Review: Valor Mortis

10 hours ago

5 min read

A Journey of Blood, History, and Survival

Valor Mortis stands out for its artistic identity, featuring environments reminiscent of 19th-century paintings, dark compositions, and a supernatural interpretation of the Napoleonic Wars. Its setting combines historical references, swords, grotesque creatures, and magic, creating a world that sparks curiosity throughout exploration. The game also draws attention by bringing the Soulslike formula into a first-person perspective, a choice that directly influences how we face enemies and observe the events unfolding around us.

GAMEPLAY

Combat is one of the most interesting aspects of Valor Mortis. We wield a sword and other weapons to face enemies with health and posture bars. Well-timed parries help break their posture, opening them up to a critical attack capable of dealing significant damage. The parry timing feels very well tuned, and the game rewards players who learn to recognize enemy movements and react quickly. Encounters become progressively more demanding, turning each battle into a test of awareness and precision. However, I believe the control configuration could have been handled better. Having to press Ctrl to parry does not seem like a good decision, especially in a game that demands such precision. In my experience, performing this action with the mouse would feel more comfortable, allowing the weapon and magic controls to be rearranged to better accommodate the rest of the combat system.

Exploration also deserves recognition, particularly for its level design. Valor Mortis strongly resembles the original Dark Souls in how it structures its regions, with interconnected paths, overlapping shortcuts, and elevators that unlock new levels of previously visited areas. As we progress, we begin to understand how different parts of the environment connect, creating that satisfying feeling of finding a passage that shortens the route or discovering that a particular location links back to a familiar region. Although I got lost a few times, I really enjoyed this structure. The game also features traps and ambushes reminiscent of classic Souls series encounters, using these elements in a balanced way to surprise players without relying exclusively on them to create difficulty.

Rest points take the form of hourglasses hanging from posts (or something like that, haha), where we can replenish resources and make upgrades. We can improve our abilities using catalysts, which function similarly to souls in other Soulslikes, and unlock slots for equipping Ambers, stones that modify certain character attributes. One of the first examples is an Amber that allows us to use the Ferrofluid Flask more quickly without being interrupted during the action. We can also upgrade weapons, including the saber and firearms, choosing different benefits depending on the materials available. Among the available modifications, Adrenaline Rush restores stamina when defeating enemies, while Second Wind allows us to recover health after successfully parrying an attack. These options help us adapt our playstyle, while the chapter-based structure organizes progression and the records found along the way provide additional information about the story and its characters. The game also features a fast travel system at rest points.

Another important aspect is resource management during combat. In addition to health and stamina, we must manage the energy used for supernatural abilities, which recharges as we perform certain actions during battles. Ferrofluid Flasks are relatively scarce early on, but become easier to obtain as we progress. Ammunition, meanwhile, can be replenished at chandeliers and rest points scattered throughout the world, reducing the constant concern of running out of bullets. Death is part of the progression system, but losing all carried catalysts means we must be careful when exploring unfamiliar areas. These systems complement one another well, emphasizing both preparation and execution during encounters.

VISUALS AND SOUND

The art direction is one of the strongest elements of Valor Mortis. The combination of Napoleonic references with a gothic and supernatural aesthetic creates environments that resemble historical paintings transformed into macabre battlefields. During exploration, the surroundings help convey the scale of the tragedy that has befallen this world, while the visual variety of the enemies keeps encounters from feeling repetitive. It is a distinctive identity that sets the game apart from other first-person action experiences.

Unfortunately, the visual presentation also highlights some of the technical problems I encountered. Shader compilation caused stuttering during gameplay, and performance was inconsistent even on a computer that exceeds the minimum requirements. These issues directly affect the game's fluidity, especially in a title where movement precision and parry timing make such a significant difference. The art direction deserves recognition, but the game needed more optimization work to provide a consistent experience across a wider range of PCs. The soundtrack and sound effects were not aspects I was able to evaluate individually during my playthrough, so I would rather not make specific claims about their quality without a more thorough assessment.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Valor Mortis features achievements that cover different aspects of the experience, encouraging players to progress through the campaign, explore the environments, and overcome combat challenges. There are also objectives related to finding items, upgrading equipment, and experimenting with the game's different progression mechanics, rewarding those who take the time to learn its systems.

Personally, I enjoy achievements that require players to use mechanics in different or specific ways, and it is worth highlighting that there are no missable achievements throughout the campaign.

TRAILER OFFICIAL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zC901bpwy8

FINAL THOUGHTS

Valor Mortis' main shortcomings lie in its technical performance and control configuration. Shader compilation causes occasional stuttering, and performance fluctuates even on hardware that exceeds the minimum requirements. Assigning parry to the Ctrl key also makes one of the most important combat mechanics less comfortable to execute, forcing players to adapt to a control scheme that could have been more intuitive. These issues are particularly noticeable in a game that demands constant precision and patience to overcome its bosses.

Despite these problems, I really enjoyed the combat and the way the game rewards players for mastering parries, reading enemy movements, and executing critical attacks. Progression through catalysts, weapon upgrades, and Ambers offers interesting ways to customize the experience, while the interconnected maps make exploration rewarding. The influence of the original Dark Souls is especially apparent in the level design, shortcuts, and connections between different regions. These elements give the adventure its personality and make discovering new locations an important part of the experience.

Valor Mortis also stands out for its atmosphere, historical references, and blend of dark fantasy with the Napoleonic era. Enemy variety, traps, and a gradual increase in difficulty keep encounters engaging, while the progression systems provide reasons to continue exploring and improving the character. My experience was affected by performance issues that could have been avoided with more optimization work, but I found an adventure with a distinctive identity, engaging mechanics, and world design that I particularly enjoyed. With the necessary technical improvements, it would be possible to make better use of everything the game has to offer.