Valor Mortis takes the punishing Soulslike formula into first-person, placing players among plague-ridden soldiers during a Napoleonic apocalypse. It brings the expected difficulty and the familiar penalty for dying, but its viewpoint exposes problems that third-person design usually solves.
A familiar formula from an unfamiliar angle
Soulslikes generally rely on a camera positioned behind the player character. That perspective makes it easier to read a battlefield, track several enemies and dodge into a safer position. Melee attacks, evasive rolls, magic and unusual tools such as the robot arm in Lies of P all work within that broader view.
Valor Mortis replaces the roll with a quick dash, avoiding the motion-sickness problems a first-person roll could create. The dash consumes a noticeable amount of stamina, however, and poor awareness often means using several dashes simply to escape an attack. Environmental hazards make matters worse: water, fire and nearby enemies can be difficult to monitor at the same time.
First-person combat loses the wider picture
Close-range encounters are where the perspective becomes most restrictive. A single opponent can fill much of the screen, hiding other attackers who are still preparing to strike. Some zombie-like enemies use blind spots in a way familiar from FromSoftware games, but an on-screen warning announces incoming attacks. That alert makes the danger easier to manage while also highlighting how difficult it is for the game to communicate threats naturally in first-person.
Heavy attacks can create the same problem. William’s available arsenal is not especially broad, so the parry-focused rapier has become a regular choice. Its heavy attack drives him forward through a flurry of powerful strikes, often leaving him on the far side of an enemy. It is not always clear whether the plague-infected soldier is dead or ready to retaliate. Hits can also feel strangely weightless, particularly when the player is not locked on.
Parrying needs precision and feedback
Parrying is especially awkward. The lack of impact and the reduced depth perception make it harder to judge the correct timing than in most Soulslikes. This becomes obvious in the first major boss encounter, against General Lothaire, the Eagle-Bearer. The five-armed monster is enormous—roughly the size of Absolute Bane—and missing one parry can allow his standard combo to overwhelm William.
Useful ideas beyond the combat
Valor Mortis is not without smart design choices. Its bleak setting features bodies piled across nineteenth-century battlefields, but the game’s quest tracking is considerably clearer than the obscure objectives often associated with the genre. A notebook records quest information and separates main missions from side quests, making progress easier to follow.
The weapon wheel is another welcome feature. Although the overall weapon selection is limited, it lets William access his blades, firearms and magical abilities during a fight rather than forcing the player to rely on a narrow loadout.
A promising experiment, not a finished solution
Valor Mortis is a worthwhile first attempt at bringing Soulslike combat into first-person, but its battles are often confusing instead of forceful. The central issue is not simply difficulty; it is the loss of spatial information that makes enemy positioning, environmental hazards and successful hits harder to read.
There is one feature the genre should adopt immediately: a genuine pause button. For Australian players fitting difficult action games around busy schedules, that small convenience may be more transformative than another weapon or boss.
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