What should you expect from the creators of Ghostrunner? A first-person slasher that's even faster and more spectacular, where one mistake means instant death? Well, Valor Mortis is an adrenaline-fueled action game to some extent. But its pace is more measured, and wall-running and dizzying leaps don't become part of your arsenal right away. I'm here to tell you about my memorable first three hours with Valor Mortis.
Napoleon's Voice in My Head
William is an officer in Napoleon's invincible army. For anyone who's told world history where to stick it, saber in hand, here's a quick refresher: France's conquests redrew the map of Europe. Spain, Prussia, and dozens of German states all felt the boot of a French soldier. The supposedly unbeatable regiments also marched into Russia, where the Battle of Borodino was followed by the burning of Moscow.Valor Mortis begins with that invincible army defeated and William rising from the dead among the corpses on a battlefield. Why has he come back to life? What's this green goo that closes his wounds? Why are French soldiers, stricken by a hideous plague, attacking one of their own? There are no answers yet, but Bonaparte's voice is constantly ringing in William's head. He offers encouragement, reminds him that his sacrifice won't be forgotten, and orders him to press on. Napoleon is voiced by Vincent Cassel, an actor who knows how to be both charming and terrifying. His Napoleon praises the protagonist like a father one moment and threatens him like an emperor the next.Image unavailableThe story takes its time. Some of the lore unfolds as you follow the main events, while other pieces are scattered around the locations in letters and notes. I strongly recommend not skipping the side quests and searching each area thoroughly. You'll find plenty of interesting and useful things. For instance, a side quest about soldiers who went missing in the caves not only fills in part of the bigger picture but also rewards you with an Amber. This artifact stone fits into slots as you level up and grants a passive bonus.
Pale Mutants with Too Many Arms
The enemies in Valor Mortis are former Napoleonic soldiers twisted by a strange substance. They look like corpses that have been lying around for a while, which is exactly what they are. Every monster is a grotesquely distorted version of a living person, with their former weapon specialization taken to a horrifying extreme.A lancer, although his shield is a bit strangeA lancer, although his shield is a bit strangeTake the grenadier, for example. It's a pair of soldiers fused into one, with one massive arm shielding a basket of grenades while the other hurls little bombs at you. Then there's the sapeur, a towering, bearded brute with a huge axe, the very tool he used to cut through fortifications when he was alive. He swings it with considerable force, and some of his attacks can't be blocked.In the first three hours, the peak of all this body horror is the dog-men. Ordinary soldiers exposed to the mutagen drop onto all fours. Their heads, stretched out as though beneath a tall shako, have turned into snarling maws. A disgusted 'oh, for God's sake' is pretty much guaranteed.The toughest enemies are Napoleon's Eternal Guard, an elite corps of officers who command his army. After everything that's happened, they've become aggressive enough to qualify as minibosses. The guardsmen swing their sabers with flair and shoot with deadly accuracy. They look just like they do in the trailers: enormous men in gilded masks and splendid uniforms. Killing the first officer unlocks an additional quest.The first boss, General Lothaire, the Eagle-Bearer, shows up twice.
Show spoilerHide spoiler
You don't have to beat him the first time. Without preparation, Lothaire will knock William out pretty quickly. The story carries on, and one of the main characters comes to meet him. But you can kill Lothaire right there and earn an achievement. There's a catch, though: you only get one attempt. Die, and the story moves on.
