After focusing on the Ghostrunner games for the last few years, One More Level has decided to take a different route for its next title, Valor Mortis. Although it may look like a clear departure from previous projects, the studio takes on the soulslike genre and applies its learnings from the first-person action franchise.
I had the chance to try it for a few days before its release and, as someone who hasn't played many soulslike games before, I was intrigued to see what it's about and what kind of soulslike I would encounter.
Before continuing, be aware that this review doesn't contain spoilers besides the details that are already out there, so you can read safely without worrying about finding out any important plot points.
The game takes place in the early 19th century, during the Napoleonic era. This immediately comes off as an interesting backdrop, since it presents us with an alternative timeline where the French army doesn't have to fight against other European coalitions.
Instead, the surviving French soldiers have to square up against other people infected with Nephtoglobin, which is referred to as "The Crimson Plague" and mutates humans into weird zombie-like creatures. At its core, this might sound similar to Bloodborne, as the FromSoftware title takes place in a Gothic-style European city where its inhabitants are infected with a blood-borne disease also referred to as a plague. Mortis presents a unique setting by combining elements from the post-French Revolution era with the chaos of a Zombie-style apocalypse, environmental mutations caused by the parasitic plague resulting in interesting level designs, and even some magic elements.
This is a linear game, true and true, so don't expect an experience similar to Elden Ring. Despite that, I really like that the game takes us across multiple areas, each offering a different sight to avoid repetitiveness and keep the experience engaging. Just to name a few, the mountains have a scenic background, the caves/mine felt claustrophobic, and the small villages give a sense of the post-apocalyptic backdrop. If anything, I would've liked to have more urban locations to showcase cities, as those can provide interesting world designs more often than not.
The one place players need to visit multiple times in their runs is the church/operations base, where you can upgrade weapons, transmutations, etc. I don't mind this since you can get back to it by simply fast travelling from any lamp, meaning it's easy to access, and I appreciate having an in-game hub.
In terms of progression, the time and effort it took me to get through each area felt right, with none of them dragging it too far.
I was afraid of getting stuck too long in a level, because that would have inevitably bored me and prevented me from enjoying the title. It looked like it was going to be the case at the start, because my fights were taking quite a bit of time and my progression was feeling slow. But as soon as I started getting the hang of things, especially the fighting mechanics, my time spent taking out NPCs reduced, and my pace was significantly better.
Of course, it helped that each area constantly provided shorter paths to progress, thanks to the game's Metroidvania-style design, and that I skipped a few enemy NPCs. I'm glad the game doesn't require you to clear an area before you can progress, making it easier for us soulslike noobs.
Valor Mortis' story starts really slow. This might make it harder for some people to get engaged at the beginning. It prioritizes other things, like addressing what's happening, explaining basic mechanics, and giving us a look at William's (the protagonist) internal thoughts before moving on to other aspects.
However, the game starts to shine when the story goes into full gear. As more lore is dropped, it picks up momentum, and everything becomes really intriguing. The story is definitely one of the title's strongest aspects, as it does a good job of keeping the player interested.
Choosing the Napoleonic era was the right call because it allowed the devs to use one of history's most recognizable figures (Napoleon). William hears Napoleon in his head on multiple occasions, and since his lines don't reveal anything concrete, I was constantly wondering about his role in the story. The intrigue was there, and I even came up with a few theories.
The Nephtoglobin is another factor running through my mind because I wanted to get to the bottom of it. When the character Louis Moreau shows up, you can instantly see that he is determined to discover everything about it, and that got me like, "Yes, tell me everything you know."
Another character I wanted to see was The Shrike, voiced by Jennifer English. Casting her in the game was definitely a top choice, especially coming off her award-winning role as Maelle in Expedition 33, since she provides a standout performance.
It's definitely a positive thing when a game constantly has you guessing about the overall plot or a character's involvement, keeping the player on their toes.
Now we get down to the nitty-gritty of the gameplay. The game has the DNA of a soulslike, presenting players with multiple elements of the genre, such as bonfire-esque lamps that act as save points, parry mechanics, stamina management, animation priority, and dodging.
The game combines all those elements with a first-person perspective, and it works seamlessly. This is One More Level's original take on the genre, which is only natural given their experience from the Ghostrunner games.
In practice, I never felt that the two game ideologies clashed. The first-person view makes fights fun, as you have to watch where the enemies are and react accordingly, while the pace provides enough action and intensity.
Difficulty is a big part of a soulslike title, and I'm sure many would like to know how hard Valor Mortis is. Although I spent the first part of the campaign getting used to the mechanics and dying a few times, the overall experience didn't feel punishingly difficult. I would say its difficulty is either in the middle or slightly above the middle range. This provides a perfect challenge for those players who don't frequently play hard titles, but it might be a dealbreaker for the soulslike fanbase looking for a greater test.
As a reference, I had a bit of trouble with one miniboss in particular that usually guards ambers, but I was able to defeat one of the main bosses without dying on my first try. Another main boss only required me to watch its moves once, and defeating it turned out to be straightforward since the timings were easy to learn.
The game features platforming in most areas, with parkour sections that sometimes require solving simple environmental puzzles, and lots of verticality. It's fun to traverse these in first-person, but what keeps it entertaining is that the parkour/platforming evolves as the game goes on. William gets special abilities from corpses he encounters on his journey, granting him fire powers, a stasis power that can freeze enemies and certain gears, a grapple ability, and more. Although most can be used in combat, every ability creates new possibilities to interact with the environment and prevents the traversing from becoming stagnant.
As I discovered new abilities, I was enjoying the parkour sections more. One highlight for me was in the cave area before reaching the salt mines, where I had to grapple to do a big jump, go through a series of collapsing rock ledges, and then finish the sequence with a little wallrunning. Granted, I passed it on the third try, but it was fun nonetheless.
The weapon pool is not as extensive, featuring a mix of period-accurate flintlocks, like the pistol or blunderbuss, and sabres. Although the firearms are very useful, especially when facing bosses or tough enemy NPCs, the game makes sure you never leave your sabre behind. Swords are always the primary weapon, but having special abilities and weapons offers several options to take down an enemy.
One thing I need to point out is that the game is not designed, or at least it doesn't feel like it, for repeatability. This is due to multiple factors not presenting an alternate or different enough path to justify a second run.
The skill tree is the first culprit here. The game has a small skill tree with 26 buffs or enhancements that can be leveled up to four times, but there is not much room for variation. Some are essential, as they upgrade health or the stamina bar, but others are skippable, meaning there is a specific way to get the best upgrades. Sure, players can choose not to pick those upgrades and prioritize others, but the possibilities are not that extensive.
Then we have the ambers, which are modifiers that can alter certain mechanics or add unique gameplay twists. I appreciate this because without them, the tree would look a little bare-bones. The same thing happens with weapons or Transmutations (William's supernatural abilities), since the upgrade path is mostly linear. If you are someone who enjoys a game that can be replayed with different builds, this one might just fall short.
All in all, Valor Mortis shines once the story takes off and works well with its first-person action and the signature soulslike mechanics. I enjoyed the level design because it uses the protagonist's special abilities to reinvent the platforming and keep things fresh, at least on the first run. The linear world design keeps things simple, and the Metroidvania-style exploration prevents any fatigue. It's such a shame the game's replayability is not the best thing. With that in mind and knowing it's not a difficult title, I assume the game was designed with the casual player who enjoys a good story front and center.
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