Valor Mortis Story Puts Napoleon's Voice in Your Head

The Valor Mortis story starts in a grave. You play William Dowsett, an Englishman who marched with Napoleon's Grande Armée and came back from the dead, infected by a plague that raises corpses. The infection comes with a passenger: Valor Mortis Napoleon, voiced by Vincent Cassel, talking to you from inside your own skull.

In our Valor Mortis review, Cassel's Napoleon was the part of the writing that carried everything else. This page explains who each character is, who voices them, and how much your choices change.

Valor Mortis Story Summary

• William Dowsett is a resurrected English volunteer with almost no memory of his past, caught between two voices in his head.

• Vincent Cassel voices Napoleon, who talks to William like a father to a son.

• The Shrike leads the rebel resistance, and her voice (Jennifer English) joins Napoleon's partway through the campaign.

• The Valor Mortis voice cast is English-only at launch.

• There is one ending. Choices change dialogue, side quest outcomes and rewards, and the final result stays the same.

Who Is William Dowsett?

William Dowsett is the player character, a young Englishman who lost faith in the monarchy and volunteered for Napoleon, drawn by the idea of a unified Europe. He wakes on a battlefield with almost no memory of who he was. James Alexander voices him.

Napoleon's advance has stalled in occupied Eastern Europe, and a plague is turning corpses into monsters. William carries the same corruption, which is why he walked out of his grave and why he can hear the Emperor. The Steam page sets the goal: find the truth behind the plague and your own resurrection.

Answers come slowly. The game holds back the why for a long stretch, and most of the context sits in William's journal, which logs enemies, places, and lore as you go. Skip the notes, and the plot feels thinner than it is.

Valor Mortis Napoleon and The Shrike Fight for William

Valor Mortis Napoleon speaks to William like a father to a son, and he wants that son to crush the rebel resistance. Cassel plays the warmth straight. The longer you listen, the more unsettling it gets.

Cassel told AFP the role struck a chord with him thanks to his Corsican origins, Napoleon's birthplace. In the game's promotional film, he recalls his grandmother and aunt calling the Emperor a cousin of the family.

The Shrike pulls William the other way. She is a rebel fighter with exceptional strength who answers to no authority and fights for the people living under Imperial occupation. She has her own plans for William, too, and partway through the story her voice joins Napoleon's in his head.

So which voice do you follow when both sound convinced? From then on, William has two people arguing over what he should do, and our review found the second half of the campaign tenser for it.

Valor Mortis Voice Cast and Supporting Characters

One More Level announced the Valor Mortis voice cast on September 30, two weeks before launch.

James Stewart enlisted for glory and Scotland's freedom. A skilled weaponsmith, he runs a weapon bench at the survivors' hideout. He also claims absolute loyalty to the Emperor, and the studio's own description hints the story will test that.

Lucjan Skawiński is a veteran who left fighting behind. He marks safe havens with lamps that never run out of oil (the lanterns that act as checkpoints), and he talks in ambiguous sayings that leave most survivors uneasy.

Full voice acting is English-only, with interface and subtitles in 13 other languages. A fully voiced French version didn't make launch. In its official Steam news posts, the studio says it wants to add one later and is asking players for feedback.

The Mice and How Your Choices Play Out

The Mice are a band of orphans with their own side story, and our reviewer's favorite part of the writing. They keep track of how you treat them. Friendly answers and finished favors build goodwill. Earn enough of it, and the Mice help you during a later escape, then hand over a key that opens a shortcut near the end.

You also choose whether to be honest or secretive with James, how to answer Lucjan when he asks if you remember, and how a few side quests end. These choices set story flags, change dialogue, and swap some rewards. There is one ending to the Valor Mortis story, and nothing you pick changes it. The main campaign closes on a cliffhanger that points toward more to come.

A major story DLC is due in 2027 and comes with the Deluxe Edition. The studio describes it as a separate side story that goes deeper into the world and its characters.

FAQs About Valor Mortis Story

Final Words

The Valor Mortis story works best as a tug of war. The plague mystery is slow and leans on journal entries, but the moment The Shrike starts arguing with Napoleon inside William's head, the campaign finds its purpose.

Go in expecting a single ending. Your choices color the people around William more than the outcome, so play the side content for its own sake.

Nobody outside the studio knows yet where the cliffhanger leads. The 2027 DLC is billed as a side story, so a direct follow-up may have to wait for something bigger. A French dub, if it arrives, would at least let Napoleon speak French.

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