Mortal Shell

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 207 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 120 out of 207
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 207
  3. Negative: 47 out of 207
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  1. Inhanzt
    Dec 23, 2020
    4
    Nintendo hard dark souls with one neat idea. No reliable heals, very few checkpoints. They clearly made half a game and decided to pad it for the worse.
  2. Lionarith
    Dec 8, 2021
    0
    The combat system feels so unresponsive and unimaginative that it finally stopped me from playing it. I thought i would ignore any issues because the levels looked so interesting, artful well crafted, but the combat feels so slow, unfair and boring that i couldnt bear it. It is so clearly a souls imitation. High effort level design against low effort combat design, this time low effortThe combat system feels so unresponsive and unimaginative that it finally stopped me from playing it. I thought i would ignore any issues because the levels looked so interesting, artful well crafted, but the combat feels so slow, unfair and boring that i couldnt bear it. It is so clearly a souls imitation. High effort level design against low effort combat design, this time low effort wins again, sadly.… Expand
  3. NazgulzLegacy
    Dec 8, 2021
    0
    Controls are sloppy and unresponsive when needed, ive played similar games that do it better, seems unfinished needs work.
  4. Steyraus
    Sep 5, 2020
    4
    Another Souls copy cat that fails to even come close to From Software's masterpieces. Seriously Wait for Demon Souls, it is way better. This is the same thing with one extra gimmick like all these indies games do. You time would be better spent in a good game than grinding the same small depressing areas of this cheap feeling game.
  5. ToshLichev
    Mar 6, 2022
    4
    As someone who has never played a "Souls" game I thought Mortal Shell would be a great place to start - it's free on PS+, seems a bit simpler than the From Software games and is supposedly easier due to the "Harden" mechanic. Safe to say this was not one of my best decisions.

    After the first few hours I spent with the game resulted in me absolutely hating it, I sat down to play it with    As someone who has never played a "Souls" game I thought Mortal Shell would be a great place to start - it's free on PS+, seems a bit simpler than the From Software games and is supposedly easier due to the "Harden" mechanic. Safe to say this was not one of my best decisions.

    After the first few hours I spent with the game resulted in me absolutely hating it, I sat down to play it with a friend who is really great at Souls games in order to see if it's actually a bad game or if I just hate Souls-like experiences. It ended up being a bit of both.

    On my side the constant respawning enemies and backtracking are a harsh gameplay mistake which completely denies you of any sense of progression. The setting and "plot" felt dull and uninspired and at no point did I feel the urge to explore. But it wasn't just me. My friend echoed my concerns saying that the game felt like a knock-off. We both enjoyed the Shell mechanic but mostly because it functions as a safety net, compensating for the absurdly overpowered regular enemies, the off-beat dodge mechanic and the general gameplay clunkyness. Everything from build customization and combat to fast travel and boss fights were bad versions of already established mechanics.

    Overall Mortal Shell is a painfully mediocre attempt at copying the Souls formula which lacks any of the polish and fine-tuning its predecessors have so it tries to compensate with cheap difficulty and "get-out-of-jail" mechanics.    … Expand
  6. BallzyDan
    Jul 7, 2021
    1
    This will be the last time I ever touch a "souls" game. This game has no soul, it is straight trash, no map, no missions and no reason to even play the game after you die twenty times and realize you have gotten no where
  7. yeaokwhatever
    Jun 27, 2021
    0
    man i wanted to love this game. i really did, and i tried to believe me. but my god it is utter **** the combat is sooooo awful - ZERO input queing, ultra clunky, slow AF, unresponsive, feels **** across the board. combat is the crux of any souls like or really any action RPG and they ran this into the ground harder than a plane crash. EVERYTHING moves swings etc like youre submerged inman i wanted to love this game. i really did, and i tried to believe me. but my god it is utter **** the combat is sooooo awful - ZERO input queing, ultra clunky, slow AF, unresponsive, feels **** across the board. combat is the crux of any souls like or really any action RPG and they ran this into the ground harder than a plane crash. EVERYTHING moves swings etc like youre submerged in molasses. movement feels awkward and its mildly annoying outside of combat but its horrid in combat. combat on the whole lacks ANY of the dynamic, tight, responsive combat that made souls games what they are, whether thats DS1s deliberate weighty pace or BBs frantic speed. and what is an ARPG with **** action??

