Soulslike
Ongoing coverage on Soulslike.
Latest coverage
Can you beat General Lothaire in Valor Mortis?
This guide provides strategies for defeating General Lothaire, the first boss in Valor Mortis. Players are advised to use fire damage, parry during his first phase, and dodge predictable combos in the second. The article also details the rewards for victory, including catalysts, the General's Catalyst Clot, and the Torn-Banner achievement, while noting a potential exploit using ALT+F4 to retry the fight.
All the best skills in Valor Mortis to buy first
This guide for Valor Mortis focuses on the best skills to purchase first, emphasizing those that improve survivability and melee combat. Key recommendations include investing in Maximum Endurance, Blocking or Parrying Impact, Melee Damage, and Melee Endurance Cost to enhance player effectiveness.
Recension – Valor Mortis
Valor Mortis is an ambitious Soulslike attempt from One More Level that ultimately falls short due to its own aspirations. While the historical setting and beautiful, painterly graphics are highlights, the first-person perspective hinders the genre's core mechanics, leading to unbalanced difficulty and unengaging combat. The game suffers from a lack of memorable bosses and some frustrating bugs, making it a "Waterloo" for the developer despite its promising elements.
Valor Mortis: Tips and Tricks to Survive the Crimson Plague
Valor Mortis is a soulslike action RPG available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass. The game features a challenging combat system that rewards players for mastering parries, dodges, and weak point targeting. Players can customize their builds with Ambers and explore interconnected levels for secrets and powerful optional enemies.
Evening Reading - October 12, 2026
This Evening Reading from Shacknews rounds up recent gaming news and features, including previews for Mina the Hollower and Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, reviews for Valor Mortis and Gears of War: E-Day, and discussions on the potential for a Scream video game adaptation and the impact of AI on the internet. The article also highlights Shacknews's commitment to human-created content and its staff.
Valor Mortis review – a first person Soulslike with a Sharpe edge
Valor Mortis is a first-person Soulslike set during the Napoleonic Wars with zombies, developed by One More Level, known for Ghostrunner. While its storytelling is weak and the initial hours are tutorial-heavy, the combat is praised for its speed, variety of weapons, and satisfying boss battles. The game offers a unique blend of ranged and melee combat, parkour elements, and magic, making it an interesting, albeit slightly unpolished, take on the genre.
Valor Mortis' system requirements appear to have been drastically cut, just before the FPSoulslike launches
Just before its October 13th launch, Valor Mortis has significantly reduced its PC system requirements, lowering minimum CPU and GPU demands. While developers One More Level have not officially announced these changes, the new specifications are considerably more budget-friendly, though the SSD requirement has increased. Performance testing with older hardware suggests that achieving smooth framerates may still require a capable system.
Valor Mortis Review – They’re Called Catalysts Now
Valor Mortis, developed by One More Level, attempts to distinguish itself in the crowded Soulslike genre by incorporating a first-person perspective and a Napoleonic Wars setting. While the game features fluid melee combat, a unique magic system, and engaging boss fights, it struggles with inconsistent difficulty spikes and a less impactful progression system compared to its contemporaries. Despite these issues, its innovative approach and solid gameplay mechanics make it a potentially good entry point for newcomers to the genre.
With exhilarating parkour and a thrilling sense of momentum, Valor Mortis is not your usual Soulslike - I just wish it wasn't so beholden to the genre that inspired it
Valor Mortis, from Ghostrunner developer One More Level, blends exhilarating parkour and fluid combat with traditional Soulslike elements, though it ultimately wishes to be more than just a genre imitator. While it features familiar mechanics like bonfires and corpse runs, its first-person parkour, gunplay, and momentum-based combat set it apart. Despite some predictable enemy design and a story that doesn't quite land, the game's core mechanics, level design, and boss encounters make for a highly entertaining experience.
