Valor Mortis

Valor Mortis is a first-person action soulslike from One More Level, the studio behind Ghostrunner, arriving October 13, 2026 on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. It trades Ghostrunner's parkour-focused swordplay for a grounded melee-combat system rooted in a Napoleonic setting, where you play a resurrected soldier navigating a world of supernatural horror and hidden conspiracy.

The studio's pivot to first-person perspective marks a significant design risk. Ghostrunner proved that One More Level could build momentum and spatial mastery through movement and instant-death stakes, but channelling that intensity through a melee-focused FPS lens is a different proposition entirely. The weight of close-range sword combat, stamina management and enemy poise—the hallmarks of soulslike systems—can feel sluggish or disorienting in first-person, where your view is locked to the player character's head. Whether the studio has solved the tension between directional positioning, readable enemy tells and the constraint of a fixed forward-facing camera is the critical open question.

Supernatural Abilities and Horror Premise

The release date for Valor Mortis is set, giving players time to anticipate how one-versus-one duels with Napoleonic soldiers and horrifying creatures will play. The supernatural powers system suggests a magic-and-melee hybrid, similar in intent to properties like Dishonored, but framed through a soulslike structure. If the powers are meaningful tools rather than flourishes—ways to break enemy rhythms, create openings, or reshape how you approach encounters—they could distinguish Valor Mortis from the growing wave of soulslike imitations. If they feel tacked on, the whole experience risks becoming a stilted first-person swing-and-dodge affair.

The conspiracy narrative, hinted at as a central through-line, is unusually ambitious for the soulslike genre, where world-building often lives in environmental storytelling and item descriptions. A more direct narrative thrust could anchor the experience and justify why the protagonist's resurrection matters, or it could feel incongruous with the intentional obscurity most soulslikes prize.

What to Expect Before October 2026

One More Level has earned credibility for technical polish and precise design, but Valor Mortis represents untested territory for the studio. The release date commitment suggests confidence, though early footage and hands-on coverage will determine whether the first-person adaptation justifies the shift. Players drawn to Ghostrunner's momentum and skill expression may find a more methodical, stamina-gated experience here; those after pure soulslike discipline will need to gauge whether the FPS perspective adds tension or complication.

Pre-order cautiously and wait for launch reviews to confirm the core combat feels responsive and fair. If One More Level has cracked the first-person soulslike formula, Valor Mortis could redefine how the genre works in perspective. If not, it risks becoming a cautionary tale about why soulslikes rarely venture into first-person.