The new Valor Mortis demo from One More Level is already swinging harder than most full releases with its hook-grappling traversal and crisp saber parries that make first-person soulslike combat feel dangerously fun. Ghostrunner devs trading neon katanas for Napoleonic undead meat and flesh magic is paying off in wallrunning sequences and transmutation powers that turn the second demo level into a vertical slaughterhouse toward that lighthouse. Steam reviews sit at Mixed after hotfixes dropped DLSS back in and squashed crashes, while players on X are calling parries satisfying and the final boss a banger even as performance stutters remind everyone this is still alpha.

September 24 launch on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S with day-one Game Pass and physical editions pre-ordering now gives One More Level a narrow window to polish before it lands between bigger September titles. Vincent Cassel voicing Napoleon adds a nice layer of historical horror absurdity to the conspiracy plot, and the demo's two levels already show Metroidvania-style ability gating and optional exploration rewards. The studio's posting regular hotfixes and begging for feedback like they actually give a damn.

This could be the breakout first-person soulslike the genre needs or another ambitious mess that gets ratio'd on launch day. Either way the demo proves the hook exists and the parries slap hard enough to make you want the full thing before the competition buries it.