Mortal Shell

 PC
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 428 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 191 out of 428
  2. Mixed: 121 out of 428
  3. Negative: 116 out of 428

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  1. Dominion
    Sep 2, 2020
    10
    Понравилась боевая система. Анимация !!! Дизайн персонажей .
    Хотелось бы онлайн побегать с друзьями и дизайн локаций побогаче . Но и на том большое спасибо авторам.
    Неожиданно приятная игра .
  2. Traxillion
    Aug 31, 2020
    5
    A good souls-like with a bunch of cool mechanics is ruined by a plethora of "cheap" damage set-pieces and slow combat.
  3. DrKrimel
    Aug 30, 2020
    6
    I liked this game. The setting and graphics are great, and the combat is also pretty good. But it's very repetitive, because there are so little diversity in enemy design. In Fallgrim, there are literally 3 different enemies.
    And then there is the problem with the healing. It's a difference between hard game play and unfair game play. The parrying sometimes does not work well, and it's    I liked this game. The setting and graphics are great, and the combat is also pretty good. But it's very repetitive, because there are so little diversity in enemy design. In Fallgrim, there are literally 3 different enemies.
    And then there is the problem with the healing. It's a difference between hard game play and unfair game play. The parrying sometimes does not work well, and it's nearly the only chance to heal yourself. That is unfair and not hard.

    I liked it, buy it on sale.    … Expand
  4. TheWoodOne
    Aug 30, 2020
    4
    I am a huge dark souls fan so was exited to play this game. Combat is fine but its super easy to cheese everything with your hardening. All the mobs are just littered randomly in the area and servers no pupose just to sometimes block u from running past cause fighting them is soo fcking tedious with no real healing or so. Maps are mazes and are super hard to navigate because they are tooI am a huge dark souls fan so was exited to play this game. Combat is fine but its super easy to cheese everything with your hardening. All the mobs are just littered randomly in the area and servers no pupose just to sometimes block u from running past cause fighting them is soo fcking tedious with no real healing or so. Maps are mazes and are super hard to navigate because they are too big and in my opinion its because of lack of content so u run around just to pass play time. Bosses soooooooo boooooring. Beat every boss in the game first time because they use same 2 or 3 moves over and over. Not a chalange at all unless u fall asleep with how big of a health pool they have. Plot twitst predictable af and i knew it was coming ages ago. The only plus of this game is its atmosphere and graphics. Over all 6-8h of playtime just because u get lost a lot and maps are big.… Expand
  5. KlosHax
    Aug 29, 2020
    5
    Doesn't reach the original From Software game quality but for a low budget game it has really cool mechanics ( hardening and shell mechanic most importantly) and graphics make you feel like you are playing a souls game but enemy variety is low and boss fights are not epic and generally boring they keep repeating same moves in the same order And i think boss fights are the essence for aDoesn't reach the original From Software game quality but for a low budget game it has really cool mechanics ( hardening and shell mechanic most importantly) and graphics make you feel like you are playing a souls game but enemy variety is low and boss fights are not epic and generally boring they keep repeating same moves in the same order And i think boss fights are the essence for a souls-like game… Expand
  6. Morphed
    Aug 29, 2020
    9
    Everything's awsome. Learning how to defeat a enemy is fun and not that hard to figure out. Concept of shells and hardening is entirely new experience (though it's best to master one shell and weapon because of scare upgrade resources). Combat is easy to master except one thing. Parrying. It's the single core mechanic I didn't get a hold on till end. The parry window is extremely small andEverything's awsome. Learning how to defeat a enemy is fun and not that hard to figure out. Concept of shells and hardening is entirely new experience (though it's best to master one shell and weapon because of scare upgrade resources). Combat is easy to master except one thing. Parrying. It's the single core mechanic I didn't get a hold on till end. The parry window is extremely small and is different for different enemies. Playing on kb and mouse so I am not sure about controller. Playing as Solomon without able to parry attacks and use resolve gives nothing but frustration. Though dodge and harden take care of defensive so I rarely find a need to parry.… Expand
  7. nintoddlersnoy
    Aug 28, 2020
    7
    The game is good, but its nothing to write home about.

