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Valor Mortis has a genuinely unusual hook: it puts Soulslike melee combat in first person, inside an alternate Napoleonic Europe overrun by plague and supernatural forces. That makes it a promising change of perspective, not yet a proven genre landmark. The available criticism is based on a preview build, and the game was scheduled to launch on October 13, 2026—so this is a pre-launch assessment, not a review based on completing the released game.
Is Valor Mortis actually refreshing?
It is refreshing in concept. Developed by One More Level, the studio behind Ghostrunner, and published by Lyrical Games and One More Level, Valor Mortis is billed as a “first-person action soulslike.” Its player character, William, is a former soldier of Napoleon’s army who rises from death in a corrupted 19th-century Europe. The premise combines alternate history, plague horror, mutated soldiers and a supernatural conspiracy. Steam’s description establishes the game’s official framing; it is not independent evidence of how well the full experience works.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Valor Mortis - PlayStation 5 | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Gran Turismo 7 PS5 | $46.50 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Horror Tales: The Wine (PS5) | $28.37 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Scars Above, 1 PS5-Blu-Ray-Disc | $29.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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DEATHLOOP - PS5 | $10.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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The strongest reason to pay attention is the perspective. One More Level brand manager Michał Azarewicz told VGTimes that “the main difference between Valor Mortis and others is that you play in the first person, not in the third, as in most games in the souls-like genre.” First person could make close-range attacks feel more immediate and force players to track threats more carefully. It also raises a practical test: whether enemy animations and attack timing remain readable when the camera is close to the action. Novelty alone cannot answer that.
The alternate-history setting gives the premise a more specific identity than a generic medieval fantasy. In a gamescom 2026 interview, Azarewicz described a fictional Europe in which Napoleon won at Waterloo and secured power through a supernatural force. William, an English soldier in Napoleon’s International Legion, dies and wakes amid plague and mutated soldiers. This is the developers’ fictional setup, not a claim about real history.
#1 Best Overall
- HARNESS CORRUPTED POWER - Each death is a chance to grow stronger. Master a combat system of parries, dashes, and visceral finishers across a variety of weapons. Channel your power to enhance attacks and unlock new supernatural abilities to inflict upon your enemies.
- SECRETS LITTER THE BATTLEFIELD - Navigate a 19th-century alternate history where the costs of endless war have corrupted the landscape. Use your newfound mobility to outmaneuver the plague-ridden abominations of Napoleon’s Eternal Guard and uncover environmental secrets that may increase your chances of survival.
- UNCOVER A HORRID CONSPIRACY - Witness a compelling story where historical figures and realities intertwine with elements of horror and the supernatural. Explore beyond the dark corners of the world to discover the truth behind the plague and your unholy resurrection.
How does first-person Soulslike combat work?
The announced combat combines familiar stamina pressure with melee weapons, firearms and supernatural abilities. Lyrical Games’ September 30 gameplay overview describes light and heavy attacks, parries and counterattacks. It names a slow, heavy Claymore and a longer-range Musket, alongside William’s pistol, and says choosing weapons to suit enemies rewards a considered approach.
- Stamina and timing: Attacks and defense are meant to be managed rather than used without restraint; the studio also described stamina recovery in its interview.
- Weapon choice: The Claymore and Musket suggest different approaches to reach and attack speed, while the pistol adds a firearm to the mix. The announcements do not establish how these options balance in the released game.
- Transmutations: These supernatural left-hand abilities are described as tools for damage, defense, buffs, debuffs and traversal. Fire burns enemies; Shield absorbs damage before releasing a shockwave; Grapple uses points in the environment.
This combination may make the first-person perspective matter mechanically rather than cosmetically: players must judge melee range, manage stamina and decide when to use a firearm or supernatural ability. But the actual balance between those tools—and the clarity of combat in hectic encounters—needs hands-on assessment of the launched game.
Rank #2
- 1183237
What are the death and progression systems?
Valor Mortis uses recognizable Soulslike progression systems, with named resources that should not be conflated. According to the publisher’s gameplay overview, Catalysts can be spent at Lanterns to improve health, stamina and parry, and are left at the location where William dies. Ambers are equipped at Lanterns to customize a build. The developer separately described Lantern-like checkpoints and resources to recover at the death site, but did not identify those resources in the interview as interchangeable with both named systems.