The second time, you can finally enjoy killing him. The boss has two phases and a variety of attacks that don't take too long to learn. In each phase, three growths stand out on Lothaire's body. You need to shoot them to fill the Posture meter above him. Successful blocks also build the meter, but watch out for his unblockable attacks. During the second phase, you'll need to shoot both the growths and the fireball Lothaire periodically conjures in his hand. I enjoyed this fight. Both phases have enough variety to keep you on your toes without demanding superhuman effort.Our first boss. What a charmerOur first boss. What a charmer
A Saber and a Pistol Can Get You Far
Valor Mortis has an excellent, varied combat system. Let's go through all the ways you can dismember an enemy.The saber is the protagonist's trusty companion. You can use it for relatively quick light attacks with the left mouse button or slower, more powerful strikes. Sneaking up behind an enemy and running them clean through with your blade is also a good idea. And if you feel like it, you can leap off a ledge and chop some stupid monster's head off.And that's not all! Swordplay here isn't just about stabbing mutants between dodges. Reviewers are practically unanimous about the power of well-timed parries. Yes, they're tricky to pull off, but they're beautiful to watch. Each successful parry fills a meter above the enemy. Fill it up, and William unleashes a spectacular combo attack. The enemy either dies or loses a huge chunk of health, and you get your well-earned hit of dopamine.Image unavailableOf course, in keeping with the rules of the genre, William can and should dodge unblockable attacks. The combat system works best when you combine all the movement options at your disposal.The pistol is primarily a way to target enemies' weak points. More than half the monsters have red, fleshy growths on their bodies. A well-placed shot stuns an enemy and takes away a large chunk of its HP. Sometimes the weak spots are less obvious. The sapeur, for example, has no glowing weak points, but there's a barrel of gunpowder strapped to his back. Time it right, let him rush past you, and you can blow him up in spectacular fashion, setting him on fire in the process.The pistol looks mesmerizingThe pistol looks mesmerizingThe pistol is also an indispensable tool for exploring the map. By shooting the nodes in the masses of 'ground meat' covering the environment, you can uncover secrets or open the way forward through the main story.Bullets are almost everywhere, at least early on, but your supply is far from infinite. I strongly recommend aiming carefully and making every shot count. I know for a fact that more firearms are coming later, though I haven't seen them myself yet.The fiery hand is a weapon of mass destruction. A stream of flame sweeps forward in an arc, setting enemies ablaze and dealing damage across an area. It works quite well against crowds of fused-together corpses. Fire also burns away the golden growths of biomass that block off interesting passages.Image unavailableMagic isn't unlimited. The game's version of mana is called Nephtoglobin, represented by a purple bar beneath your health. You replenish it by collecting purple orbs that drop from enemies when you accurately hit their weak points. It's a mechanic that teaches trigger-happy players some discipline. If you want magic, you'd better learn to shoot straight.
Beautiful Scenery and Falling FPS
The artists behind Valor Mortis have done a fantastic job. The developers haven't specified it, but the game appears to take place during a bitterly cold winter or early spring somewhere along Europe's borders. The gray sky hangs heavy overhead, with mountains of corpses and craters left by cannonballs everywhere. There's mud underfoot, so it's hard to tell the season at a glance. The locations are fairly expansive. This isn't an open-world game, but there's plenty of room to explore and hunt for secrets.All of this unfolds against the backdrop of magnificent, imposing, indifferent mountains capped with snow. It's a beautiful kind of bleakness that perfectly captures the feeling that the army is dead, but the war isn't over.And mountains in the distanceAnd mountains in the distanceIt's just a shame the visuals occasionally stutter. In quieter scenes, my GeForce RTX 4070 comfortably holds 120 FPS, but step into an open area packed with detail and the frame rate drops by around 40%. Other reviewers have complained about the optimization too, so it looks like we'll be waiting for patches.
Verdict: A Strong Start
My first three hours with Valor Mortis left an excellent impression. The game has shown off a fantastic combat system in which the saber, pistol, and fire from William's left hand complement one another, while its aggressive finishers are a joy to watch. The enemies are surprising and memorable, the world begs to be explored, and Cassel's voice suddenly bursting through my headphones adds to the eerie atmosphere. Performance is the one thing that could spoil the experience, but patches should help. Then again, Unreal Engine 5 can be a temperamental beast.Image unavailableThree hours is just a warm-up. There's still character progression, different bosses, and an intriguing story ahead. Once I've finished the whole game, I'll be back with a full review. I hope One More Level has one of the most interesting releases of the year on its hands.
