Valor Mortis Review: Ghostrunner's Makers Slow Down, Mostly for the Better

Valor Mortis is the studio behind Ghostrunner deciding to stop running. One More Level's new game, published by Lyrical Games, is a single-player, first-person soulslike set in a twisted version of the Napoleonic Wars: you are William, a French soldier dragged back from death with supernatural powers. It launched on October 13 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it is in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from day one.

To be clear about how this verdict was reached: it is not based on my own playthrough. It weighs the launch-week reviews against the hard facts about price and access, and every gameplay impression below is credited to the outlet that made it.

What the critics agree on

The reception is solidly positive rather than ecstatic: at the time of writing Metacritic lists the PC version at 77 from 44 critic reviews, and the PS5 version at 79. The setting is the most consistent praise. Kotaku's Ian Walker calls its alternate 19th-century Europe some of the best art direction in years, and GamingBolt's Joelle Daniels (9/10) points out how rare the Napoleonic setting is, adding that the levels are well built and their shortcuts keep zones from becoming tiresome. Combat gets credit too: GamingBolt and LT3's Dave Spanton (8.5) both describe parrying as the heart of it, filling a stagger bar that opens enemies up to big damage and finishers. GamingBolt also singles out the boss fights and creature design.

Where it stumbles

The first-person camera cuts both ways. GamingBolt notes that it limits situational awareness, making enemies beside or behind you harder to track, and LT3 says it is easy to get pinned on terrain. In a September preview, Game Informer's Wesley LeBlanc called the difficulty "incredibly uneven", with regular enemies that hit like mini-bosses and bosses that punish too hard to learn; Game Informer's final review landed at 70. GameSpot finds the story frustratingly straightforward, GamesRadar argues that switching to first person alone is not enough to stand out, and Kotaku calls the game a jack-of-all-trades that ends up less than the sum of its parts. LT3 also reports frame-rate drops in combat and traversal, and Gamekult (50) advises waiting for patches.

What you can do before paying

- PlayStation Plus offers a 90-minute game trial from launch, and your progress carries over if you buy. - On Xbox and PC it is included in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from day one. - There were no pre-orders, no early access and no pre-order bonuses, so you lose nothing by waiting. - The campaign is pitched at around 20 hours; Kotaku reached the credits in roughly 12-15, while LT3 spent about 25 on a thorough run. - Standard is $39.99; the $59.99 Deluxe adds weapon skins and the story DLC planned for 2027. My advice: buy Standard and decide on the DLC once it has been reviewed.

Who it is for

Soulslike veterans who want a setting that is not another knights-and-castles fog should look closely. If Ghostrunner's speed is what you loved, be warned: every review describes a far slower, more methodical game. And if difficulty spikes or a cramped camera are deal-breakers for you, use the PS Plus trial or Game Pass first.

Verdict

Based on the critical consensus and the facts, Valor Mortis looks like a confident, atmospheric soulslike with a genuinely fresh setting and well-liked parrying, held back by uneven difficulty, a limiting camera, a thin story and some launch performance issues. Not a genre classic, but a fairly priced, low-risk try, especially with a subscription.

Score: 7/10

Image: François Flameng / Public domain, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flameng_Francois_Napoleon_After_The_Battle_Of_Waterloo.jpg