    Good: -fun, weighty combat. -Weapons are diverse and fun to use -great graphics -feels good to play -Hardening mechanic is fun -some really cool bosses Bad: -Short, even for a $30 game but this is offset by potential replay value if you want to try other shells/weapons or ng+ -bosses only have like 3-4 moves/strings -big    The game is good, but its nothing to write home about.

    Good:
    -fun, weighty combat.
    -Weapons are diverse and fun to use
    -great graphics
    -feels good to play
    -Hardening mechanic is fun
    -some really cool bosses

    Bad:
    -Short, even for a $30 game but this is offset by potential replay value if you want to try other shells/weapons or ng+
    -bosses only have like 3-4 moves/strings
    -big quality drop for the last 2 bosses

    all in all I dont regret buying or playing this game. In hindsight though, I would wait for a price drop. This would be a steal at $15, but in a world where you can get DS2 and Bloodborne for $20-$30 its hard to argue its worth the full price. I will be purchasing the sequel of DLC if it is released.    … Expand
  8. FoxHound88
    Aug 28, 2020
    9
    I've played all the "souls" games, and games similar to them. I say this because this game is inspired by the series. I really enjoyed the experience. It does get easier by the end, but for me as a casual souls player the ramp up in the strength of my character was a good thing. sometimes i have to give the souls games a break because it becomes almost too hard. I'd say this is a good gameI've played all the "souls" games, and games similar to them. I say this because this game is inspired by the series. I really enjoyed the experience. It does get easier by the end, but for me as a casual souls player the ramp up in the strength of my character was a good thing. sometimes i have to give the souls games a break because it becomes almost too hard. I'd say this is a good game to start your journey in this type of game format. It's hard, but not to the point of making you want to cry. The game is very polished, and brings some unique features to the genre. This was made by a 15 person staff, and because of that this game really deserves a very high rating.… Expand
  9. Bazzalinko
    Aug 27, 2020
    8
    Positives - challenging combat initially but rewarding when you master it
    - atmosphere is unique, the synth background sounds are interesting
    - 0 exposition
    - the item lore mechanic is very cool

    Negatives
    - 10-12 hour game - no soundtrack
    - the assassin shell is OP/cheese
    - fighting the same boss 4 times is kinda lame
  10. ClarkKunt
    Aug 26, 2020
    6
    I managed to finish the game in 7 hours and most of the time I was just mad and I was not enjoying myself. Some of the levels were interesting and atmosphere was great.. but boss design, enemy placement and slow and stiff combat with questionable hitboxes turned this interesting and in many ways inovative game (harden mechanic, etc.) into very mixed bag experience. Not great, not terrible.I managed to finish the game in 7 hours and most of the time I was just mad and I was not enjoying myself. Some of the levels were interesting and atmosphere was great.. but boss design, enemy placement and slow and stiff combat with questionable hitboxes turned this interesting and in many ways inovative game (harden mechanic, etc.) into very mixed bag experience. Not great, not terrible. Possible spoiler alert ahead: Last boss is probably the worst designed fight in any game I have ever played in my life, pure laziness.… Expand
  11. Zer0TheHer0
    Aug 26, 2020
    0
    Unplayable because of buggy and amateurish keybinding options.

    If I change the "move left key", the key I chose gets instead bound to "move right". So there's no way in game to move left.