    hardening is a lame gimmick. its dumb, repetitive and one dimensional. shells were a cool idea but theres FOUR. thats FOUR load outs/playstyles/strategies. FOUR. like bloodbornes 20? ish weapons represents night infinite playstyle choice in comparison. thats not even touching armor, rings or runes etc available in those games (or hell, gear varirty in ANY ARPG). familiarity is a cool thing but consumables are **** healing is **** *effective* healing is non existent. world is composed of small number of areas, enemies are boring, bosses arent worth remembering, combat is god awful. just terrible.

    i feel robbed for the $20 i spent on this heap. if you want something to scratch the souls/BB itch, dont bother its not even remotely close. if you want an ARPG theres well made games that are better choices, if youre interested in MS in its own right, save yourself the trouble and money and watch a lets play or something. if you managed to like then good for you man, i am legitimately jealous. this is a half finished game, with what mightve been a cool idea and an interesting world that, for whatever reason, made it to like 30-50% complete and was then dressed up and padded enough so that it could be released. IMO the devs seem talented, i hope they get some proper funding, staffing and time in the future and can make something worth a damn bc it seems to me like the creativity and talent is there.    … Expand
  8. srf5132
    Sep 3, 2021
    7
    Overall, Mortal Shell is a very mediocre game. It controls well, better than most other souls-like games, and the graphic quality is relatively high, with all the shininess and particle effects we've come to expect from unreal engine. Additionally, mortal shell brings a couple of interesting mechanics to the table with a very interesting "harden" mechanic as well as offering a nicelyOverall, Mortal Shell is a very mediocre game. It controls well, better than most other souls-like games, and the graphic quality is relatively high, with all the shininess and particle effects we've come to expect from unreal engine. Additionally, mortal shell brings a couple of interesting mechanics to the table with a very interesting "harden" mechanic as well as offering a nicely flexible class system. The systems in the game are also very simple, which might be a welcome change of pace for some people that aren't into the deep rpg elements of the souls games.

    However, for all the good the game brings to the table, it is also very bland and many of the areas and enemies aren't very interesting. One of the things that's so great about the souls games is how vibrant and detailed all of the components of the game. Every area of the games ooze with lore and heavily customized architecture that gives a sense of wonder and mystery, and every boss feels unique and interesting. By contrast, areas in mortal shell seem like randomly arranged sets of themed environment components and the rooms in any given area have a tendency to blend together to the point of easily getting lost. The bosses in mortal shell are also nothing to write home about, as they are primarily just humanoid enemies with a random weapon, except for the last boss, who was a welcome change of pace (though he still wasn't a very good boss in my opinion). Also note that the game is incredibly short, being completable in about a weekend.

