This year’s Gamescom delivered another wave of exciting reveals, including the debut of Valor Mortis, a first-person action RPG from One More Level, the Polish studio behind Ghostrunner. While initially skeptical due to the studio’s previous emphasis on linear, high-speed gameplay, my hands-on time with Valor Mortis quickly reshaped those assumptions. The game merges methodical, weighty combat with a haunting Napoleonic-era setting—a refreshing departure from typical fantasy realms.

Valor Mortis casts players as William, a reanimated soldier tasked with halting a supernatural plague consuming early 19th-century Europe. The grim historical backdrop immediately distinguishes it from contemporaries, while its first-person perspective evokes the tactical intensity of classics like King’s Field. Unlike Ghostrunner’s breakneck pace, combat here prioritizes deliberate strikes, parries, and dodges, balanced with ranged firearm options. Encounters emphasize precision over chaos, contrasting sharply with soulslikes that flood arenas with foes.

Adapting to Valor Mortis’ controls proved seamless. Movement felt fluid yet deliberate, blending agility with the grounded heft expected of the genre. The demo’s war-torn battlefield showcased intricate level design, weaving interconnected pathways, hidden loot, and optional challenges. Shortcuts looped back to central hubs, rewarding exploration without hand-holding—a hallmark of thoughtful world-building.

The demo’s climax pitted me against a towering mutated berserker, a two-phase duel demanding mastery of defensive mechanics. Learning attack patterns, exploiting vulnerable moments, and strategically using firearms to stagger the boss highlighted the game’s tactical depth. An additional showcase demonstrated environmental interactivity, like sabotaging enemy artillery mid-battle—a thrilling twist on combat strategy.

In an arena crowded with forgettable soulslikes, Valor Mortis stands out through its commitment to immersive combat, inventive setting, and atmospheric level design. One More Level’s pivot from cyberpunk parkour to historical dark fantasy feels riskily bold yet undeniably compelling. With a 2025 launch planned for PC and consoles, eager players can soon experience the game firsthand via an upcoming playtest—an early glimpse at what might become a genre standout.