    This is shameful. Learn to program a simple keybinding option.
  12. Ugot
    Aug 26, 2020
    2
    Can`t get back to Fallgrim after enslaved Grisha? can`t switch shell, can`t switch weapon, can`t try other road, can`t empower my weapons and shells, forced to try Tarsus again and again and again, i know i can kill him without shells and weapon upgrades, but what is the reason to force and imprison me? that is poor design that broken game feeling for me. i `dont want to restart and iCan`t get back to Fallgrim after enslaved Grisha? can`t switch shell, can`t switch weapon, can`t try other road, can`t empower my weapons and shells, forced to try Tarsus again and again and again, i know i can kill him without shells and weapon upgrades, but what is the reason to force and imprison me? that is poor design that broken game feeling for me. i `dont want to restart and i don`t want to be forced to do anything in game. it has to be fixed… Expand
  13. divine_skolix
    Aug 26, 2020
    7
    A true must for the souls-like addict!
    Certainly flawed with some areas being bugged making the framerate drop even in medium settings.
    Definitely more forgiving than DS/Bloodborne. Very few bosses. Could use some more sub bosses as well. Overall great deal for 30Euros/Dollars They should fix the floor in some areas. I was winning the final boss till i dropped in the abyss. If the    A true must for the souls-like addict!
    Certainly flawed with some areas being bugged making the framerate drop even in medium settings.
    Definitely more forgiving than DS/Bloodborne.
    Very few bosses. Could use some more sub bosses as well.
    Overall great deal for 30Euros/Dollars
    They should fix the floor in some areas. I was winning the final boss till i dropped in the abyss.
    If the game gets patched, i think it will be a much better experience. But a job well done!    … Expand
  14. Hectic
    Aug 25, 2020
    9
    Excellent artistic vision & implementation coupled with frantic combat. Many design choices, like very few checkpoints and very large maps, makes gameplay even more anxious and unforgiving compared to most soulslike games. Combat includes usual lot of attacks, combos, weapon skills, parry & riposte, plus a unique, recharging one-hit-invulnerability ability. Four classes with distinctExcellent artistic vision & implementation coupled with frantic combat. Many design choices, like very few checkpoints and very large maps, makes gameplay even more anxious and unforgiving compared to most soulslike games. Combat includes usual lot of attacks, combos, weapon skills, parry & riposte, plus a unique, recharging one-hit-invulnerability ability. Four classes with distinct abilities and skills provides even more variety. Overall, Mortal Shell is a surprisingly good AAA game from an indie studio.… Expand
  15. PuriSpeedwagon
    Aug 25, 2020
    9
    This is by far the best game of 2020 for me so far, we still have Cyberpunk coming up. As a souls fan since Demon Soul's, this is the best Soul's-like game I have played. I hope they add more to the game through DLC in the near future because I need more.
  16. dump0
    Aug 25, 2020
    6
    I'll give you a honest review about this game from all the Souls-like I've played this is in the mid-field. The visual and details are great, the hardening mechanic is fun and overall it feels of good quality like an actual Studio was working on it.

    Now to the bad things: They tried to create something similar to a Dark Souls hub like Dark Souls 2 that allows you to choose were you want    I'll give you a honest review about this game from all the Souls-like I've played this is in the mid-field. The visual and details are great, the hardening mechanic is fun and overall it feels of good quality like an actual Studio was working on it.

    Now to the bad things: They tried to create something similar to a Dark Souls hub like Dark Souls 2 that allows you to choose were you want to go which I'm a huge fan of but I kid you not they implemented at least 6-8 entries which all start to spread again - after only a few minutes you're hyper lost - in this game and have absolutely no feeling where you are even backtracking becomes an adventure. The worst is you don't even know if you walk remotely in the right direction that is because regardless where you go the enemies hit like a god damn truck. Then you notice you don't even know what exactly you are looking for and ultimately just wander around with way too few heals while the enemy usually 2-4 shot you.

