Steam is home to a myriad of games, many of which must be purchased in order to play. This includes what Assassin’s Creed games are available on the platform, such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows. If Sony were to release the PlayStation-exclusive Bloodborne on Steam, then the game would be pay-to-play as well.
With that in mind, Steam still has a plethora of great free-to-play titles, some of which compete against the likes of Assassin’s Creed and Bloodborne. Among these games is Valor Mortis, an upcoming FPS title that seeks to combine the best of the two.
Valor Mortis Is an Honorable Soulslike Game
Valor Mortis is an Action RPG, which means the game shares more DNA with Bloodborne than with any given Assassin’s Creed game. This is especially true of the game’s combat system, which emphasizes dodging enemy attacks. Here, players can parry enemy attacks by striking back with melee weapons or use ranged weapons to shoot enemies.
Another similarity Valor Mortis has with Bloodborne is the ability to upgrade one’s stats via magical abilities. Instead of the Blood Echoes system found in Bloodborne — which is also used in the Dark Souls games — Valor Mortis has players unlock transmutations, which grant them new abilities, including being able to deal more damage to enemies.
In addition, the game has a Catalyst system that can be used to upgrade one’s stats. As one may infer, Valor Mortis has plenty in common with Bloodborne, although that doesn’t mean the former isn’t taking inspiration from the Assassin’s Creed games as well. While they are different genres—Valor Mortis is an action RPG and Assassin’s Creed is an action-adventure— they both have one thing in common: their alternate history settings.
Valor Mortis is set in a fictionalized version of Eastern Europe during the Napoleonic era in the early nineteenth century. Napoleon’s long war has taken its toll, and a supernatural plague now threatens to engulf the rest of Europe. The only hope Napoleon and Europe have for survival is British soldier William, who has just been resurrected and is now part of Napoleon’s Grande Armée.
He has to somehow stop this plague from spreading further, all the while mowing down what were once his trustworthy comrades, who have all turned into zombies under mysterious circumstances.
Valor Mortis Won’t Have to Chase Ghosts
Valor Mortis is being developed by Polish video game studio One More Level. The studio is best known for the Ghostrunner series of action-platforming games. To a lesser extent, One More Level is also known for 2019’s God’s Trigger, a hack-and-slash title with top-down shooter elements.
Meanwhile, the game is being published by Lyrical Games, a subsidiary of Lyrical Media. This marks the company’s first venture into video gaming, with its output previously in film and animation. Ironically, this includes the upcoming Bloodborne animated adaptation, which is in co-production with Columbia Pictures and PlayStation Productions — both owned by Sony, no less.
The game is set to be one of the first titles released by Lyrical Games; other titles include Plot Twist’s Erosion, as well as two unnamed games being developed by Blackbird Interactive and The Chinese Room. The good news for both One More Level and Lyrical Games is that they won’t have to chase ghosts for Valor Mortis to succeed.
Valor Mortis will release on October 13, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The one thing that can be certain about the game at this very moment is that its blending of elements from games like the Assassin’s Creed series and Bloodborne will make for a chaotic and energetic gaming experience relative to anything One More Level, let alone Lyrical Games, has made up until this point.
The game’s plot is shaping up to be epic, and the gameplay, if it bears repeating, is innovative enough to garner attention. Given the right circumstances, Valor Mortis may end up a contender for 2026’s game of the year, or at least one of the year’s best.
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Bloodborne
- Released
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March 24, 2015
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
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From Software
- Publisher(s)
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Sony
- Engine
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Havok
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
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ps4,ps5
- Cross Save
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yes
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Assassin’s Creed
- Released
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November 14, 2007
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher(s)
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Ubisoft
- Engine
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anvilnext, havok, scimitar
- Sequel(s)
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Assassin’s Creed 2
- Number of Players
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Single Player
