Valor Mortis Review — Is This First-Person Soulslike Worth Playing in 2026?

TL;DR

• Valor Mortis is a first-person soulslike from One More Level — the studio behind Ghostrunner.
• Set in a dark alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars with monsters, plague, and supernatural powers.
• You play as William, a dead soldier brought back to life through a mysterious substance called Nephtoglobin.
• Combat blends parrying, melee, flintlock shooting, and magic — all from a first-person view.
• Around 20 hours long. Priced at $39.99. Available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
• Day-one on Xbox Game Pass. Story DLC confirmed for 2027.
• Verdict: Unique, satisfying, and worth buying — especially at that price.

Let’s be honest. The soulslike genre is not short on entries in 2026. Every few months another studio slaps the label on their game and hopes people bite. So when a studio with real pedigree — the same team that made Ghostrunner — announces a first-person soulslike set during a supernatural version of the Napoleonic Wars, you pay attention.

And Valor Mortis deserves your attention. Not because it reinvents the wheel. But because it spins it differently — and that matters more than it sounds.

What Is Valor Mortis?

Valor Mortis is a first-person action soulslike developed by One More Level, the Polish studio known for the Ghostrunner series, and published by Lyrical Games. It launched on October 13, 2026, on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

You can grab it on Steam, the PlayStation Store, and the Xbox store — or you can check out the official Valor Mortis website for more details.

The game is built in Unreal Engine 5 and described by the studio as their most ambitious project to date. CEO Szymon Bryla called it the “Magnum Opus” of One More Level — which is a bold claim, but not an unreasonable one once you spend time with it.

The Story: Napoleonic Horror Done Right

You are William, a soldier of Napoleon’s Grande Armée. You died on the battlefield. And then you woke up.

The Europe you return to is not the one you fought for. A plague is spreading. A mysterious substance called Nephtoglobin has granted you supernatural powers — but the same substance has turned your former allies into grotesque monsters. Napoleon’s Eternal Guard hunts you. Infected soldiers block your path. And somewhere underneath it all, a conspiracy threatens humanity itself.

It is set in 1815, in an alternate history where Napoleon won at Waterloo. That single premise change unlocks a world of horror, corruption, and dark mysticism that most action games never bother to explore.

The story won’t blow your mind. Supporting characters leave little lasting impression, and some reviewers have called the narrative frustratingly straightforward. But the setting is genuinely fresh. Napoleonic Europe as the backdrop for a soulslike — with flintlock pistols, cavalry sabres, plague-ridden soldiers, and a sentient windmill as a boss fight — is something you have not seen before.

Valor Mortis Featured

Valor Mortis Gameplay: First-Person Soulslike Combat Explained

This is where Valor Mortis earns its reputation.

The combat system blends three things: melee attacks, ranged combat (flintlock pistols and muskets), and supernatural transmutations (magic abilities powered by Nephtoglobin). You can move between all three fluidly, switching from a sabre strike to a pistol shot to a spectral ability in seconds.

But the real heart of Valor Mortis is the parry system. This game demands precise parrying from the very first enemy you meet. Standard enemies take multiple successful parries to break their guard. Miss the window and they punish you hard. Get it right and combat feels like sword tennis played at razor-sharp speed.

The first-person perspective makes every exchange feel more intense and immediate. You cannot see behind you. You cannot watch your character from a safe distance. Enemies fill your screen. An attack comes at your face. That shift in perspective is not a gimmick — it changes how fights feel at a fundamental level.

One More Level spent significant time tuning the parry window specifically for first-person play. That work shows. The game also includes a lock-on system via right stick click, which helps when multiple enemies are involved.

Weapons and Abilities in Valor Mortis

The weapon variety is deliberately focused. You will not be drowning in build choices the way you might in Elden Ring. Valor Mortis avoids the number-crunching RPG stat bloat and instead gives you a small but versatile arsenal — sabres, pistols, and supernatural powers — and asks you to master each of them.

Levelling up gives passive bonuses and direct buffs rather than traditional RPG stats. It is a smart design decision. It keeps the focus on skill and execution rather than grinding numbers.

Exploration and World Design

Valor Mortis takes inspiration from Metroidvania design for its level structure. There is no world map — the game encourages you to explore and find your own way through war-torn France. Secrets, upgrades, and lore fragments are hidden in difficult-to-reach corners of the environment.

