Valor Mortis is struggling to live up to its potential, with major criticisms aimed at its limited enemy variety, disappointing bosses, unpolished platforming, and technical issues, including bugs and crashes. Its progression systems and redemption story have also been criticized for failing to add much depth, while many of its ideas feel familiar and better executed in other games. Despite its distinctive Napoleonic setting and satisfying parry-based combat, the overall experience appears uneven.
7.1
Average Score (adjusted)
Confidence: High
Divisive
Reviews: 8
Top Review: destructoid (9.0)
Spread: 3.0
GameSpot's verdict is that Valor Mortis is a Fair 6 out of 10. The pros are parry-heavy combat that is fast and snappy with satisfying executions, and smaller captivating stories that convey the desperation and sacrifice of war. The cons are wasted time teaching weapons and abilities that do not meaningfully impact gameplay, limited enemy variety with forgiving checkpointing that reduces difficulty and tension, and a hollow, uninteresting redemption story with forgettable supporting characters.
IGN concludes that Valor Mortis is a good but uneven first-person soulslike. Pros: original mix of sword, guns, and BioShock-style magic, varied upgradable arsenal, useful mods, and unique levels. Cons: generic story, few and disappointing bosses, unpolished platforming, and numerous bugs and crashes.
Destructoid concludes that Valor Mortis is a near-perfect soulslike with a fascinating Napoleonic setting. Pros: excellent world and setting, varied interconnected metroidvania💡 level design, fluid snappy combat and movement, a solid story, and impeccable aesthetics. Cons: unfair enemy placements, frustrating design choices like collapsing ground and ammo-gated sections, confusing navigation, and unfun swamps.
💡A metroidvania is an action-adventure game focused on exploration, where players unlock new abilities to access previously unreachable areas of an interconnected world, combining platforming, combat and backtracking.
DualShockers concludes that Valor Mortis proves first-person works well for soulslikes. Pros: top-notch Metroidvania level design, satisfying parry and dodge combat, unique-looking chapters, well-designed bosses, and rewarding progression through Ambers and the skill tree. Cons: lack of build variety, no hidden weapons, and occasional performance issues.
GamesRadar concludes that Valor Mortis is a perfectly functional first-person soulslike with satisfying parry combat, but it fails to stand out because almost all its ideas have been done better elsewhere. Reasons to buy: fun writing with a couple of neat twists, a somewhat fresh parkour focus, and a more linear structure that is refreshing after so many Elden Ring imitators. Reasons to avoid: nearly every idea has been done better before, Napoleon's commentary is dull, and the scripted parkour sequences are dreadful. It also notes technical jank like crashes, unstable framerate, and a boss that stopped attacking.
Game Informer concludes that Valor Mortis is a confident first step into the soulslike genre that leans on the studio's Ghostrunner expertise to deliver tense, novel action, though it falls short of its premise. Pros: satisfying first-person combat that demands using your full kit of swords, guns, and psychic powers; rewarding exploration with countless items, minibosses, and side quests; strong chapter design; and a compelling Mice B-plot. Cons: unfairly brutal balance in the first half with insta-kill moves and no room to learn, a straightforward story that goes nowhere unexpected, and over 100 deaths that often felt unfair.
PlayDay.One concludes that Valor Mortis is an okay 6.5 out of 10 first-person soulslike with interesting ideas, but it is done in by an overly lengthy campaign that becomes a chore. Pros: looks great on Unreal Engine 5, interesting ideas for the genre, solid voice acting, and fun combat. Cons: combat becomes a chore by the end, the game is too long for its simplistic combat, and there is frustrating group combat with cheap deaths from off-screen enemies.
COGconnected concludes that Valor Mortis is a first-person soulslike with great ideas and uneven execution. The Good: interesting setting, a first-person twist on soulslike ideas, mostly enjoyable combat, and sharp graphics. The Bad: balance and difficulty spikes, clunky movement, very slow character progression, and limited build variety. It notes that when it clicks, the game proves a first-person soulslike can succeed, but imprecise hitboxes and frustrating spikes hold it back.