    With all that said, I do think this game is worth playing. It does a lot good, and it is probably the most well-done souls like game besides maybe nioh 2, so if you are a fan of the genre and need something to hold you over before elden ring this will fill an afternoon or so for you. If you aren't a fan of the souls games this probably won't be the one to win you ever, and if you've never played a souls game -- well, just play dark souls or Bloodborne and come back to this if you get addicted.    … Expand
  9. HelloThar
    Aug 24, 2020
    10
    I have put hundreds of hours into the Dark souls games and Bloodborne and I love Mortal Shell. The game is not as big as the prior titles however there is plenty of replay value here due to the choice of 4 shells. There is also a second layer of gameplay here when you enter a parallel realm shrouded in a mysterious fog. It is not entirely unlike the upside down in the TV show StrangerI have put hundreds of hours into the Dark souls games and Bloodborne and I love Mortal Shell. The game is not as big as the prior titles however there is plenty of replay value here due to the choice of 4 shells. There is also a second layer of gameplay here when you enter a parallel realm shrouded in a mysterious fog. It is not entirely unlike the upside down in the TV show Stranger Things, and I wonder if this was the inspiration for the fog. This game is kind to first timers to souls like games in the fact that there is a shell for all. Tiel the Acolyte will suit veteran players who enjoy a challenge. Eredrim the Venerable is a hulking tank who would suit first timers. Do not underestimate the power of Harros the Vassal and the Hallowed Sword, these are what you start with but are incredibly powerful and versatile. Solomon the Scholar is somewhere in between Harros and Eredrim, he is also the easiest shell to find once you enter the world. I have really enjoyed the combat in this game. I am extremely impressed that this game was made by a small team of indie developers. They have done an amazing job. I am hoping to see expansions for this game because this game is not as big as Dark Souls or Bloodborne. Overall I highly recommend this game especially to players who are new to Souls like games. Others have tried to imitate Dark Souls and failed. Mortal Shell succeeds in being an excellent addition to the genre.… Expand
  10. LordOMO
    Feb 21, 2022
    6
    There are many highs and many lows in Mortal Shell. Overall the game has a solid foundation with regards to its look and gameplay but also some major shortcomings with balancing and level design.

    The art is beautiful, the graphics are serviceable and most importantly the core combat loop works well: attacks feel good and are weighty, "shells" are an interesting twist to add more    There are many highs and many lows in Mortal Shell. Overall the game has a solid foundation with regards to its look and gameplay but also some major shortcomings with balancing and level design.

    The art is beautiful, the graphics are serviceable and most importantly the core combat loop works well: attacks feel good and are weighty, "shells" are an interesting twist to add more personality to your character build and hardening is a unique blocking mechanic that negates damage at the cost of freezing you in place. This stuff is cool and elevates the core combat on a similar tier as other popular Soulslikes.

    However, there is also a lot to criticise. The game world and map layout can be incredibly frustrating for two reasons.
    For one the overworld is hard to navigate. A new player will definitely get lost and be confused. This is on a completely different level than for example a Dark Souls game because there are so few landmarks to help you figure out where the hell you even are.
    Secondly the difficulty curve. The game is very non-linear. You can basically go everywhere at any time and as a result difficulty balancing is all over the place, resulting in a tough as nails early game whereas the late game is almost trivial.
    Another issue I have is with items and healing. The rate at which you obtain these items is not well balanced in my opinion. Again, the early game will be brutal with barely any healing or helpful items being available whereas in the late game you can get an overabundance of healing and other items when you really don't need it anymore anyways.
    Finally there is one dungeon that I really disliked. The other ones are fine but that one in particular just feels like an overly long and tedious gank fest.    … Expand
  11. Wazzdaka
    Oct 19, 2020
    3
    Очень ждал игру и очень расстроиля поиграв неё. Всё очень медлено, очень долгие загрузки. Управление вязкое, не удобное. Такое ощещение, что сложность игры заключается не в сложности врагов (которые здесь очень однообразные и глупые), а в борьбе с управлением.
    Никому не советую.    Очень ждал игру и очень расстроиля поиграв неё. Всё очень медлено, очень долгие загрузки. Управление вязкое, не удобное. Такое ощещение, что сложность игры заключается не в сложности врагов (которые здесь очень однообразные и глупые), а в борьбе с управлением.
    Никому не советую.
  12. 70Ravenz
    Aug 22, 2020
    7
    Absolutely nails Dark Souls / Demon’s Souls atmosphere, story exposition, and overall game play “feel”, introduces some very fresh mechanics, yet feels dated, especially in the poor textures and muddy graphics. HDR setting is in menus and does not work. Hoping for patch. Frame rates seem low.