Valor Mortis review - this Napoleonic first-person swordfighter is one of the freshest Soulslikes in years
Valor Mortis offers a fresh take on the Soulslike genre with its first-person perspective and Napoleonic setting, featuring a unique necro-blight mechanic. Developed by Lyrical Games and One More Level, the game successfully blends intense swordplay, parrying, and parkour elements, creating a challenging yet intimate combat experience.
Valor Mortis review: "First-person Souslike parrying feels clutch, but I need more for this to truly stand out"
Valor Mortis is a functional Soulslike with a first-person perspective and parry-focused combat, but it struggles to stand out in a crowded genre. While it features some charming writing and a fresh parkour element, its gameplay ideas have been done better elsewhere, and scripted parkour sequences are frustratingly bad. Technical issues like crashes and framerate drops were also present at launch.
Valor Mortis Tries Too Much With Its Attempt At A First-Person Soulslike – Review
Valor Mortis attempts to blend first-person gameplay with soulslike mechanics, but the article suggests it tries too much, to its own detriment. The game's ambitious approach ultimately hinders its success.
Valor Mortis Is A First-Person Soulslike That Tries Too Much
Valor Mortis is a first-person Soulslike that offers snappy and satisfying combat, but is hampered by a weak story and a sluggish opening. While its unique perspective and rewarding parries are highlights, the game suffers from a limited enemy pool, underutilized mechanics, and an uneven pace. The narrative, set in a novel historical period with a dark twist, is only salvaged by smaller, emotionally charged vignettes, ultimately resulting in an uneven experience.
Valor Mortis Review
Valor Mortis is a novel soulslike game that is packed with interesting ideas, though they do not always work out smoothly. The game offers a unique take on the genre.
Valor Mortis review: An ambitious European spin on Souls-like
Valor Mortis offers an ambitious take on the Souls-like genre, blending challenging combat with a unique dark fantasy setting inspired by the Napoleonic Wars. Developed by One More Level, the game successfully integrates elements from their previous work like Ghostrunner, featuring responsive movement and satisfying combat, though some aspects like dialogue pacing and enemy AI can be frustrating.
This week in PC games: play a human-eating Katamari from outer space, take over a nature reserve in Planet Zoo 2, and battle Napoleonic body horror in Valor Mortis
This week in PC games features a variety of new and upcoming titles, including Planet Zoo 2, Valor Mortis with Napoleonic body horror, and a Katamari-like tentacle rolling game. Other notable mentions include a stealth game, a strategy game, a sheep herding simulator, and a space whale city builder.
Valor Mortis-genomgång visar de olika grafiklägena på konsol
Valor Mortis, a first-person soulslike game, will launch tomorrow. Developer One More Level has released a video detailing the game's performance modes on consoles. Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will feature Quality Mode (30 fps) and Performance Mode (60 fps), both targeting dynamic 4K. The Xbox Series S will also receive a 60 fps mode.
Surprising New PS5 Exclusive RPG Announced, Out Very Soon
A new PlayStation 5 console-exclusive action RPG, Prison of Husks, has been announced by developer Glass Head Dolls and publisher Wings. The game, inspired by PS2-era soulslikes, is set in a painted afterlife and will release on January 27, 2027, for PlayStation 5 and PC.
Evening Reading - October 8, 2026
This edition of Shacknews Evening Reading covers a variety of gaming news, including reviews for Order of the Sinking Star and Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, discussions on Phantom Blade Zero and Total War: Warhammer 3 DLC, and updates on Ultima IP rights. It also touches on Xbox's new film and TV division, Apple's upcoming event, a Cyberpunk 2077 movie in development, and Sony's AR/VR patent sales to Meta.
Phantom Blade Zero Won’t Respawn Enemies: “We Always Want Players to Experience Something New”
Phantom Blade Zero will not feature respawning enemies, a common mechanic in Souls-like games, as director Qiwei Liang wants players to experience new content and story progression. The Wuxia action RPG, set for release on October 29th for PlayStation 5 and PC, also distinguishes itself with a Sha-Chi combat system instead of a stamina bar. The game has garnered significant interest, surpassing three million wishlists.
