Everything you need to know about Valor Mortis, a first-person souls-like from Ghostrunner creators

Valor Mortis, a new souls-like title from developer One More Level, was easily one of the major highlights of Gamescom ONL's pre-show. The game is touted as a single-player first-person souls-like, which immediately makes it an appealing proposition for fans of the genre. The souls-like genre is mostly dominated by third-person hack-and-slash action games.

While there have been attempts at deviating from the formula, by Remnant for example, these titles still followed the third-person perspective. With their latest project, One More Level is attempting to bring something unique to the genre. And from the looks of it, the game seems to be quite intriguing.

Here's everything you need to know about Valor Morits, its gameplay, setting, and more.

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What is Valor Mortis?

The first-person souls-like (Image via Lyrical Games)

According to the official store page, "Valor Mortis is a single-player first-person soulslike game which combines brutal, methodical combat, Metroidvania-inspired levels and a compelling narrative shrouded in horror, corruption, temptation and conspiracy." The game is set in a fictionalized rendition of 19th-century Eastern Europe, which, at that time, was under conquest by Napoleon's army.

Much like the Nioh series, One More Level's upcoming souls-like takes a real historical event and warps it with a fictionalized storyline. Details on the story are still fairly limited, but the title seems to follow a similar structure to most Dark Souls-inspired games.

That said, where Valor Mortis really shines is in its combat, which seems to feature elements from games like Sekiro, Bloodborne, and One More Level's very own Ghostrunner series. According to the developer, it incorporates elements like "precision, player skill, and timing" from the Ghostrunner series.

At the same time, the game also features a more robust combat system, with plenty of build flexibility. Furthermore, much like any other souls-like, One More Level's upcoming title features some genuinely impressive creature designs, with some enemies (or bosses) resembling the likes of the Grafted Scion and Godrick the Grafted from Elden Ring.

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More on the new souls-like from One More Level CEO, Szymon Bryla

Talking about their upcoming title, One More Level's CEO, Szymon Bryla, stated:

"With Valor Mortis, we wanted to try something new and original - a darker experience, while still offering players a true challenge. After Ghostrunner, we knew we had the foundation to create an FPP title, but this time in a soulslike genre."

Talking about the pivot from action-platformer to souls-likes, Bryla mentioned:

"At the same time, we wanted to stay true to what we do best - making demanding games for hardcore players, set in an engaging, expansive world, while showing that the studio has grown since our previous projects. Valor Mortis is a fresh, new and original take on the soulslike genre that we can’t wait for players to get their hands on."

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When is Valor Mortis releasing?

Impressive creature and boss designs (Image via Lyrical Games)

As of the writing of this article, Valor Mortis doesn't have a confirmed release date. However, One More Level and the publisher, Lyrical Games, have stated that it is slated for a 2026 release. Additionally, it is scheduled for release on all current-generation platforms, i.e., PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.