    I’ve been in several areas of the game and feels very copy/paste in look and feel and lacks    Absolutely nails Dark Souls / Demon’s Souls atmosphere, story exposition, and overall game play “feel”, introduces some very fresh mechanics, yet feels dated, especially in the poor textures and muddy graphics. HDR setting is in menus and does not work. Hoping for patch. Frame rates seem low.

    I’ve been in several areas of the game and feels very copy/paste in look and feel and lacks variety. Enemy placement is static with a few moving in small routines back and forth, but it feels setup and not organic in any way with designers placing choke points and traps in not so much surprising ways, but expected ways.

    Bosses at first seem very hard, but once you determine pattern and best way to attack, it becomes a boring fight as many are just damage sponges. Second fight with one boss was a no hit battle, but still took several minutes.    … Expand
  13. 18Xq8Rtutehc
    Oct 13, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is amazing for an indie studio of 15 people. You can feel the passion put in the game.
    The game unapologetically takes inspiration from Dark Souls, with similar combat, atmosphere, world traversing.
    However, the game is really short and has low replaybility value. There are only 4 bosses in the game, which require you to be patient and repetitive. You don't die easily but also can't easily kill the bosses.
    Overall, I recommend this game when you have absolutely nothing else to play. Replaying DS3 was more fun than playing this game.    … Expand
  14. Awanka
    Dec 21, 2021
    5
    Serviceable Souls-like game. Everything about it doesn't really rise above satisfactory. It's missing the spark of inspiration of games like Hollow Knight or Dark Souls. It's fairly short. The Shell mechanic is different and interesting. I came to quite like the "hardening" ability, which is like a super block.

    Nothing really wrong with it. It's just that the Souls elements are ok    Serviceable Souls-like game. Everything about it doesn't really rise above satisfactory. It's missing the spark of inspiration of games like Hollow Knight or Dark Souls. It's fairly short. The Shell mechanic is different and interesting. I came to quite like the "hardening" ability, which is like a super block.

