Reviewed on: PC
Code provided by the publisher.
I’ve been tracking Valor Mortis since it first surfaced, and I’ve played just about every demo build the team has put in front of the public including Summer Game Fest, PAX, to name a few. So getting my hands on the finished thing came with a lot of built-up anticipation and the small fear that goes with it. The good news is that the full version delivers on what those demos were promising, and then some.
I won’t spoil the story, but it’s more intriguing than I expected going in. It deals with war, horror, and what people become under both, and it finds room for a surprising amount in between. The gameplay is a first person soulslike, which is still an unusual combination, and it mostly works. Not always. There are moments where the perspective fights the design rather than serving it. But the hits land with weight, the fights demand your attention, and when it clicks it’s genuinely excellent.
This is definitely one of those games were there were constant highs and lows but mostly highs and I still think this is one of the best surprises of 2026, which has already been packed with insanely good games.
The real star here is the presentation. This game is stunning to look at and even better to listen to. I took hundreds of screenshots during my playthrough, which is not something I normally do, and every level handed me something new to gawk at. The way it moves between light and darkness is constant and deliberate, and it never stops being striking.
That’s right. I won’t stop there and the included screenshots are just a small taste of the incredible sights you’ll see in your journey ranging from dark caves, corpse-strewn battlefield, beautiful forest and poisonous swamps to name a few. This is one of the most gorgeous games I’ve ever played. It’s that good.
The talented devs didn’t stop there. The music is excellent, the sound design does enormous work building dread, and the voice cast is genuinely star studded in a way that most games this size could never manage. Jennifer English, Vincent Cassel and more! All of it together creates something that sticks with you after you put the controller down.
Verdict
In the end, this an unforgettable journey crafted by a passionate dev team, There are constant moments of awe and pure delight, and if we scored in decimals, this would be an 8.9 for me. The score does have to be tempered a bit by some jank: the dog enemies are absolutely horrible, as can be the particular misery of being surrounded by multiple attackers in first person and some falling into odd spaces. But the good here outweighs the rough by a comfortable margin with this stunning and unique modern masterpiece, and at $39.99, this is an easy recommendation.
Support this game and this team. They’ve earned it.