    I'll give you a brief introduction how my game went: Tutorial into hub area where you can literally go in any of the 24 directions, I ended up in a swamp where some frog jumped at me and I was poisoned, I go into the inventory but wait I can't see what my items do because you have to use them at least 10 times to know the effect, turns out I have something that sounds like anti poison, I take it, I get poisoned even harder, turns out I have to intentional poison myself to get 10 usage knowledge just to make this item into anti poison, unfortunately I didn't have 10 of these so I couldn't proceed because the poison kills you hard. My other time went just as well, I go to the upper area, it's a mini-boss, I hit this boss for 10-15 damage while he has like 1000 life, I thought I must be underleveled so I check online turns out he is the first boss. I know what you think, you casual just kill him but let me explain something to you bosses in this game are extremely boring, they often just do the same thing over and over while they only change their attack pattern like dual hit, tripple hit, quadra hit and if you're lucky the boss has like 1-2 spells. So you try not to fall asleep while you harden and roll around for 10 minutes with the same dual hit, tripple hit, quadra hit mechanics - eventually you may find out that you can parry him for x10 the normal damage which is well quite something to require for a mini boss but WAIT they also implemented a mechanic like Sekiro that warns you when you can't parry something most UNFORTUNATELY the game also happen to not give you a warning of attacks that can't be parried regardless.

    In conclusion not terrible not great but mostly not not great.    … Expand
  17. Strendwolf
    Aug 25, 2020
    8
    This game is a great filler if you have played through all the good soulslike game's and cant wait for another one, but if its youre first souls like i would recomend trying the souls game's first cuz you get a better price today for ah big old legendary game. but if all is set and done this is a great game who i see is made of souls fans, but you can see that it's a indie game and areThis game is a great filler if you have played through all the good soulslike game's and cant wait for another one, but if its youre first souls like i would recomend trying the souls game's first cuz you get a better price today for ah big old legendary game. but if all is set and done this is a great game who i see is made of souls fans, but you can see that it's a indie game and are roughe around the edge's somewere but still enjoyble for a souls fan for a great price.… Expand
  18. 1ntt
    Aug 25, 2020
    3
    This by far the worst game I've played in 2020. The ps4 version (on base ps4 for context) has a terrible delay in controls. I'm used to slow methodical combat but this is downright broken. The developers were so lazy the "main character" (the white muscle creature you control) is not only missing textures, you can see right through their shoulder... the environments are bland andThis by far the worst game I've played in 2020. The ps4 version (on base ps4 for context) has a terrible delay in controls. I'm used to slow methodical combat but this is downright broken. The developers were so lazy the "main character" (the white muscle creature you control) is not only missing textures, you can see right through their shoulder... the environments are bland and repetitive. There is no music to be heard. Apparently people are so starved for Dark Souls they are willing to forgive all this. It is a terrible game that has some genuinely good ideas, however is ruined by poor execution. If Sony offered refunds I'd want one. The horrible people responsible for this mess owe me 30 dollars...… Expand
  19. consumptive7
    Aug 24, 2020
    10
    This game is honestly a high contender for game of the year for me, everything from the art style to the lore and the unforgiving combat is amazing. Sure it can be very unforgiving and cruel, and it may seem like there's no hope at certain points, be that due to losing all sense of direction, running out of the limited heals you are provided and are forced to get good with pary system, orThis game is honestly a high contender for game of the year for me, everything from the art style to the lore and the unforgiving combat is amazing. Sure it can be very unforgiving and cruel, and it may seem like there's no hope at certain points, be that due to losing all sense of direction, running out of the limited heals you are provided and are forced to get good with pary system, or feeling there's A lack luster of even the most simple mechanics of a souls like, or game in general. This is done intentionally to be hard and such things as fast travel for example, are in the game but are later unlocked for all your hard efforts, I've seen many criticise this game made by a small team of passionate developers and personally believe they didn't give it a good enough chance. It can be frustrating and annoying and even feel clunky at times, the lack of music in the atmosphere can be disappointing, the confusing environment and getting lost frequently can be tedious. But it all adds up into its own unique experience and I enjoy it just as it is, getting lost leads to new and interesting places and the lack of music is a design choice I agree with, it doesn't need music to feel alive and or bring an intensity, it's ominous and mysterious atmospheric sounds fill that gap quite nicely.

    Also the progression system and currencies can be daunting and even a little confusing, aswell as the combat and upgrade system, but it's all about patience, people complain its too slow but I feel its done just right, it's a slow and steady pace that is satisfying and rewarding for your hard work and time.

