Valor Mortis Hands-On: Fast First-Person Soulslike From Ghostrunner Creators

Valor Mortis sits in an unusual niche: a first-person action RPG that openly borrows from Dark Souls while chasing the speed of Ghostrunner. Developed by One More Level, the project debuted at Gamescom's Opening Night Live, and its hands-on preview revealed a combat system built around deliberate aggression rather than cautious circling.

The story begins on a plague-stricken battlefield left behind by the Napoleonic Wars. Players control an undead soldier who once served Napoleon Bonaparte, resurrected long after death and dropped into a landscape where infection has twisted bodies, terrain, and memory. Rather than explaining events directly, Valor Mortis leans into environmental storytelling. Echoes of the past replay moments from specific locations, and cryptic characters offer only vague direction. One such figure points the protagonist toward an old captain, but the path to that meeting is laden with hostile creatures and unanswered questions.

🕯️ A Hostile World With Cryptic Clues

The setting feels comparatively grounded for a Soulslike, though the alternate-history angle gives the artist room for grotesque invention. Fleshy plague sacs, malformed soldiers, and decaying fortifications define much of the visual tone. Level designer Łukasz Wabik noted that a larger production budget meant narrative depth could become a priority rather than an afterthought. That shift shows in the quiet moments between fights, where objects and ghostly replays hint at what happened to the world.

⚔️ Combat Is Built Around Two Hands and Quick Feet

Valor Mortis does not ask players to hide behind a shield. The protagonist keeps a sword in one hand and either a pistol or magic in the other. The setup evokes Dishonored or Bloodborne, but the pacing is far more aggressive. A lightweight dodge move creates space or closes distance quickly, and its stamina cost prevents it from becoming a panic button.

Parrying is central to survival. A normal melee encounter involves dashing forward, landing a few sword strikes, and then reading the opponent's next swing. Successful parries open brief windows for huge damage, which makes even difficult battles feel survivable if execution remains sharp. That philosophy carries clear Ghostrunner DNA, although Valor Mortis offers more room for mistakes than a one-hit platformer. The player can absorb a few hits, but not many.

The off-hand pistol works best when aimed at glowing plague weak points on certain enemies. Magic appears after the first spell is found, introducing a flamethrower-style burst that can burn through obstacles and enemies. Magic also serves a traversal purpose. In the preview, a fire spell was required to burn through rot blocking the main route, nudging players toward the intended direction. Some early impressions suggested the fire spell disrupted the flow of melee encounters, since enemies continued attacking while being burned. However, longer-range or utility-focused spells in the full release could offset that concern.

💀 Soulslike Systems Without the Bloat

Valor Mortis signals its genre credentials through familiar mechanics. Lanterns serve as checkpoints and upgrade stations, functioning like bonfires in Dark Souls. They also replenish a limited supply of healing potions. When the player dies, most experience points are left on the ground and must be recovered from the corpse. Boss chambers are marked by smoking yellow doors, a direct nod to the genre's traditions.

The level shown in the preview was relatively linear. A few branching nooks offered optional rewards, but the main route remained clear. If later areas open up, the combat loop may have even more room to shine.

👹 A Boss That Rewards Patience and Reflexes

The preview concluded with a confrontation against the protagonist's former captain. His instructions were no longer helpful, because he had become a plague-swollen monstrosity wielding multiple blunderbusses across many mutated arms. The fight demanded pattern recognition and well-timed parries. A perfect parry staggered the boss, creating the only reliable opportunity for massive damage.

Two phases changed the rhythm dramatically. In the second phase, the creature became faster and more aggressive, forcing quick dodges between bursts of gunfire. After several attempts, the successful run came down to a final life-or-death parry.

For players who enjoy high-speed action but usually bounce off slow FromSoftware pacing, Valor Mortis may be an appealing entry point. Its first-person perspective, fluid movement, and emphasis on parrying give it a distinct identity. If the rest of the campaign can build on the preview's strong foundation, One More Level may have crafted one of 2026's more interesting action hybrids.