Valor Mortis Brings Bloodborne-Style Horror to the Napoleonic Wars

There are a lot of games these days that are like Souls, but every once in a while one comes out with an idea that makes you sit up and take notice. It looks like Valor Mortis is one of those games. The upcoming action RPG takes place in a twisted version of the Napoleonic Wars.

Instead of castles and dragons, there are frozen battlefields, soldiers with the plague, and a creepy story that starts after the war. So far, the game starts with players waking up among the dead and taking control of a soldier stuck in a conflict that has turned into something much scarier than a normal war.

There are dead bodies all over the battlefield, strange voices can be heard, and people who used to be friends have turned into hostile animals driven by an unknown madness. It's a very different idea for a genre that is mostly about fantasy set in the Middle Ages. Valor Mortis doesn't put players in the shoes of knights in shining armor.

Instead, they are in the shoes of a Napoleonic soldier armed with steel, gunpowder, and finally powers that make the line between man and monster fuzzy.

The atmosphere of the game makes the best first impact. A constant feeling of being alone is created by the snow-covered landscapes that stretch across destroyed war zones and camps. It looks like each place was made to tell its own story without relying too much on explanation.

It looks like there was a desperate battle here before the player came, based on the abandoned artillery positions, mountains of dead bodies, and makeshift barricades. That way of writing about the world becomes one of Valor Mortis's best qualities. The world feels like it's been lived in; it's scarred by war and filled with something strange.

The game doesn't give a lot of answers; instead, it makes you curious. What did this really happen? Why do soldiers seem like such horrible enemies these days? Who are the mystery people who are leading the main character through this nightmare?

The questions are what move the experience forward; the solutions are still hard to find.

Combat, on the other hand, clearly takes ideas from Souls-like gameplay while adding some of its own. As long as they watch their stamina, players can do light hits, heavy strikes, blocks, and parries. Because enemies hit hard enough to punish mistakes, acting aggressively without thinking quickly turns out to be a bad idea.

Valor Mortis, on the other hand, tells players to keep playing even after they've been hit. According to the sources, enemies can get some of their life back by being hit and then successfully attacked soon after. The method encourages players to be sure of themselves and keeps the defense and offense on edge at all times.

There is also a place for stealth. Strong backstab attacks can kill enemies that aren't aware they are being attacked, giving you other ways to deal with fights that might otherwise be too hard. A posture system also rewards players who master the timing of their defenses. If a player parries an attack, it opens the door for a deadly follow-up attack.

But the use of guns in Valor Mortis might be the most interesting thing about it.

Since the game takes place during the Napoleonic era, it makes sense that guns are used in battle. But these aren't just fake guns added to make the game look more historical. Instead, they are useful because they let players target weak spots on the enemy team.

Some enemies have weak spots that can be used to your advantage with well-placed shots that stun enemies or set off strong effects. This turns fights into strategy drills where players have to switch between close-quarters aggression and long-range accuracy all the time.

This way of doing things gives Valor Mortis its own style. When swords clash and pistols fire at the same time, the fight has a different rhythm. Instead of directly copying Souls-like gameplay elements, the game seems to want to build on them.

Exploration seems to be just as important when you're not fighting. There are checkpoints called lanterns all over the world where players can heal, get more resources, and get ready for the next fight. As expected, resting brings back normal enemies, so players have to decide when it's worth the risk to regroup.

Curiosity is also rewarded by exploration. Hidden paths, chances to level up, and collectible bonuses encourage players to go beyond the critical way. Players can find skills that let them interact with the environment, which lets them access places they couldn't before and gives them more ways to explore.

One of these abilities adds a whole new level of difficulty to both fighting and moving around. After meeting a mysterious person, the main character gets fire-based abilities that let them burn through obstacles and attack enemies. All of a sudden, Valor Mortis grows beyond swords and guns, adding magical elements that fit with its dark fantasy setting.

If the normal enemies set the mood of the game, the boss fights seem determined to leave a lasting impression.

In one big battle, the bodies of dead soldiers are used to make a horrifying creature. The design of the grotesque is interesting not only in terms of its looks, but also because it is filled with the themes that go through the story. War has destroyed so much of humanity that people's identities have been physically fused together to make horrible monsters.

The encounter tries everything that players have learned about how to play. To survive you need to be able to target weak spots, manage your stamina, dodge, parry and save resources. As the fight gets worse it goes through several stages that require adaptability rather than repetition.

Boss fights often make or break a Soulslike. Early looks show that Valor Mortis is dedicated to making battles that are hard, visually stunning and mechanically interesting. Steam Next Fest often introduces players to interesting projects, but only a few really get people excited. It's possible that Valor Mortis did just that.

It makes something that feels both familiar and new by combining Napoleonic battle with gothic horror, strategic combat, and creepy creature design.

There is still a lot to learn about the world, the people that live in it, and where the corruption that is spreading across its battles comes from. But these early looks show that Valor Mortis could be one of the most interesting action RPGs coming out soon. For one thing, when did a march through history look this scary last? More importantly, are the players ready to face the horrors that lie beyond the battlefield?