Napoleonic soulslike Valor Mortis is playable right now, and it's looking good

Valor Mortis reminds me of turnips. Let me explain. I've recently got very into a tabletop game called Turnip28, which presents an alternate history where the world is infected by a strange root. The eponymous turnips are the most common tuberous vegetable to build your Napoleonic-era soldiers out of, but I've got a squad of garlic-headed riflemen and a cannon protruding from a toad's mouth. Valor Mortis also offers this grotesque approach to the 19th-century battlefields, but I didn't expect to be playing it quite so soon. With a full release slated for 2026, the current playtest is our best chance at seeing what's in store.

Turnips aside, Valor Mortis looks excellent. I've got a love-hate relationship with soulslike games, less due to their innate difficulty and more because of the distinct lack of a pause button. As a parent of young children, my gaming time is often interrupted. If I can't pause, I can't play the game.

That said, I love the designs of the genre. I live vicariously through friends and colleagues, devouring the gruesome designs without prejudice. From behemoths like Elden Ring to souls-lites like Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn (another Napoleonic affair), the creativity in the genre is astounding.

Valor Mortis hooked me from the very first trailer. I was paying attention to whatever the Ghostrunner devs would do next anyway, but a masked Napoleonic soldier mutating into an horrific creature in the midst of battle? Sign me right up.

I've only played a few minutes of the playtest so far, but it's living up to the premise of the trailer. With a trusty saber at my side, I slashed through the viscera of the opening sequence in an immensely satisfying fashion. It seems like this is the same demo that PCGamesN's News Editor, Lauren, played at Gamescom, which makes me all the more excited to get my hands on it after her glowing Valor Mortis preview.

The Valor Mortis playtest is available today, October 7, from the official website or from Wednesday, October 8 on Steam. You can download it here, and find the Steam page here.

If you, like me, can't wait to dive in this evening, make sure to check out some of the best single-player games for more grim fun. Our list of the best action games also contains some gems.

Are you playing Valor Mortis early? Let us know in our community Discord server, where staff and readers discuss the latest gaming news over hearty turnip stews.