Not many games can follow in the footsteps of Soulsborne titles with an exciting spin on the combat flow, and even fewer can do so while being accompanied by a beautiful, war-torn setting that’s rooted in the history of 19th-century Europe. Yet, this is exactly what Valor Mortis does. Created by Polish studio One More Level, the same developers behind Ghostrunner and Ghostrunner 2, Valor Mortis is a Steam Soulslike game where you combine exciting supernatural powers with the typical arsenal of 19th-century soldiers, like swords and bayonets.
Although Valor Mortis is not a free Steam game, you can wishlist it now ahead of its 2026 release. Napoleonic France takes a weird turn in Valor Mortis, as it’s an alternate-version of real-world history, and it features magic combined with guns, horrific monsters that could very well come from Resident Evil or Bloodborne.
Valor Mortis Feature List
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First-person Soulslike combat
- Parry, Dodge, Block, Stamina, Telegraphed Attacks, Timing, Finishers, Healing Flasks
- An explorable world with secrets to uncover as you unlock more powers
- Environmental storytelling and memories to find to piece together the conspiracy of Napoleon’s Grand Armee
- Punishing boss encounters
- Lanterns that act as checkpoints, like Bonfires/Sites of Lost Grace
- RPG features (Character progression, permanent power-ups that improve the main character in various ways, acquiring loot, upgrades with positive and negative modifiers)
- Mobility (Keeps some parkour elements from Ghostrunner games)
Valor Mortis Meets Elden Ring, Dark Souls
How Valor Mortis Challenges The Status Quo of Soulslikes
In an ambitious project that combines first-person combat with classic Soulslike mechanics, Valor Mortis aims to be an unforgiving game that rewards players for mastering its gameplay loop and learning enemy patterns to prevent damage. With multiple Soulslike elements in its formula, Valor Mortis is not a game for everyone and proudly so. The first-person spin on Soulslike combat in Valor Mortis is the game’s ace up its sleeve, but it could also be a pain point if not done properly.
Valor Mortis’ Ace Up Its Sleeve Can Make it or Break it
This is because many believe that first-person melee and Soulslike don’t match well together for several reasons.
- First-person combat reduces spatial awareness, which can become very frustrating very quickly in an already punishing game.
- First-person melee combat may lead to fewer enemy variations, even with ranged weapons included in the mix.
- Camera settings in first-person games can be more limited, which can be a problem in challenging Soulslikes.
- Weapon impact (or lack thereof) can make or break immersion and flow in first-person melee combat.
- Level design can have a significant influence on how well a first-person Soulslike plays out.
Valor Mortis Meets Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
How Valor Mortis’ Historical Setting Takes The Best of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Creepy Soulslikes
TGA GOTY-nominated Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 didn’t win any of the awards it was selected for, much to the disappointment of its fans. However, it remains one of the best RPGs of 2025 by a huge margin, and that’s thanks to its focus on ways to customize the first-person combat experience, a bigger focus on dialogue skills and crafting than its predecessor, quests involving consequences for the in-game world, and a rich open world. Valor Mortis takes some of these features and mixes them with another of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s secret ingredients: a historical setting done right.
Valor Mortis is a game set in 19th-century Europe, but it spins things entirely differently from other games that share the same time period. In this case, Napoleon Bonaparte is reigning supreme as the emperor in an alternate-history version of Europe in the 1800s, mixing it with supernatural abilities that consume one of the game’s resources—Nepthoglobin. This can be extracted by shooting enemies’ weak points and resting at Lanterns, creating another layer of storytelling in a rather creepy world where zombies and mutants wear historical uniforms from the Napoleonic era, and where it’s hard to tell friend from foe.
Do expect more foes and fewer friends, though. Valor Mortis is not your typical ripping-off-the-formula disappointing Soulslike game that tries to emulate the success of Dark Souls without the sauce that makes it great, and its setting is proof of that. Whether it will live up to the promise of an unforgiving first-person Soulslike that rewards skillful play remains to be seen. However, if its playtest is any indication, it has the potential of reaching the top wishlist spots on Steam.
- Released
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February 4, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
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Warhorse Studios
