The creators of Ghostrunner apply their familiar formula to a mythically exaggerated legend of Napoleon, but fail to fully realize the narrative potential.
I could go on about how cool it is to occasionally hear Napoleon’s voice while exploring a war-torn land where a strange plague has transformed people and animals into mutated, aggressive creatures. The famous commander is voiced by Vincent Cassel (Irreversible, Black Swan, Westworld—you all know his face, but very few know his name), and when a studio brings a well-known celebrity on board, it at least has some narrative ambitions.
So there’s a lot of fantasy at play here, mixed with a scenario that, while not entirely original, is nonetheless fresh and atmospherically rich—one that developer One More Level brings to life in a technically impressive way. I’m particularly taken with the sometimes incredibly dense fog and smoke. I can’t recall ever seeing anything like this before.
Wooden huts barricaded with slanted planks, walls built from large stones, an old church—and all of this bathed in an orange sunset or pale moonlight: Valor Mortis is an atmospheric journey into a time that, of course, never actually existed in this form.
However, we learn far too little about this era for it to be interesting beyond its superficial aspects. Neither does the environment reveal much of its history, nor do the notes left behind, the short side quests, or even Napoleon’s voice-over narration in certain locations provide enough insight to make the setting truly compelling to me.
It remains too superficial to truly captivate me. What a shame! If you ask me, One More Level is missing an opportunity here to not only evolve gameplay-wise after *Ghostrunner*, but also to develop narratively.
What’s this all about anyway? As a soldier named William, you’re brought back to life after your alter ego fell in battle. William doesn’t know exactly what happened, though. So the goal is to uncover the cause of this gruesome madness—and, of course, to face off against numerous mutants along the way. It’s handy, then, that William gains the ability from a dead man to use his left arm as a flamethrower.
With Blades and Bullets
However, he can also hold a pistol in the same hand, while he always carries a bladed weapon in his right hand. Because as important as shooting at weak spots and setting enemies on fire is, close combat takes center stage here. After all, a first-person perspective doesn’t have to mean a shooter. Instead, Valor Mortis plays much like most Souls-like games: you attack, parry, dodge, and—most importantly—take advantage of the counterattacks that open up as a result. Yes, you can even lock onto individual enemies so you don’t have to manually rotate the camera.
And it all works brilliantly! The combat system isn’t incredibly complex—nor does it need to be. That said, you should keep an eye on William’s stamina while gaining the energy needed to use fire by attacking weak points and restoring lost health through various tactics. What’s tactically interesting is the interplay of different elements—or rather, the way you exploit such synergies.
Anyone familiar with roguelikes is definitely familiar with Valor Mortis as well. You should go collect the experience points lost upon death; the number of healing capsules is limited but can be increased over the course of the adventure, and you save at glowing… lamps, which are placed every few hundred meters and also serve as fast-travel points. If you’ve made it through a tricky section between two lamps, you can also unlock doors or lower a ladder so you don’t have to retrace your entire steps later.
That said, I wouldn’t describe the level design as either surprising or particularly clever. In fact, much of the adventure takes place in very straightforward corridors, which do feature corners with hidden crates as well as blocked paths that clearly indicate they’ll only be opened with abilities you’ll acquire later on. But I didn’t find that particularly surprising, just as I wouldn’t describe the short detours for side missions as particularly rich in gameplay.
I found a hidden chest in a shadowy corner of a dark cave to be particularly telling. It appeared to be guarded by one of the mutants—who, however, was just crouching on the ground with his head down. I crept past him very slowly, turned around to look at him several times, and then opened the chest. He didn’t react, and I eventually left him sitting there. But here’s the thing: What was his deal? Was his behavior just a glitch, or was there a little story behind it?
None of that becomes clear in that moment, which therefore fizzles out rather than leaving an impression, and by then at the latest, it was clear to me that Valor Mortis is a cool action game, but not a gripping adventure.
What’s missing on the one hand…
Cannons left behind from the war still work, shattered oil lamps leave a pool of burning oil, red-marked barrels explode, you can use a grappling hook to swing a few dozen meters over a dangerous enemy or pull platforms down toward you, and more.
It’s fun to experiment with all of this. Especially since you can also sneak up on enemies to ambush them from behind. Every now and then, One More Level even opens up the environment, allowing you to cleverly combine William’s abilities with his interactions with the surroundings. That feels almost—but really only almost—like an immersive sim, which is why such situations, along with a few of the well-executed boss fights, are the highlights of this Souls-like game.
Equally familiar, though thoroughly motivating, is the progression of your own abilities and the various weapons. With both, you primarily accumulate experience points to increase stats, but you also unlock advanced skills, thereby enabling individual playstyles. You can reset your progression at any time for a negligible amount of experience points.
Valor Mortis Review – Conclusion
It’s true that I’m a little disappointed after the two outstanding Ghostrunner speedruns. Technically and in terms of gameplay, One More Level certainly shows what the studio is capable of. In terms of content, however, Valor Mortis is such a formulaic Souls-like that I found it mildly tedious for long stretches—a feeling reinforced by the fact that while the generally cool setting is very atmospheric, it comes across more as background noise rather than something that captivates me narratively. If you’re looking to battle your way through it every now and then, you’ll find a delightfully crisp first-person Souls-like. Just don’t expect a grand adventure.