    Nothing really wrong with it. It's just that the Souls elements are ok to bad. Souls games use snippets of text to aid its world-building, and the vague dialogue and nebulous flavor text here is awful. It's like if a 12 year old with a dictionary were asked to create Souls-like writing.    … Expand
  15. Jimmy2210
    Aug 24, 2020
    8
    One of the best soulslike games ever made .
    Especially by 15 people it should actually get an even higher score. The game is short though and u dont gain more health/stamina on ur shells in ng+ so you basically replay the game with constantly harder hitters and you having the same health pool which makes it very hard to play my personal favourite Tiel. But overall it definitely deserved    One of the best soulslike games ever made .
    Especially by 15 people it should actually get an even higher score. The game is short though and u dont gain more health/stamina on ur shells in ng+ so you basically replay the game with constantly harder hitters and you having the same health pool which makes it very hard to play my personal favourite Tiel. But overall it definitely deserved this score .    … Expand
  16. Trals991
    Sep 25, 2020
    2
    Остался разочарован проектом. Инди-игра от 15 человек с закосом "хотим как у Миадзаки" не получился, не получился по той причине что управление, а именно кувырок и захват цели сделаны не так как следовало бы. Если захват цели можно поправить, то вот к кувырку ряд вопросов. Почему вместо нормального переката нажатием сделали сначала короткий рывок а на следующее нажатие уже перекатОстался разочарован проектом. Инди-игра от 15 человек с закосом "хотим как у Миадзаки" не получился, не получился по той причине что управление, а именно кувырок и захват цели сделаны не так как следовало бы. Если захват цели можно поправить, то вот к кувырку ряд вопросов. Почему вместо нормального переката нажатием сделали сначала короткий рывок а на следующее нажатие уже перекат непонятно, это и тратит больше энергии и сам рывок настолько короткий что не доджит атаку противников (это может быть проблема хитбоксов, но не уверен). Уже на этом моменте можно положить игру в гроб, закопать и забыть, но есть ещё ряд спорных и глупых решений.
    Лечилки. Лечилки у нас не восстанавливаются, то есть грибы сами ресаются, но во-первых дроп их 1-2 штуки, во-вторых восстанавливают они жизнь с течением времени (30ед за 30сек), в-третьих их респ длится от 5-7 минут, сильно не пофармишь как фляшки в бладборне, вообщем хотели не как у всех, а вышло хреново.
    Есть вопросы к прокачке, зачем делать 2 ресурса, один общий второй для каждой оболочки разный, тоже неясно, можно было сделать один ресурс (тар(души, кровь)) который зарабатывался бы на оболочку который ты пользуешься. У самих перках тоже есть неясности, так как на первый взгляд 80% их ненужные. Так же нет самой прокачки по статам (в теории конечно каждая оболочка обладает своими характеристиками, но по факту их нет), из-за чего возникает проблема с прогрессией, сложностью и как говорят с апом врагов на нг+
    От начальной локации хочется совсем повеситься из-за её запутанности и наполнения, а от архива (особенно туманную версию) так вообще повесить разработчиков на ближайшем столбе
    Графика. На ПК выглядит лучше, на ps4 такое чувство, что текстурки хуже плюс само разрешение 720р, а не 1080р.
    Стоит ли игра своих денег? Нет. Стоит ли брать по скидке? Нет. Советую всячески избегать это творение.
    Я остался сильно разочарован, дошёл до последнего босса и дропнул, чтобы сделать схватку такого уровня при такой боевке и такой камере нужно быть "гением" и "мастером своего дела".    … Expand
  17. SprigganXIII
    Aug 29, 2020
    1
    Sadly I have to give this game a negative review:
