Arrête! C’est ici l’empire de la Mort!
Valor Mortis has just had it’s feature reveal and release window announced during The Triple-I Initiative Showcase. What previously existed as a cool, “better keep an eye out for that game” title is now surprisingly close to release, set to launch this Fall on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox.
Polish developer, One More Level, is taking all their twisted, horrifying, and Lovecraftian toes and dipping them into the realm of the souls-like genre with Valor Mortis. One More Level has built upon their previous games (Ghostrunner and Ghostrunner 2) and has crafted a terrifying looking first person game set in an alternative 19th century Europe. While not intended to be a first-person shooter, there are ranged combat options along with magic and especially melee, as it seems your main weapon will be a cutlass. You’ll need to get good with that sword too as you’ll be expected to block and parry your way to victory against the hordes of undead monsters.
You play as William, a British soldier who served in Napoleon’s forces before dying in battle. That doesn’t mean your service stops there! You awaken in a far different Europe than you were buried in and are conscripted under France’s emperor once more. Not ideal circumstances, but as previously mentioned, you’ll be given the tools and learn the skills necessary to stop the spreading plague that has corrupted the world.
There are fans that see “Souls-like” and break into sweats at the thought of needing to “git gud” enough to actually make a dent in the game (totally not me…), however there’s something a little different in Valor Mortis that might interest even the players most desperate for an easy mode (totally not me again…). Dying in Valor Mortis is not as bad as you might expect. The clue is in the name itself. There is Value in Death because once you are stomped mercilessly by some Eldritch horror, you are respawned at a previous checkpoint and can go collect resources at the spot of said stomping.
Are you a fan of souls-likes and interested in Valor Mortis? Are you not usually into those games but this one has you curious? Let us know your thoughts in our discord and share any theories on how you think William will become this alternate Napoleon’s personal Waterloo.
