Valor Mortis Postponed
One More Level Delays Valor Mortis to October 13 Amid Crowded September Schedule
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Key Points
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One More Level confirmed that actor **Vincent Cassel** will star as **Napoleon** (with the report noting roles such as *Black Swan*, *Ocean’s Twelve*, and *Tekken 8*).
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Publisher **Lyrical Games** head **Blake Rochkind** said the original **September 24** date “looked like a very, very clear date” at first, but “very quickly it became not such a clear date,” and added that the move was decided when **Control Resonant** was revealed to also be arriving on September 24.
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Steam demo details were more specific than just “feedback”: it includes **two chapters**—a grim battlefield segment introducing the core combat system, and a mid-game level where William uses his **transmutation powers** to traverse a **destroyed bridge to the Lighthouse**.
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The Steam demo segment (including the Lighthouse traversal) is described as featuring a **“steeper difficulty curve,”** positioning it as a preview of the higher-challenge pacing players can expect at launch.
One More Level has pushed its first-person soulslike RPG Valor Mortis back by 19 days, moving from September 24 to October 13, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. GamingBolt reports the studio blamed an "absolutely stacked" September, with publisher Lyrical Games head Blake Rochkind admitting the original date "looked like a very, very clear date" — until it wasn't.
The final straw came on June 2, when Remedy Entertainment revealed its sequel Control Resonant would also launch on September 24. "As soon as Control announced September 24th, we knew we were moving the date," Rochkind said, according to The Sixth Axis.
A Crowded September Forced the Studio's Hand
The problem started at the summer showcase season. One More Level locked in September 24 for the Xbox Games Showcase on June 7 — days after Sony had already put Control Resonant on the same date. RPGamer notes that dates are effectively fixed weeks before these events, leaving little room to react once a competitor lands on your window.
September 24 wasn't just busy — it was a three-way pile-up. Control Resonant, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Hot Wheels: Infinite Rush all shared the date. The wider September calendar also includes Marvel's Wolverine on September 15 and The Blood of Dawnwalker on September 3. The studio chose to step aside rather than fight for attention in that crowd.
GTA 6's Shadow Is Reshaping the Entire Fall Window
The deeper force behind the chaos is Grand Theft Auto VI, set for November 19, 2026. Developers across the industry have been fleeing to September and October to avoid its shadow. That flight has made both months unusually packed. TBreak reports One More Level specifically wants to give Valor Mortis "room to breathe" — a phrase that doubles as a nod to player wallet fatigue.
October 13 is not without risk either. Gears of War: E-Day lands on October 6, and Planet Zoo 2 shares the exact same October 13 date as Valor Mortis. Still, VPEsports notes the studio sees the move as a smarter bet than a direct same-day clash with a Remedy sequel.
Steam Demo Reveals Two Chapters — and a Tough Lighthouse Gauntlet
One More Level released a playable Steam demo on June 7 alongside the Xbox showcase. It contains two chapters. The first drops players onto a grim Napoleonic battlefield and teaches the core combat: parries, dashes, and visceral finishers. The second is a mid-game level where protagonist William uses transmutation powers — grappling, wall-running, and swinging — to cross a destroyed bridge to a Lighthouse.
That Lighthouse segment is the harder of the two. TBreak describes it as featuring a "steeper difficulty curve," and Steam forum feedback has been divided on the spike. The studio will use player data from both chapters to tune the game before October 13.
Vincent Cassel Stars as Napoleon in an Alternate 19th-Century Europe
Valor Mortis is set in an alternate version of Napoleon's Europe, ravaged by a supernatural plague called the nephtoglobin. Players control William, a soldier resurrected from the dead inside the Grande Armée. The game's biggest casting news: French actor Vincent Cassel — known for Black Swan, Ocean's Twelve, and his voice role in Tekken 8 — plays Napoleon Bonaparte.
Cassel voices Napoleon as a "disembodied" presence guiding William through the conspiracy at the heart of the story. For a new IP from an indie publisher, the attachment of a César Award-winning actor is a significant statement. VPEsports calls it a major draw for players who want story and atmosphere alongside the soulslike challenge.
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