    Really wanted to give this game a good review, if you like Dark Souls style games this game is almost there aside from the following reasons:
    1. If you leave your main base via the tunnel, there are two enemies that get to freely beat on you before you even regain control of your character. The camera is disoriented once you gain control    Sadly I have to give this game a negative review:
    Really wanted to give this game a good review, if you like Dark Souls style games this game is almost there aside from the following reasons:
    1. If you leave your main base via the tunnel, there are two enemies that get to freely beat on you before you even regain control of your character. The camera is disoriented once you gain control and often you cannot even see one of the enemies (the bigger one at that). After you upgrade this is not such a big deal but it still should NEVER happen.
    2. Often if you die by falling and you will not be able to collect your dropped currency as it will often be floating in mid air out of reach unless you jump back in, but that is crap shot as often if your falling you won’t re-collect your dropped stuff.
    3. Last Boss is so buggy I cannot finish the game, it will get stuck out of bounds and cannot be hit.
    Sorry Cold Symmetry - three strikes… you’re out and earn this review.
    Play your game like it shouldn’t be played next time… its called testing.    … Expand
  18. OwenDexter
    Sep 15, 2020
    3
    Save your money. I hated literally everything about this game.
    Horrible level design, everything is grey and muddy just kind of ugly.
    Enemy and boss design is worse. Not a single memorable fight in the game. Bosses are unbelievably easy, and pose zero threat. Same can be said for any enemy, the only danger comes from everything moving so slow. Harden mechanic is just a gimmick. I would    Save your money. I hated literally everything about this game.
    Horrible level design, everything is grey and muddy just kind of ugly.
    Enemy and boss design is worse. Not a single memorable fight in the game. Bosses are unbelievably easy, and pose zero threat. Same can be said for any enemy, the only danger comes from everything moving so slow.
    Harden mechanic is just a gimmick. I would trade it for a shield in a second.
    Even though it was known beforehand, lack of gear hurts this already lacking game.
    This game is complete trash.    … Expand
  19. spacejellyfish
    Oct 13, 2020
    0
    Holy cow this game is a trainwreck
    Cheap Death, Glitchs, Bad combat mechanic, this is one of the worst game i have ever played.. This is a wannabe soul like game that do not understand what makes soul games great. You will die... a lot... not because you havent mastered the mechanics but because some stupid programmer decided to put bear traps everywhere.... or because for some reason you    Holy cow this game is a trainwreck
    Cheap Death, Glitchs, Bad combat mechanic, this is one of the worst game i have ever played.. This is a wannabe soul like game that do not understand what makes soul games great. You will die... a lot... not because you havent mastered the mechanics but because some stupid programmer decided to put bear traps everywhere.... or because for some reason you will lose health even i you were not hit... or because you will use an item that will kill you... I tried... i really tried to give this game a chance...But after a few hours i decided that accepting the fact that i paid 40$ for a **** game was not as frustrating as actually playing the game. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.    … Expand
  20. LoopAj4x
    Jan 1, 2021
    3
    The game suffers a lot with its own technical problems, but the main problem for me is the playability/gameplay. It feels too clunky, a lot of input lags, etc.

