Oui, Can a First-Person Soulslike Work? Valor Mortis Says 'Sacre Bleu, It Might!'
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
The *Ghostrunner* devs are tackling a first-person soulslike set in a bizarre Napoleonic era filled with melted undead meat, and while *Valor Mortis* has some unique FPP challenges and a slightly light sabre, its visceral parries and horrifying monster design offer a cautiously optimistic peek into a genuinely innovative genre experiment.
Right, so imagine this: you’re trudging through a Napoleonic battlefield, all musket smoke and French infantry, but then things go sideways. Real sideways. Like, 'the soldiers have mysteriously become abominations of melted undead meat' sideways. Sounds like my kind of accidental reality-bending experiment, doesn’t it? That’s the wild premise of *Valor Mortis*, a first-person, sabre-swishing soulslike from One More Level – yeah, the *Ghostrunner* devs.
Now, my first thought was, 'Bloody hell, a first-person soulslike? Hasn't anyone tried that before?' And fair dinkum, they have. The entire genre, in fact, has roots in FromSoftware's old *King’s Field* games, which were a proper FPP dungeon crawl. More recently, you’ve got games like *Lunacid* and *Dungeons of Blood and Dream* waving that same banner. But here’s the rub: *Valor Mortis* isn’t just a dungeon crawler; it's seemingly the first big attempt to properly translate those modern, codified soulslike beats – the punishing trial-and-error, the warmly lit safe spots, the hot-swappable offhand powers, and that heavy, *heavy* emphasis on parrying – into a first-person melee brawler.
This deep dive into the guts of *Valor Mortis* comes to us courtesy of James Archer, Hardware Editor at Rock Paper Shotgun, who got hands-on with an extended tutorial and the first boss fight. And apparently, he’s keen for more, which is always a good sign when you're dealing with a genre designed to make you want to throw your controller across the room. Cheers, mate, for the early peek!
Now, you might be thinking (and I certainly was), does shoving a soulslike into first-person just limit what you can do? Archer raises a good point: the perspective can make those elaborate acrobatics and multi-directional spellcasting that you see in, say, *Elden Ring*, a bit trickier. And that lack of peripheral vision? Yeah, it cranks up the tension, forcing you to constantly manage positioning to avoid getting flanked by Bonaparte’s grotesque henchmen. But then, isn’t that just a heightened version of what we already do in third-person games? It's less a limitation and more a re-focusing, turning a common consideration into a core mechanic.
Where the FPP really shines, though, is in the 'je ne sais quoi' of the swordfighting. Imagine, for a moment, that blade bearing down *directly* upon your face. Not just a sword swing on a character model, but a visceral, immediate threat. Archer highlights that parries in *Valor Mortis* aren't just tactically vital – successive deflects opening foes up for crit strikes – but they're *aurally gratifying*. You don't just hear the clang; you *feel* the imminent danger. That added tension when you can't easily eyeball every enemy, like the elevated rifleman who'd happily put a lead ball through your skull in the demo's trench section, sounds like a proper heart-stopper. It’s a bit like casting a spell and it works a bit *too* well, leaving you both terrified and exhilarated.
And let’s talk monsters, mate. This is where *Valor Mortis* embraces the deliciously chaotic. The first-person view gives you a front-row seat to some truly ghoulish design. We’re talking man-shaped men, but with 'giant pustules' and 'wounds with the consistency of a pulled-apart grilled cheese sandwich.' Lovely, isn’t it? But it gets better (or worse, depending on your stomach). Archer describes some 'properly icky blokes,' like the poor sod whose arms and spine have snapped backwards, turning him into a rabid, dog-like quadruped. Or the 'Grenadier,' a miniboss formed by *two* unfortunate lads fusing together under this strange fleshy blight. And the intro boss? A towering general who's absorbed enough bodies to sprout multiple flintlock-toting hands from his shoulder blade. A cousin of Godrick the Grafted, perhaps, but even Godrick never had the gnarled faces of his limb donors pushing through his skin. Now *that’s* some body horror I can get behind! It's finding the human (or formerly human) story behind the corporate announcement of 'undead enemies.'
Like any good soulslike worth its salt, *Valor Mortis* is all about those intimate duels. Watching for tells, exploiting openings, and knowing when to dodge or parry. And yep, you guessed it, parrying is the MVP here. Archer found that the general boss basically shrugged off regular attacks until he leaned into a defensive, well-timed parry strategy, vapourising the general's stamina and opening him up for those satisfying critical hits. However, one point of mild skepticism (because you know I love a good 'what if'): Archer noted the sabre felt a bit light, similar to *Ghostrunner*'s swift-but-light feel. In *Ghostrunner*, that worked because most enemies were one-hit kills. Here, where foes can take a few more cuts, it apparently loses a bit of that visceral *oomph* outside of crits. A bit more weight would be welcome, to really sell that sabre impact.
Another curiosity of mine revolves around those non-sword hands. The demo offered a mundane revolver, then a *BioShock*-style cone of flame. Competent, sure, but Archer only saw the 'youngest sprouts of a skill tree.' My wizarding senses are tingling, hoping there’s potential for truly exciting, reality-bending offhand capabilities lurking further in the game. It’s where a lot of the offensive variety could lie, and I’m genuinely excited to see if One More Level leans into that chaotic potential.
To be fair, Archer concedes there’s a lot left to see. The linear sections of the demo are apparently just a taste, with the full game promising much more open, explorable areas. So, hopefully, that physical freedom comes hand-in-hand with a whole arsenal of new 'fightin' toys.' While the core swordplay, especially once the parry timing clicked, was enjoyable despite the light swings, it’s clear *Valor Mortis* is still cooking. It’s got that 'cautiously optimistic' vibe, a bit like watching a new spell fizzle initially but seeing the potential for a massive explosion. The idea of Napoleon as the (possible) ultimate villain, distorted and oozing flesh from beneath a bicorne, riding the reclaimed bones of his horse? Count me in for that wild ride.
So, can a first-person soulslike work? *Valor Mortis* makes a compelling case for 'oui.' I'll be keeping a very keen eye on its shuffle towards a vague '2026' launch. This isn't just a game; it's an experiment in genre bending, and I'm always here for those.
Tags: Valor Mortis, Soulslike, First-Person, Indie Game, Napoleonic
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun