Gladio Mori – Fully Armed And Dangerously Unhinged
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There are plenty of fighting games where landing a few punches is enough to turn the tide of battle. Gladio Mori takes a rather more permanent approach.
After spending a bit of time in Steam Early Access, the physics-driven gladiator fighter has now reached Version 1.0, launching on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Steam for £16.74.
Developed by Plebeian Studio and published by Bonus Stage Publishing, Gladio Mori is built around realistic weapons, tactical combat and a damage system that has absolutely no interest in keeping things tidy. It also lets players design their own attacks, meaning the arena can be home to carefully crafted swordplay one moment and somebody spinning uncontrollably towards their doom the next.
At A Glance
- Game: Gladio Mori
- Formats: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC/Steam
- Price: £16.74
- Publisher: Bonus Stage Publishing
- Developer: Plebeian Studio
- Genre: Physics-Driven Fighting Game
Forget Health Bars – Watch Your Limbs
Gladio Mori’s combat system is built around damage to individual body parts rather than a traditional health bar.
An injured muscle can weaken your attacks, a severed artery can cause you to bleed out and a strike to a vital area can end the fight immediately. Losing an arm also means losing whatever weapon was attached to it, while damage to the legs can leave an opponent struggling to move.
It’s a brutal system, but one that makes every swing matter. Charging into a heavily armoured opponent isn’t necessarily going to end well, particularly when plate armour can block attacks and leave you searching for an opening.
Further, weapons and armour behave according to their physical properties, so brute force isn’t always the smartest approach. Finding a weak point beneath the protection could be considerably more effective than repeatedly hitting metal and hoping for the best.
That emphasis on precision gives Gladio Mori a tactical edge, even when the fights descend into the sort of chaos you’d expect from a physics-driven gladiator game.
Build Your Own Fighting Style
The game’s most unusual feature might be its moveset editor.
Players can take direct control of their gladiator’s body and create attacks from scratch, shaping animations frame by frame. You can design practical and efficient moves, recreate attacks inspired by films and games, or simply experiment with something that looks completely ridiculous.
Those creations can then be tested in the arena and shared with the wider community through mod.io. Players can use complete movesets or borrow individual attacks to build a style of their own.
The community has already played a significant role in shaping Gladio Mori, with moveset contests, tournaments and a growing library of user-created content. Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 players can also access community skins, movesets and maps directly through the game.
Four-Player Battles And Crossplay
Gladio Mori supports online battles for up to four players, with crossplay connecting Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC. Local split-screen multiplayer is also available for those who prefer to settle their gladiatorial disputes on the same sofa.
There is a single-player mode too, providing a place to practise your combat skills before stepping into the arena against other players. Given the game’s unforgiving damage system, a little preparation might be wise.
A Community-Built Gladiator Game
The full launch follows a productive Early Access period, during which Gladio Mori sold more than 100,000 copies and attracted over 1,000 Steam reviews rated Very Positive.
At £16.74 from the Xbox Store (or also available on the PlayStation Store), Gladio Mori offers something distinctly different from the usual fighting game formula. Its combination of realistic armour, body-part damage, player-created moves and physics-driven combat could produce some genuinely impressive victories – alongside a fair few spectacularly unfortunate deaths.
- Tags
- pc
- Playstation 5
- Xbox Series X