    It has a few nice ideas, unfortunately none of them work.
  21. Zeon1982
    Jan 19, 2022
    0
    How can this game compare to the Legendary Dark Souls series. Slow and sluggish gameplay and poorly done healing mechanics. The only this its got going for it is the decent graphics. 1 out of 10 for me.
  22. StoneCold_ET_
    May 10, 2022
    7
    Recommended for people who like the Souls series of games. I really enjoyed the aesthetic this game provides. Soundtrack by Atrium Carceri and is an absolute masterpiece of dark ambient. Overall, the game lacked the polish and customization necessary to give it a higher rating. 7/10
  23. RomulusReviews
    Aug 19, 2020
    7
    A 6.7 from me just rounding to 7. I have never been a fan of the souls games. I attempted Bloodborn as well as Shadows Die Twice but could not keep my patience with either of them. I am having the same problem with Mortal Shell. I really tried to give this game a chance and get over the learning curve but in my personal opinion it's world and lore just isn't interesting enough. I got boredA 6.7 from me just rounding to 7. I have never been a fan of the souls games. I attempted Bloodborn as well as Shadows Die Twice but could not keep my patience with either of them. I am having the same problem with Mortal Shell. I really tried to give this game a chance and get over the learning curve but in my personal opinion it's world and lore just isn't interesting enough. I got bored rather quickly by not only dying over and over again but also of the world the game takes place in. It's not a bad game, but certainly not for me.… Expand
  24. abofahd1994
    Aug 19, 2020
    10
    The game is phenomenal the world is immersive the innovative mechanics it introduces are note worthy the team behind it is really talented and i can't wait to see more of them all the things it offers. The loading times are kind lengthy though its the unreal engine 4 fault though.
  25. Loonlamb007
    Aug 21, 2020
    0
    Indeed, this game is damn clunky, but I can deal with such a control response since Ashen was kinda similar... But at the same time Ashen was universes better than this!!! Played about 8 hours now, but let me tell you, this is such a boring game. After you realize that the graphics are just a deception for an uninspired and interchangable world where every part looks just the same, whereIndeed, this game is damn clunky, but I can deal with such a control response since Ashen was kinda similar... But at the same time Ashen was universes better than this!!! Played about 8 hours now, but let me tell you, this is such a boring game. After you realize that the graphics are just a deception for an uninspired and interchangable world where every part looks just the same, where level design is either a mess or a joke, where leveling does not really exisit, where enemy variety means to fight four guys over and over and over again to raise your tar, but you cant improve your Charakter anyway since you need more that Just tar to do so... Pffhh... wow what a challenge. Gaining health almost only by parrying is the most useless mechanic I have ever came across in a game. I mean seriously, what the hell? You really start to ask youself why you are wasting time with this. No Immersion, no feeling, music? ahh no music, just some really annoying atmo... (hello, check out the soundtrack of Ashen or Hyper Light Drifter). Besides the graphic, everything feels unfinished and soulless. Nothing behind the polished visuals makes me want to play this some more. What a disappointment! Just another soulslike crap game with nice graphics but NO SOUL! Even Hellpoint is way better in cases of level design, progress and immersion. Potential wasted! One of the worst games I' ve ever Player in the soulslike Genre.… Expand
  26. Memo_
    Aug 19, 2020
    10
    Hard game but when you get used to it is really easy one my only problem with the game is the boss you can run from them very easily so it would be like one hit then run
  27. Tony_1983
    Aug 19, 2020
    10
    Absolutely love the setting, they pretty much nailed the main formula of soulslikes, but then it's not just a clone. Game has its own identity and atmosphere. Animations are weighty and feel awesome, and lore pieces are distributed gracefully throughout the game. Really looking forward for their next title. Awesome job for such a small team and great pricing.
  28. TielTheAcolyte
    Aug 19, 2020
    10
    Cold Symmetry’s debut title managed to scratch that souls itch I’ve had since the day I completed both DLCs for Dark Souls 3. It somehow managed to stay both familiar enough to feel right at home but fresh enough to deliver new experiences.
    The hardening mechanic was a bit weird/unusual at first but as soon as I learnt to use it offensively it really clicked and I started to enjoy game    Cold Symmetry’s debut title managed to scratch that souls itch I’ve had since the day I completed both DLCs for Dark Souls 3. It somehow managed to stay both familiar enough to feel right at home but fresh enough to deliver new experiences.
    The hardening mechanic was a bit weird/unusual at first but as soon as I learnt to use it offensively it really clicked and I started to enjoy game immensely. I know it’s a small team and a low budget game that you can’t really compare to the original souls series, but to me personally it’s the only non-FromSoftware game out there that managed to capture that unique feel of dark souls in a 3rd person view. So many other 3rd person souls-like games just completely miss the core aspects of what creates that feeling and atmosphere in a dark medieval setting. Apart from few 2D games(like Salt&Sanctuary) I didn’t find a 3D game that could create same mood, emotion and dark beauty in 3D like Mortal Shell did. I loved Bloodborne and Sekiro but it’s that dark hardcore medieval fantasy knight stuff with cool gothic armor and big swords that I’ve been missing since Dark Souls 3 and Mortal Shell totally delivered on that front. I only wish the game was a bit longer but I’m also glad the devs didn’t stretch out the game just for length sake. I usually don’t care about leaving reviews but this game definitely deserves a good one and I hope Cold Symetry makes DLCs in the future and a big budget sequel! If you’re a souls fan and like the rest of us don’t know how to survive while we’re still waiting on Elden Ring, check out Mortal Shell, a small gem in the world of soulslikes!
    p.s. Tiel is life!    … Expand
  29. SheikhUrbooty
    Aug 22, 2020
    0
    Do not buy this game. This is probably my most hated game of the past 2-3 years. Read on to learn why.

