Mortal Shell II

Mortal Shell 2 is not only one of the best soulslikes ever released, but it also has the potential to spark small revolutions within the genre. The "shell" mechanic — which allows you to experiment with distinct classes throughout the game — is not only fun but also crucial for devising strategies during the campaign. The same applies to the associated abilities and subtle tweaks to traditional combat, such as the absence of a stamina bar.

Mortal Shell 2 is one of the best follow-up sequels to a game in a long time. It expands upon every single aspect of the first game, twists deeper into its metal roots, and hammers out the dents of the original title while retaining the same brutal, unforgiving gameplay Soulslike fanatics have come to masochistically enjoy. Mortal Shell 2 slays.

Mortal Shell 2 seems to be built for those who enjoyed the oppressive atmosphere and brutal combat of the first game but longed for greater depth. It retains the weight of the combat, the enigmatic narrative, and the punishing philosophy typical of the series, while expanding progression, situational variety, and freedom of action. It doesn't simply try to imitate Dark Souls or Elden Ring: it takes many ideas from classic Souls-like games, but continues to forge its own identity based on the harshness of the combat, the strategic use of Shells, and a world that feels more alive and independent than its predecessor. Let's sum it all up: do you like Souls? Buy it.

Despite minor quality-of-life drawbacks and a weaker final chapter, Mortal Shell 2 delivers a deeply immersive 40-hour journey driven by rewarding open exploration and distinct, impactful combat. It is a triumphant evolution over its predecessor that soulslike fans shouldn't miss.

Mortal Shell 2 isn’t a flawless sequel. However, it largely succeeds in taking the foundations of the first game and transforming them into a much larger, more varied and freer experience.

Mortal Shell 2 dramatically expands its soulslike scope with a haunting Lovecraftian dark-fantasy atmosphere, rewarding shell-based progression, and exceptionally brutal, varied combat executions. Vast environments and creative weapon options give the journey immense scale and distinct gameplay identity. However, confusing map design, tedious traversal mechanics, and unbalanced enemy damage frequently dampen the momentum, while severe frame drops and crashes hinder the PC technical performance. Despite these unpolished edges, its ambitious structural growth, striking artistic direction, and deep combat mechanics yield a compelling, highly immersive action experience for genre enthusiasts.

Mortal Shell II is an overly ambitious soulslike with an excess of mechanics and features that collide with one another, lacking cohesion and not quite grasping what makes the punishing genre satisfying to conquer in the first place. When it all comes together in a satisfying way, the experience shines, but getting to that point doesn't happen as often as it should.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

A solid 7/10 is a very fair score for what the game sets out to do: it completely nails the oppressive atmosphere and art direction, but carries enough rough edges to keep it from standing alongside the titans of the genre.

Mortal Shell 2 is a massive step up from its predecessor. The combat feels satisfyingly heavy and impactful, the different Shells and weapons are a lot of fun to experiment with, and the open world genuinely rewards exploration. Unfortunately, it still suffers from many of the same issues as the first game. The boss fights are incredibly frustrating and often feel more unfair than fun, enemy variety is severely lacking, and the map makes it far too easy to get completely lost instead of actually helping you figure out where to go. Despite its flaws, Mortal Shell 2 is definitely a step in the right direction for Cold Symmetry. I’m excited to see what they do with their next game!

boring. i played for 3 hours on inertia. when it crashed, i realized i didn’t really want to launch it again

After 20 hours, I've decided that this game just isn't going to be fun enough to finish. Exploration is punishing. It's hard to find a new beacon to start fully going through a new zone. I usually end up dying and having to work my way back. Enemies are always clustered in at least three and can't be pulled to strategically fight. Every battle turns into a chaotic mess because a whole group will aggro in concert. The player can't try to control the circumstances. The game just makes everything always attack at once. This is a false sense of difficulty. There is no saving at the start of dungeons. Player fight animations have made me fall off paths and cliffs countless times. I also get stuck in the terrain. After all this time, I still get odd moments of lag and crashes. Save your money and play something better developed and mechanically sound.