Ever since I sold my plasma to buy a copy of Bloodborne back in 2015 (college — wild times!), I’ve been a big Soulslike guy. The challenge, the triumph, the opacity, the bounty of “OH SHIT” moments — I can’t get enough of them. Yet, until the recently released Valor Mortis, I’ve never played a Soulslike in first-person point of view, which is usually associated with a subsection of shooters.
Now that I’ve spent some time fighting the plagued soldiers of Napoleon’s army in Valor Mortis, I’m not sold on its first-person Soulslike bona fides. The difficulty is there, as is the annoying “lose your XP on death” mechanic. But it doesn’t quite translate that distinct combat experience to first-person, and instead shows the limitations of such an endeavor.
Most Soulslikes are played in third-person, a janky camera positioned behind your character. Combat typically involves hacking at opponents with a melee weapon while dodge-rolling to avoid their blows. Sometimes magic or a robot arm, like in Lies of P, offers variety and new ways of tackling opponents.
There’s also a spatial awareness necessary to Soulslike combat that Valor Mortis just can’t capture in first-person. Picture it: You’re wandering through the dusty halls of a Dark Souls castle when you’re overrun by a group of skeletons, any of whom could easily send you back to a bonfire. You dodge-roll out of their way to get into an advantageous position, where you have a clear line of sight on enemies.
Because of its first-person POV, Valor Mortis can’t replicate that. A single enemy may take up the majority of my screen once I get up close and personal to attack him, meaning I have no way to keep an eye on any of his buddies who are also trying to cut me in half. Some zombie-like foes will attack you from blindspots in similar ways to a FromSoftware joint, but an on-screen indicator that an attack is coming lessens the impact.
That indicator is almost an admission from developer One More Level that it can’t translate the necessary spatial awareness. Any attempt at keeping track of foes goes out the window during certain heavy attacks. Player character William doesn’t have the largest arsenal, so I’ve mostly been using the parry-focused rapier in battle.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
