Souls formula: you die, you return, and you collect your lost "souls." But calling it a copy-paste would be a disservice to the game. There's a weirdly compelling energy to mixing real-world history with this kind of supernatural horror.

And then there's Napoleon himself. Yeah, you actually hear his voice guiding you along the way. He'll drop lines about "leading you toward fertile lands" or reminding you of your duty to the empire. It's equal parts surreal and hilarious. It's still unclear what they are trying to achieve with this partnership, but I guess we will have to find out for ourselves once Valor Mortis drops. 

The biggest risk Valor Mortis takes is adopting a full first-person perspective for its combat. Soulslike combat relies so much on timing, spacing, and animation tells—things that third person naturally communicates well. But Valor Mortis will leave you questioning why such an idea was never thought of before.

Your basic weapon is a French sword—maybe a cutlass, maybe a rapier. It swings swiftly but firmly enough that every blow has purpose. Timing your blocks and parries feels crunchy in the best way possible. Landing a perfect parry stuns enemies and opens them up for a brutal finishing strike. Naturally, dodging is still a part of the plan for attacks that you are unable to parry.

The perspective shift makes combat feel more up close and personal. When an enemy lunges at you, it's right in your face, and pulling off a clutch parry feels extra satisfying. It's a Souls reimagined for a different perspective, and it works better than you'd anticipate. 

What's arguably even more impressive is the alternate weapon system. Beyond your trusty sword, you can equip secondary weapons that completely change how you approach fights. The pistol feels fantastic. It's slow, it's limited, and you don't get many bullets, but when you line up a shot on an enemy's weak point, the burst of damage does wonders. It's not something you can spam; it's a tactical tool that rewards patience.

Then there's the fire hand, which may give you BioShock vibes. Though it doesn't work as well as a rapid flamethrower spray, you can channel fire from your palm. You actually have to hold it on enemies long enough for them to fully ignite, which means using it comes with risk. It's great for crowd control—if you're brave enough to stand your ground, that is. That risk-reward ratio makes it even more enjoyable than it already is.

The developers also teased that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The weapon wheel preview also showed a glimpse of other options that weren't available in the demo. If the full game delivers on that variety, these alternate tools could be a huge part of what sets Valor Mortis apart from the sea of Soulslikes.

Of course, no Soulslike is complete without a punishing boss battle. The demo capped off with a showdown against a corrupted French general, and it was as ridiculous as it was challenging. Picture a hulking brute with three pistols strapped across his shoulder, blasting away between huge melee swings. He may look funny, but in combat, mind you, he is no joke.

One really clever system helps soften the grind, though. When you die to a boss, your collected souls (or essence, or whatever the game calls them) appear right outside the boss arena. That means you can immediately retrieve them and, if needed, go spend them to level up without slogging through earlier sections again.

Better yet, even if you only knock down a phase of the boss before dying, you still keep the souls you earned. That way, repeated attempts don't feel like a total waste of time. It's a small quality-of-life tweak, but one that many players will come to appreciate.

Valor Mortis managed to give new life to a genre that was sadly getting stale. The mix of Napoleonic history with Gothic horror is almost unheard of, but it works. The shift to first-person combat feels risky, but it pays off. And the addition of alternate weapons keeps fights from becoming routine.

Is it still very much a Soulslike? Absolutely. You'll still die a lot. You'll still have to learn enemy patterns, manage stamina, and resist the urge to get greedy in fights. But it's those little twists in alternate weapons and the apparition of Napoleon whispering in your ear that make the experience feel like its own thing.

Of course, this was just a slice of the full game. One boss, one hour, a handful of weapons, and a small chunk of the world were shown. The real question is whether Valor Mortis can sustain this freshness over an entire campaign. If the early signs are anything to go by, this is a game you will be left wanting to play more of, and that's the best compliment for any game out there.

Time will tell, though, if Valor Mortis delivers on its promise. But based on what we saw, there's real potential here. Soulslikes live and die by their combat feel and their atmosphere, and Valor Mortis nails both. The swordplay is crunchy, the world is eerie, and the tone is just the right mix of serious and surreal.

If you've been itching for something that feels familiar but isn't afraid to experiment, Valor Mortis may be right up your alley. It just might be the Napoleonic nightmare you didn't know you needed.