The launch announcement also promises dual-wielding Napoleonic weapons, including rapiers and flintlock pistols, as well as Metroidvania-style exploration, movement for outmaneuvering enemies and environmental secrets. These are announced features, not independently verified descriptions of the final implementation. The available material does not establish how interconnected the levels are or how much build flexibility the complete game offers.
Rank #3
- Mediterranean Horror: Explore the forsaken capital of an awe-inspiring archipelago. Do not let yourself be fooled by the gentle sea breeze, the Mediterranean vistas or the comforting summer sun. Since the Devil's Fevers pandemic ravaged the city, it was abandoned, and now only horrific nightmares await there.
- Survive your Nemesis: Someone is relentlessly hunting you. Suffer and agonize while you try to run away from the encounters with this strange stalker obsessed with you.
- Intense Challenges: Solve environmental riddles, physics puzzles and other similar challenges in an interconnected vertical world. Even while being chased and hunted.
- Accessibility and Photomode: Tweak more than 20 Accessibility settings to create a tailored experience for you. Use the Photomode to make perfect shots and unlock many secrets using it.
Is Valor Mortis too difficult?
The most concrete criticism comes from a preview, not a post-launch review. Game Informer’s September 21, 2026 preview reports that its writer spent more than 15 hours with a preview build across the first four chapters. The writer found that first-person action translated surprisingly well to slower, deliberate Soulslike play, but criticized uneven difficulty and frustrating chapter-ending boss fights.
That is a meaningful warning for players who value consistent challenge, but its scope matters: it reflects one writer’s experience with a preview build and the first four chapters. It does not establish that the full release has the same balance, that every boss is frustrating, or that difficulty is uniform across platforms. Until full-game assessments are available, the fair conclusion is that difficulty consistency is a known question, not a settled verdict.
Rank #4
- Tauche in ein ausgeklügeltes Abenteuer ein, das von Klassikern der Science-Fiction inspiriert wurde
- Setze eine Kombination aus Fernkampfwaffen, Gerätschaften, Verbrauchsgegenständen und Nahkampf ein
- Schalte mit dem gesammelten Wissen neue Gerätschaften, Waffen und Fähigkeiten frei
- Aufregende Bosskämpfe: Grauen erregende Gegner, die nach vielseitigen Strategien und Taktiken verlangen
When does Valor Mortis launch, and where can you play it?
Lyrical Games’ October 9 launch announcement scheduled Valor Mortis for October 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass and Steam. The announcement listed these prices and editions:
Recommended Free Tools
| Edition | Announced price | Announced contents |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $39.99 / €39.99 / 149.99 zł | Base game |
| Deluxe | $59.99 / €59.99 / 199.99 zł | Base game, cosmetic packs and a major story DLC planned for 2027 |
These are publisher-announced prices, not a guarantee of current storefront pricing in every region. The story DLC is planned rather than released. The publisher also announced New Game+ for Q4 2026 and multiple free updates for the weeks and months after launch; those are plans, not confirmation that the features or updates have arrived. Steam showed the game as unavailable when checked on October 12, before the scheduled unlock. Availability and current edition details should be checked on the relevant live storefront.
Best Value
- Value for money
- Good product with exc\
- Perfect puzzling: Puzzles slowly increase in complexity enabling seamless progression and rewarding exploration.
What this review can—and cannot—establish
As of the October 12, 2026 research date, there was no post-launch review aggregate, full-game independent assessment, verified launch-day performance result or confirmed patch status in the sources available. That means no reliable verdict can yet be made about performance, controls or combat balance on PS5, Xbox Series X|S or PC. It would also be premature to treat the preview’s difficulty criticism as a settled launch consensus.
The grounded case for Valor Mortis is its distinctive premise and a combat design that combines first-person melee with stamina management, firearms and supernatural powers. The grounded reservation is that its most important execution questions—readability, difficulty consistency, exploration and platform performance—remain open. For players drawn to the perspective and setting, it is one to investigate at launch; players seeking a confirmed full-game verdict should wait for release-based assessments.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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