One More Level has released "The Crimson Plague," a new gameplay trailer for Valor Mortis that shifts the tone from open battlefield chaos to claustrophobic survival horror. The footage introduces a new level set in a village at night, alongside a grotesque boss that perfectly encapsulates the game's blend of history and the supernatural.
A Darker Shade of History
The new level takes place in a suffocatingly tight village environment shrouded in darkness. What stands out here isn't just the lighting, but the narrative context. The protagonist, William, isn't just fighting monsters; he is witnessing evidence of potential war crimes committed by his fellow soldiers. This narrative layer adds a gritty, uncomfortable realism to the setting, grounding the horror in the brutality of Napoleonic occupation before introducing the supernatural elements.
New Threats: The Relentless and Cannonhand
The trailer expands the bestiary significantly. We see feral, mutated villagers who likely serve as the fodder enemies for this area, swarming the player in tight alleyways. However, the real threat comes from the elites.
"The Relentless" is a new enemy type wielding a massive greatsword. Based on the footage, this enemy seems designed to test your spacing and parry timing, acting as a heavy hitter that punishes panicked movement.
The highlight, however, is the reveal of a major boss: Sergeant Gaspard "Cannonhand" Dubois. As the name implies, he is a horrific fusion of flesh and 19th-century artillery. This design choice confirms that Valor Mortis is leaning heavily into body horror, merging the era's technology with the undead curse in creative ways.
What do the playtest stats suggest?
Alongside the visual reveal, the developers shared the first round of playtest statistics focusing on encounter attempts and death rates. While specific numbers weren't broken down in the press release, the emphasis on these stats suggests that One More Level is tuning the difficulty to be punishing. If "The Relentless" is causing high death spikes in testing, players should expect a steep learning curve when entering these new zones.