Valor Mortis: Review of a War Napoleon Cannot Win

War, war never changes!

The story revolves around William, a soldier of the Grande Armée who returns from death to an unrecognizable continent. The endless war waged by Napoleon has unleashed a plague that has corrupted men, animals, and landscapes, transforming the Old Continent into a land of despair and madness. Even the demo hints at a much darker narrative than one might expect from a simple action RPG. Dialogues are kept to a minimum, and much of the story emerges from environmental exploration, clues scattered throughout the scenarios, and observation of the creatures that inhabit this devastated world. 

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FPS Soulslike

With controller in hand, or in my case keyboard and mouse, which performed more than adequately, it was time to take a closer look at the gameplay. One More Level leverages all the experience gained with Ghostrunner, a title in which the team demonstrated very clear ideas about first-person combat, to build frantic, aggressive, and particularly physical encounters, but without the same determination. The first-person view is not just an aesthetic choice, but directly influences how battles are perceived. Every parry, dodge, or critical hit delivers a significant sense of impact. The player is called upon to alternate stealth phases with moments of direct aggression, making the best use of every tool available to maximize combat effectiveness. Throughout the adventure, we will have to quickly switch from sword to flintlock pistol, and even to supernatural powers, creating a system that appears more dynamic than that offered by most traditional soulslikes.

The parry system needs discussion. Enemy animations are readable and the timing windows seem strict but fair. It is precisely here, however, that one of the game's main critical issues emerges. Not all attacks offer the necessary time for an adequate reaction, and some blows arrive with minimal warning, proving frustrating at times. However, when you manage to deflect an assault and counterattack, the visual and auditory feedback delivers considerable satisfaction. The pistol will help you in several situations: it serves to interrupt enemy attacks, hit vulnerable points, and manage situations that could become dangerous in close combat. Exploration also seems to play an important role. Although the paths appear rather linear and guided, there are plenty of detours, shortcuts, and alternative routes that allow you to bypass obstacles and traps.

From a graphical standpoint, Valor Mortis doesn't seem to want to compete with the most expensive productions on the market, but it possesses a decent artistic identity. The trenches, devastated villages, ruined fortresses, and creatures deformed by the plague create a visually interesting imaginary. The color palette dominated by grays, browns, sickly greens, and blood reds contributes to building an oppressive atmosphere reminiscent of contemporary gothic horror. Particle effects and the lighting system are particularly convincing in darker areas. The enemy models deserve special mention. Far from the classic skeletons or corrupted knights of traditional fantasy, they seem to embody zombies scourged by a war capable of deforming bodies and minds. Biological horror merges with military uniforms and Napoleonic symbols, generating adversaries that are pleasing in their grotesqueness.

The advancing evil...

Among the aspects that raise some perplexity, one cannot fail to mention the general optimization, which is still far from impeccable. At the time of writing, some bugs are quite annoying and in certain cases directly affect gameplay, interrupting the rhythm of the action or creating unpleasant situations for the player. Ultimately, Valor Mortis conveys the feeling of a project developed by a studio that knows first-person action very well and is trying to innovate an increasingly crowded genre. The combination of horror atmosphere, Napoleonic alternate history, technical combat, and soulslike progression has all the credentials to leave its mark. In its current state, however, technical limitations, optimization problems, and some uncertainties in gameplay balancing prevent the experience from fully expressing its potential. The foundations are solid, the setting is original, and ideas are not lacking. It remains to be seen whether the final version will be able to transform these excellent intuitions into a truly memorable title.