    I've never written a review before but this game inspired me to do so, seeing how mixed it is I thought my opinion might help sway some minds into buying this incredibly challenging and exciting experience. I love it and can not recommend it enough, it's by far my favourite souls like and already has topped even some souls games for me, please if you enjoy a challenge and are willing to put effort and patience into this beautiful master piece then I emplore you to try it out, it's one of the most mysterious, challenging and enthralling games I've had the pleasure to experience within the past decade. Mortal Shell is a work of art.    … Expand
  20. AceAscendus
    Aug 24, 2020
    0
    Overhyped garbage, like all the other Souls-like games that isn't made by From Software or Team Ninja. So many bad design choices in Mortal Shell, clunky and low budget movement and animations, soulless combat, just a waste of time. Wait for Elden Ring, or go replay Souls games by From Software or Nioh/Nioh 2 by Team Ninja.
  21. tec
    Aug 24, 2020
    2
    Mortal Shell is, depending on your experience in action adventures, 5-12h long at best. the different weapons are always found at the beginning of a dungeon,(there are 3, each one 1-2h long at best) tied a npc fight. boring.
    every weapon has it´s upgrade materials in that level, where it was found, somewhere hidden laying around (no illusionary walls, just not right in front of you), not    Mortal Shell is, depending on your experience in action adventures, 5-12h long at best. the different weapons are always found at the beginning of a dungeon,(there are 3, each one 1-2h long at best) tied a npc fight. boring.
    every weapon has it´s upgrade materials in that level, where it was found, somewhere hidden laying around (no illusionary walls, just not right in front of you), not challanging or giving a incentive to explore.
    lore is the most pretentious out there is in any of the souls-clones. worst offender are the "redacted" words.
    Animations are not as tight as hellpoints or surges and the characters is floaty as hell.
    harden mechanic lets you tank the next 1-3 hits, depending on enemy. makes you generally invincible if you´re a cautios player.
    you´ll get sekiros second chance.
    this game is a 5/10 at best. personally i´d give it a 2/10 for trying and decent visuals.    … Expand
  22. tusk23
    Aug 24, 2020
    10
    This game made me feel just like dark souls 1 and blood borne in my first run. Now waiting for more content I hope
  23. episode
    Aug 24, 2020
    5
    It is a mostly good looking Dark Souls wanna be that doesn't get all of what is great about Dark Souls but bring some interesting gameplay mechanics.

    The game lacks polishing, it is visible everywhere. Enemy AI is trash, the graphic assets are not cohesive, the story is basically non-existent, there are few enemies and even fewer varieties in their behavior. Other than that, the boss    It is a mostly good looking Dark Souls wanna be that doesn't get all of what is great about Dark Souls but bring some interesting gameplay mechanics.

    The game lacks polishing, it is visible everywhere. Enemy AI is trash, the graphic assets are not cohesive, the story is basically non-existent, there are few enemies and even fewer varieties in their behavior. Other than that, the boss fights are not great either.

    But, the game DOES have some great points. The hardening ability, although breaks the gameplay and the sensation of powerlessness that a Souls like must have, is pretty fun and interesting, the graphics, although uncohesive in quality between different areas and besides being clearly mostly from bought assets they can look really good.

    Story wise it is really poor. The dialogs are shallow and over presumptuous filled with nihilist **** for the sake of trying to sound cool. But they do not. They sound cringy. Other than that, its a game about defeating bosses to finish it. Not much than that can be taken from its plot.

    Still about the plot, last boss couldn't be more predictable. And the trope of you creating a problem to then solve it is all it can give you.

