Critics agree the parry-driven sword combat in this first-person Soulslike is excellent, but split on its guns, parkour and slow first half.
About this review roundup: GAME MODE has not playtested this game. This is original analysis of the credited reviews and official information below, researched November 2, 2026. The displayed 7.0/10 is the equally weighted average of these two critics’ scores, converted to ten and rounded to one decimal. It is not a GAME MODE playtest score or a comprehensive review aggregate.
Released: October 13, 2026 (day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass). Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S.
A first-person Soulslike with guns
Valor Mortis, developed by One More Level and published by Lyrical Games, released on October 13 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and arrived day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass according to Xbox Wire. You play William Dowsett, and both critics below played on PC and describe about 20 hours of play.
Swordplay first
On the fundamentals, the two reviews agree. Matt Wales at Eurogamer describes a familiar first-person Soulslike at the start, with lanterns, flasks, currency you can lose and parries that break posture, and says the swordplay stays thrilling across about 20 hours. The parry-focused rapier became his main weapon. Alessandro Barbosa at GameSpot praises the same snappy first-person combat, with tight, satisfying parries and varied executions.
They also share two complaints:
- The story: Wales calls it a predictable “are we the baddies?” tale. Barbosa finds William Dowsett’s story predictable and hollow, although short environmental echoes of civilian suffering work well.
- Enemy variety: Wales notes late-game enemy repetition and reused environments. Barbosa calls the enemy pool shallow.
Guns, parkour and everything else
The split is over what surrounds the sword. For Wales, the extras lift it above a standard Soulslike, and in his words it is “a bloody good time.” He says guns change the pace: free-aim shots at randomly placed Red Plague pustules break enemy defences and create a run-and-gun rhythm. He enjoys the Ghostrunner-style parkour of wall-runs, grapples and conjured ledges, the beautiful, shortcut-rich levels and a light Metroidvania structure. He also finds it more forgiving than expected and praises imaginative bosses, though he thinks too much reliance on Soulslike conventions holds it back.
Barbosa’s review headline says it “tries too much.” He rarely swapped weapons or spells: the starting saber was enough, the claymore arrives late and can’t parry, and two of the three spells feel clunky. Cart-chase platforming and tutorial set pieces add to a sense that it lacks focus, while forgiving checkpoints drain tension. He finds the opening hours linear and forgettable, though the second half’s hub-like towns and catacombs are much better.
Worth a Game Pass download?
Our reading is that both critics would point a sword-combat fan toward Valor Mortis. The 8/10 and 6/10 split, on our converted scale, comes down to whether its guns, parkour and spells feel like a toolkit or a distraction. Day-one Game Pass availability makes it easy for subscribers to find out for themselves. If you are paying, Barbosa’s note that the second half is much stronger than the opening is worth keeping in mind. And if you want a strict, conventional Soulslike, note that Wales sees its reliance on those conventions as one of the things holding it back, not a selling point.
Cited scores and sources
Calculation: (8.0 + 6.0) ÷ 2 = 7.0/10, rounded. These are selected reviews, not every published score.
For a wider view, OpenCritic listed a Top Critic Average of 79 for the game when we checked on November 2, 2026.
Official game information and artwork source. Image: Lyrical Games / One More Level.
The Verdict: Mixed reception
Average of the cited critic scores, normalized to 10. See the methodology and individual scores above.