    Designing a Soulslike is difficult. You are demanding a lot of the player in terms of their investment into the world and mastery of your mechanics. Making a good Soulslike requires nailing a lot of subtle features that make the game feel satisfying and rewarding while not being    Do not buy this game. This is probably my most hated game of the past 2-3 years. Read on to learn why.

    Designing a Soulslike is difficult. You are demanding a lot of the player in terms of their investment into the world and mastery of your mechanics. Making a good Soulslike requires nailing a lot of subtle features that make the game feel satisfying and rewarding while not being traditionally fun or gratifying. While Mortal Shell bears a superficial resemblance to the games that inspired it, it's completely missing all of these subtleties required to make a satisfying action rpg. One of these key subtleties is fairness in combat. There are a mind boggling number of bad design decisions that make this game one of my most frustrating, loathed and regretful gaming experiences in quite a long time.

    You will spend almost all of your time in Mortal Shell fighting enemies. This is a problem because the combat is littered with problems. There are only a handful of standard enemy types - almost all tanky dudes in armour. I'm talking about enemies that take anywhere from 2-5 full stamina bars worth of hits to take down with extremely limited openings. You can expect to see the same combat challenge, e.g - 2-3 mob enemies attacking with a heavy armor dude repeated 3, even 4 times in a row. It seems like the bulk of the challenge is not from the individual encounters themselves but from having enough resilience and patience to slog through a long series of successive onslaughts without having access to proper healing. As mentioned prior, these enemies are up there with the tankiest enemies that the genre has to offer, right up there with the very worst enemy types from the likes of Dark Souls 2. Before even considering that you will die a lot while playing this game, you will be facing the same few enemies and slowly widdling away at their tank sized health bars again and again and again. This is made even worse due to how painfully slow upgrades are acquired - I'd estimate you'd need to kill 30-40 enemies per starter upgrade in the early game areas. Keep in mind, this is all the while technical issues and poor encounter design will often result in sudden and cheap deaths that will cause you to lose all of your upgrade materials

    One of the main causes for death so far has been getting stuck on invisible barriers in the environment and especially with enemies. The enemies seem to have invisible barriers surrouding their character models that are larger than the character's proportions themselves. This means that if you try to dodge through a clear and visible gap between multiple enemies that you'll just end up rolling on the spot and get stuck in place by 3-4 enemies surrounding you. Besides being frustrating and janky to look at on screen, this technical ineptitude communicates a detrimental message to the player - do not try to engage in fast, visceral and satisfying maneuvers. Instead engage with enemies defensively and stay back, try to bait and engage one or two at a time. Essentially this technical issue forces players to play in the most uninteresting and slow paced way possible and even then it isn't a foolproof method to keep you safe from jank.

    Besides the encounter and combat design, I'd also like to highlight a laundry list of issues I've encountered so far. The upgrade system is incredibly confusing and can result in you wasting precious resources very easily. For example, glimpses (which are sort of the this game's version of humanity except they're required for upgrading your character) are tied to individual character shells for no discernible reason. Be careful not to use your consumable glimpse resources as Harros - your first character or else when you unlock Soloman the Scholar who is 100% better than Harros in every way you will discover that your glimpses are tied to Harros. Why?!?! If tar (this game's equivalent of souls) is not tied to individual characters then why are the glimpses? This was absolutely infuriating and the result of zero playtesting! If the devs didn't have the time or resources to make a distinct character to complement Harros then at least do not tie resources to individual characters.

    There's also a bizarre gameplay and technical issue involving the game's insistence on controlling the player. The game will often suddenly seize control from the player to showcase in-engine cutscenes of your character doing random actions suchgetting out of a crawlspace (the enemies can hit you and wind up their animations while you are watching these cutscenes btw), or also if you are close to an entrance/ exit to an area the camera will focus in on it and reverse the player's controls as it switches to a classic resident evil horror game camera angle. These problems are bizarre and show the value of playtesting.

    There are also major technical issues regarding the accuracy of the parry system which cripples the game since it is the primary source of healin    … Expand
  30. Tlemele
    Aug 19, 2020
    8
    Hard game set in a dark world. Some interesting mechanics. Game is fun to play and definitely it is worth to buy.
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Awards & Rankings

38
#38 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. LaPS4
    Nov 19, 2020
    85
    Mortal Shell offers a souls-like with a dark story, innovative gameplay, and great graphics quality that will overwhelm fans of this genre. Its short duration and its limited variety in some aspects leave you wanting to see a second chapter.
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  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 21, 2020
    65
    You can’t help but feel that Mortal Shell is a fan-made mod for Dark Souls – however, it has accordingly low price. It also shows promise: a few more tries, and Cold Symmetry could make something really good. [Issue#248, p.34]
  3. GameCritics
    Sep 29, 2020
    70
    While there were many aspects of Mortal Shell that I didn’t care for, the bits that worked for me really worked. The final product is far from perfect and I’m not sure that I’d even recommend it to anyone except the hardest of soulslike hardcores, but beneath the underdeveloped ideas and questionable design choices is a pool of talent bound for bigger and better things — Cold Symmetry’s work shined brightest when it veered away from standard Souls, and I’m interested to see them take it further.
    Read full review
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