    Overall, this is a cheap and quick game that can give you a few hours of a interesting gameplay and can give you some fun. But don't waste your time playing it if you haven't already played the games from software and other good souls-like games, like Hollow Knight.    … Expand
  24. twoknots
    Aug 24, 2020
    9
    Fantastic game. I had fun at every encounter and love the combat. In NG+ now and still going strong. If you're a fan of action RPGs then you'll love this game.
  25. JC814
    Aug 24, 2020
    10
    Love it, can't get much better for a souls like game bravo coldsymmetry. Best of luck
  26. Vastaropoli
    Aug 24, 2020
    10
    I have played every Souls like imaginable and never felt like any of them besides Salt & Sanctuary really captured the magic but that was a 2d game. Ive been let down so many times and finally a game that NAILED IT! It is truly the best Souls like ive played by far and actually differentiates itself in all the right ways and in ways that are very complimentary to the game itself instead ofI have played every Souls like imaginable and never felt like any of them besides Salt & Sanctuary really captured the magic but that was a 2d game. Ive been let down so many times and finally a game that NAILED IT! It is truly the best Souls like ive played by far and actually differentiates itself in all the right ways and in ways that are very complimentary to the game itself instead of detracting from the game like many other games in the genre tend to do. I really have no complaints besides the bosses could be a little better all around and the annoying cutscenes when coming out of a tunnel but besides those 2 small things the game is absolute perfection and deserves further expansion and even a whole 2nd game at the very least. I think MS has alot of runway left and can easily add more zones, weapons, bosses, lore, npcs and shells of course in a dlc. Id also love to see some sort of dungeon mode that is rewarding. If you are unsure, you shouldn't be...buy it now! The combat is so satisfying and the setting and sounds really are incredibly immersive. The game also has excellent settings on pc for great customization in settings. Also there is a genuine horror element to the dungeons and I actually was scared quite a few times and I loved that. The enemy variety and designs are very good and the game has a nice amount of depth without too much baggage. I would like to see a little customization though with stats but as it is now the Shells all feel very unique and different from eachother and all of them do something really great so I understand why stats customization is not in the game. It's a very hard choice to pick a shell to stick with they are all so great. The weapons and combat are absolutely incredible as well and very satisfying. The small team that made this truly gets what makes Souls games so special as they captured all the elements in a unique way but also it's not too different that it doesnt scratch the same itches. This is a must play and deserves the highest praise 100%! All I want is MORE OF IT!… Expand
  27. stormundying
    Aug 24, 2020
    7
    Am impressive concept (particularly for such a small dev team) marred by janky animation and downright baffling design decisions.

    The good: - the shell concept is intriguing, though it could have been built on a bit more (see: small dev team). Being able to choose different shells for different sorts of challenges would be interesting...but the lack of resources and similarly    Am impressive concept (particularly for such a small dev team) marred by janky animation and downright baffling design decisions.

    The good:

    - the shell concept is intriguing, though it could have been built on a bit more (see: small dev team). Being able to choose different shells for different sorts of challenges would be interesting...but the lack of resources and similarly restrictive upgrade system for levels turns it into more of a 'choose your class and weapon and stick with it' kind of deal, so I don't think this was explored to it's full potential. Still, having some access to different playstyles gives it replay value

    - interesting and visually appealing environments, particularly the floating obsidian temple. It all looks pretty good.

    - combat feels (very) weighty and landing a solid hit is highly satisfying.

    - Hardening is a cool mechanic with lots of potential, and i would like to see it developed in a future release.

    - fairly punishing difficulty curve (if you're not cheesing the game with Solomon) and some legitimately challenging enemy encounters:

    The Bad:

    - HEALING. For some incomprehensible reason, the devs decided to go the bloodborne route for healing items...but even more scarce (the main item respawns on a timer). You also have very limit access to healing in the dungeons, often just a single spawn near a checkpoint, so if you run out before a boss, prepare to either git gud or to spend an hour or so camping that spawn. This was just an absurd decision, given that you CAN farm essentially infinite healing items if you really want, so it's not even a real limiter on the game's difficulty, just...padding for the game's runtime.

    - relatedly, the game is balanced around you having access to healing, so when you don't have it (or want to conserve it for a boss) the game turns into a cheese factory, where you bait enemies out single file, hit them with a single closing attack, then get out and wait for your harden to recharge so you don't take damage. Every enemy deals absurd amounts of damage (especially if you're not playing the tank) and the distance between checkpoints is so great, that you're simply can't fight your way through 'conventionally' without taking damage and dying...which leads to a lengthy and risky corpse run.