Checkpoints are frequent. You can pause the game. Heals are restored at every checkpoint and can be upgraded in both quantity and healing amount. These quality-of-life decisions make the game more accessible than most soulslikes without removing its challenge.

There are no punishing runbacks to bosses — a common frustration in the genre that One More Level has wisely cut. The result is a soulslike that feels hard without feeling cruel.

What Works Well in Valor Mortis

• First-person perspective — Genuinely changes how combat feels. More visceral, more immediate, more tense.
• Parry-based combat — Satisfying to learn, rewarding to master.
• The Napoleonic setting — Unique, atmospheric, and doing real creative work in the game world.
• Focused gameplay loop — No RPG bloat. Just tight, confident mechanics.
• Player-friendly soulslike design — No runbacks, a pause function, clear tutorials, frequent checkpoints.
• Mouse and keyboard support — Unusually, this game actually feels better on PC with a mouse and keyboard than a controller, thanks to its first-person accuracy requirements.
• Visual design — Built on Unreal Engine 5, the world looks cold, grim, and beautiful in equal measure.

What Could Be Better

• Difficulty balance — Some bosses, especially chapter-ending encounters, have uneven difficulty spikes that feel out of step with the rest of the game.
• First-person limitations — You cannot see what is behind you. Some enemy encounters design around this well; others feel unfair because of it.
• Story depth — The supporting cast does not leave a lasting impression, and the narrative is fairly linear for how rich the setting is.
• Superfluous mechanics in the second half — Some reviews noted that the game adds elements in its later sections that detract from the focused combat that makes the first half shine.

Valor Mortis Price, Editions, and Platforms

This is one of the more interesting stories around Valor Mortis. The game is priced at $39.99 for the Standard Edition — roughly $30 below what a AAA release would cost. The developers made this decision deliberately, acknowledging the brutally crowded game release schedule of late 2026 and positioning Valor Mortis as something players could add to their list alongside a bigger release, not instead of one.

The Deluxe Edition is $59.99 and includes the base game, a weapon skins collection, and access to a major Story DLC releasing in 2027 that will expand the Valor Mortis world with a new narrative.

Free content updates for the base game are also confirmed for the weeks and months following launch.

For platform availability:

• PC — Available on Steam
• PlayStation 5 — Available on the PlayStation Store, with a 90-minute PS Plus trial available at launch (progress carries over if you buy)
• Xbox Series X|S — Available on the Xbox store, and a day-one Xbox Game Pass Ultimate title

If you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, this is a straightforward download. For PS5 players, the 90-minute trial is a generous way to test whether the first-person combat clicks for you before committing.

How Long Is Valor Mortis?

One More Level has confirmed the main campaign takes around 20 hours to complete. That is a solid runtime for a soulslike at this price point. Completionists exploring every corner of the game’s Metroidvania-style world will spend more time on top of that.

Story DLC has already been confirmed for 2027, so total hours will grow beyond the base game after launch.

How Does Valor Mortis Compare to Other Soulslikes?

If you have played Lies of P, you will find some DNA overlap — the tight parry focus, the linear-leaning structure, the character who exists between human and something else. Game Rant called Valor Mortis a “stunning lovechild of Lies of P and BioShock,” and that is a fair description.

The biggest difference is the perspective. Most soulslikes — Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Lies of P, Bloodborne — are third-person. Valor Mortis is the only major first-person soulslike to land in this space with genuine craft behind it. The comparison to BioShock comes from the atmosphere, the setting, and the first-person supernatural combat blending into something that feels more immersive than standard genre entries.

For a deeper dive into the game’s launch, check out our Valor Mortis release date and launch details piece.

Is Valor Mortis Worth Buying?

Yes — especially at $39.99.

If you enjoy soulslikes and want something that feels different without abandoning what makes the genre work, Valor Mortis is a smart pick. The first-person perspective is not a trick. The Napoleonic setting is not window dressing. The parry-focused combat is genuinely satisfying to learn. And at a price point that respects your wallet, the value case is strong.

If you are on Xbox Game Pass, there is almost no reason not to try it. If you are on PS5, use the 90-minute trial to see whether first-person soulslike combat is your thing — some people love it, some find the camera limiting.

It is not a perfect game. The difficulty spikes in places it should not. Some mechanics in the second half feel unnecessary. The story leaves room for more. But the bones are excellent, the DNA is clear, and One More Level has made something worth playing.

Visit the official Valor Mortis website or pick it up on Steam, PlayStation Store, or the Xbox store.

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