    - Enemies are highly cheesable. Very few have any kind of gap closer, and even the quick enemies tend to lumber towards you at about the speed of an arthritic sloth, so there's rarely a point where you can't just disengage, recharge your harden and stamina, and dive back in for damage. The main challenge arises when there are multiple enemies in an encounter...but the janky hitboxes, clipping, and potential for overlapping attacks make taking on multiple enemies a good way to take unavoidable damage. Again, the best way to handle 95% of enemy encounters is to bait out a single target, chip away at it's health until dead, rinse and repeat. This applies to almost all bosses, too.

    - relatedly, the game is full of terrible hitboxes and weird 'phenomena?' is I guess the correct term? That make cheesing more appealing than it should be. for instance, enemies will stagger after a certain number of hits...but sometimes (very rarely) a combo that SHOULD stun an enemy won't, and you'll get hit. This doesn't feel intentional, and is very irritating when it happens. Enemies will sometimes cancel out of an attack animation without warning, and chain directly into another animation without any leadup. Again, this happens rarely, and I don't think it's intentional, but it's very aggravating when you do get his this way.

    - All of the bosses are both cheesable, and very hard to defeat without cheesing. They don't stagger easily, even off of harden, their attacks tend to have unpredictable hitboxes, and they have massive health pools (to your relatively tiny one). Add in stamina constraints on everyone but the rogue class, and you'll find that trying to fight toe to toe - timing hits and dodges like you would in dark souls - is largely infeasible, as dodging a combo of attacks will often leave you with no gas to counter with. Instead, you are highly incentivized to stay out of melee, bait the enemy into a punishable combo, hit them a few times, then run away again. Most bosses have literally one gap-closer move, so the fight becomes a boring slog livened only by the potential for the boss to unpredictably decide not to stagger at an innopportune time and wallop you for half your health bar.

    - For SOME godforsaken reason, the devs decided to place an entire segment of the game having you fight enemies on thin, tiny walkways above bottomless pits. In a game where almost all of the attack animations have significant forward momentum and dodge mechanics with sometimes unpredictable directionality. Yes, I yeeted myself off cliffs more than a few times while playing this section. No, I'm not thrilled about it.    … Expand
  28. knald
    Aug 23, 2020
    5
    A promising game ruined by horrible gameplay decisions.
    1. healing is absurd! It has been mentioned countless times during the beta but devs didn't improve it! Mushrooms not only are rare, but they don't heal you instantly, relaying on resolve and parry+riposte to heal is not just hard but simply unfair !
    2. parry and riposte doesn't have Iframes! Many times my ripostes got canceled    A promising game ruined by horrible gameplay decisions.
    1. healing is absurd! It has been mentioned countless times during the beta but devs didn't improve it! Mushrooms not only are rare, but they don't heal you instantly, relaying on resolve and parry+riposte to heal is not just hard but simply unfair !
    2. parry and riposte doesn't have Iframes! Many times my ripostes got canceled because an enemy attacked during the animation! Also getting out of holes triggers an animation which doesn't have iframes either (enemies can kill you while your character is locked and you have to wait for the animation to end in order to move)
    3. consuming items to switch between various weapons is another idiotic decision! Should've been a simple inventory. (and if you don't have the specific item for the specific weapon, you have to run back to Sester in order to use your weapon of choice)
    4. lack of checkpoints and no fast travel until endgame when you upgrade your shell to 100%!
    5. items familiarity is a good concept but not fully implemented! Many items have the same effect whether you have 0 or full familiarity !
    6. too many short and repetitive cinematics! Entering inventory triggers an animation, switching from inventory to shells menu triggers another animation, getting out of cave also has animation... it's just a waste of time, there should've been no useless transitions like that.
    7. some animations are hilariously bad! Like the one of the unchained when he jumps and start swinging his arms like a chicken, or when the little twin of Crucix die and the camera jumps from place to place weirdly.
    8. the music is atrocious! The constant humming or ringing sound drove me insane! It belongs in a sci-fi horror game of a desolate planet, definetly not in a dark medieval game + no music for the bosses or NPCs.
    9. Combat is way too stiff and slow, you'll easily get bored from it.
    10. lore, here we can really feel the consequence of a game without a game director! Mortal shell feels like a collage of different ideas that do not relate to each other (the spirit which possess corps, consuming memories or glimpses to know stories of others, the glands, the divine nektar, the ascendance to different world...) there's too much stuff going on and there's no clear foundation and timeline to the story! The scriptures do not tell you anything useful, actually they make things worse.    … Expand
  29. rcpyksl
    Aug 23, 2020
    10
    very nice game for you like soulsborne.

    souls oyunlarını sevenler için çok güzel oyun lan alın oynayın vuruş hissi falan harika
  30. TavorX95
    Aug 23, 2020
    6
    Mortal shell is an impressive game for a small indie dev team. However they may have made a big mistake by unashamedly comparing to souls, while missing most if not all of what made Dark Souls a hit. The world is awful. Some dungeons are so linear it's obnoxious. Some dungeons are more open but so uninspired with too little direction. Instead of designing a world around enemy placement,Mortal shell is an impressive game for a small indie dev team. However they may have made a big mistake by unashamedly comparing to souls, while missing most if not all of what made Dark Souls a hit. The world is awful. Some dungeons are so linear it's obnoxious. Some dungeons are more open but so uninspired with too little direction. Instead of designing a world around enemy placement, and enemy engagement and purpose. They decided to make a map and give it the ol' dark souls 2 treatment: put way to many enemies in a single area because we don't want to design the world on making it hard to get around the enemies. Which is the second big problem. Too many enemies at once that don't make me want to fight because it's going to be annoying, especially since enemies don't really give you meaningful upgrades. The tar system is lackluster. The skill tree is fine, but unneeded, and seemingly unimportant, there is no leveling system which if we learned anything from sekiro it really hurts these kinds of games. Being able to level up from tar would have made me be at least kind of interested in fighting the mobs of the same enemies over and over and over. The bosses also just aren't that fun. The first few are cool, you're learning the new combat system which isn't my favorite but it's a nice different from other games. It's unique which I'm not going to say is a bad thing. It's a good enough fighting system. The bosses have weird hit boxes, really really weird timing attacks sometimes (maybe it's broken?) It's not a good thing when you wonder if a bosses moveset is glitched or intended. Because it usually means it's not fun. Overall it was a meh game. Hopefully the next one will be better.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. Worth Playing
    Jan 8, 2021
    80
    Mortal Shell is an enjoyable title for those who are already fans of the SoulsBorne sub-genre, and it has more positives than it has flaws. The swamp hub world is bland and confusing, but the different biomes you eventually reach are gorgeous, even if they're relatively familiar. The lack of a deep leveling system has a very good replacement in the shell system, which ends up providing more versatility in your character build and the attack system. The relatively shorter length makes it great for newcomers, while genre veterans will find it to be a great debut effort from a small development team.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 7, 2020
    80
    If Dark Souls wasn’t sufficiently dark and difficult, this is just the thing for you. Taking the souls-like genre a step further, Mortal Shell provides a satisfying combat system enveloped in a creatively unique narrative. Well worth the suffering. [Issue#305]
  3. RPGamer
    Sep 18, 2020
    70
    Mortal Shell may be a modest product, but it surprised at nearly every turn with regularity. The lack of variety in the environments, weapons, and classes are more than made up by never overstaying its welcome. Whenever it feels as though its about to become stale, players will stumble across something new to try out. The lack of depth isn’t too much of a detriment as the game is short enough to ever feel tired. Better yet, what is there is good, a foundation with easy room to be expanded upon and a strong demonstration of Cold Symmetry’s understanding of core concepts that are the strength of the genre. Mortal Shell is a exemplary use of limited resources to make a tight, fun game, even if it only takes a weekend to beat.
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