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. JoseManuel10_
    Aug 9, 2023
    7
    Mortal Shell is an action role-playing video game developed by Cold Symmetry and published by Playstack.
  2. Dwideshrude1
    Jun 6, 2022
    3
    First of all, this is an OBJECTIVELY BROKEN GAME, as wayyyyy down the line from this game's release, there are GAME BREAKING BUGS. IF YOU GET HIT GOING TROUGH A LOADING ZONE YOU CAN LITERALLY LOSE YOUR SHELL AS IF YOU JUST STARTED THE GAME LMAO. So yeah. Do with THAT information what you will. I restarted the game, and luckily the shell warped back to me somehow, but I DOUBT I will be thatFirst of all, this is an OBJECTIVELY BROKEN GAME, as wayyyyy down the line from this game's release, there are GAME BREAKING BUGS. IF YOU GET HIT GOING TROUGH A LOADING ZONE YOU CAN LITERALLY LOSE YOUR SHELL AS IF YOU JUST STARTED THE GAME LMAO. So yeah. Do with THAT information what you will. I restarted the game, and luckily the shell warped back to me somehow, but I DOUBT I will be that lucky again. So, onto further peoblems. Parry timing isnt correct. Imagine designing a game with literal incorrect input timing. Like the hubris required to think "we're smarter than every other game dev ever" its just shocking. If the parry timing was correct, it would be consistently when the attack is about to hit, you press the button, unfortunately that isnt the case at all. Dont believe me? Download the game yourself. Try to parry the first boss. Thats right, the first one. Also, within the first 2 hours of play, I have had multiple instances of the game not responding to my input. Which is awful when the boss fights are wayyyy too long. L2 is harden. L2 is. Harden. Period. If the gauge is full, and i press it. It should work. But no. The button didnt register. So theres that 30 minute boss fight (awful and boring) down the drain, because the game messed up on the 100th time i pressed L2. It isnt acceptable. Also, this game is just terrible. The level design is literally some of the laziest I've ever seen. Just uninspired mush of the same assets copy and pasted over and over again so you HAVE NO IDEA WHERE YOU ARE, WHERE YOU WERE, WHERE YOU CAN GO, OR ANYTHING. It's uninspired trash, with 0 artistry at all. You will get lost, because EVERYTHING looks the same. Oh, and as you are walking around aimlessly, there are unavoidable traps hidden everywhere! Yep, some LITERALLY unavoidable unless you know the exact place where they are, which is impossible, since like it said, EVERYTHING LOOKS THE **** SAME. This is a terrible experience. Through and through. Oh and you wanna know the icong on the cake? This game is free with ps plus, is only like 15 hours long, and the completion rate is 8.5% LMAO(its not even a hard game, its just reaaallly boring) The reason I give this game 3 points is for the potential of the harden system, and the shell system. Also the voice acting and audio, plus some animations are pretty cool.… Expand
  3. 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
  4. MaxPayneIsGod
    Apr 21, 2022
    8
    Easily the most "Metal" game I've ever played.
    Mortal Shell is a very, very solid attempt at the "SoulsBorne" genre and it does everything pretty well.
    People need to remember this is a new, small studio with a limited budget and what they've done is exceptional. I love the aesthetics of it, how different the four biomes are from one another. It does take a bit of getting used to but    Easily the most "Metal" game I've ever played.
    Mortal Shell is a very, very solid attempt at the "SoulsBorne" genre and it does everything pretty well.
    People need to remember this is a new, small studio with a limited budget and what they've done is exceptional.
    I love the aesthetics of it, how different the four biomes are from one another.
    It does take a bit of getting used to but as per with these games one must persevere.
    There are some really, really good ideas here which they've done just enough to make them feel unique. There next project is something I'm keeping an eye out for.
    My gripes are simple, the Eternal Narthex is awful and is a major no-no in game/level/map/world design, and lastly, the final boss, is thoroughly underwhelming.
    I picked it up cheap a month before it came out free on PS+ and don't regret it one bit.    … Expand
  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. 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
  7. 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.
  8. Prezza66
    Jan 9, 2022
    3
    Very poor game just like all the souls games. Rubbish. Not difficult and maybe slightly better than dark souls but boring trash.
  9. Crysouls
    Dec 31, 2021
    7
    Prós:
    - Jogabilidade
    - Direção de arte - Dificuldade Contras: - Level design - Trilha sonora (nada muito memorável) - exagero de inimigos gerando alguns travamentos Conclusão: Um jogo mediano inspirado em Dark Souls com uma mecaninca de combate muito interessante que acaba deixando o jogo mais facil porém divertido, recomendo a fãns da franquia Souls ou a novatos que querem um    Prós:
    - Jogabilidade
    - Direção de arte
    - Dificuldade

    Contras:
    - Level design
    - Trilha sonora (nada muito memorável)
    - exagero de inimigos gerando alguns travamentos

    Conclusão: Um jogo mediano inspirado em Dark Souls com uma mecaninca de combate muito interessante que acaba deixando o jogo mais facil porém divertido, recomendo a fãns da franquia Souls ou a novatos que querem um gostinho de Ds de modo mais facil, duração do game em torno de 10 hrs.    … Expand
  10. 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
  11. rozyv
    Dec 9, 2021
    0
    FPS locked for ps5 under an "enhanced edition" paywall. I paid for ps plus not for demo versions of games. Shame on you
  12. AndrewEvolution
    Dec 8, 2021
    0
    Just another Dark Souls copy generic thing, nothing new and a lot of weird mechanics ! Game have 6 weapons and 4 playable character skins in TOTAL... it´s just A BAD JOKE, everything it´s dark and evil even your playable dude feels like a vilan, the devs that made this should be like depressive and ghotic sad PP... i did not buyed , it came with PS Plus and boy, i want better games thanJust another Dark Souls copy generic thing, nothing new and a lot of weird mechanics ! Game have 6 weapons and 4 playable character skins in TOTAL... it´s just A BAD JOKE, everything it´s dark and evil even your playable dude feels like a vilan, the devs that made this should be like depressive and ghotic sad PP... i did not buyed , it came with PS Plus and boy, i want better games than this from PS Plus since i pay for this service !… Expand
  13. NazgulzLegacy
    Dec 8, 2021
    0
    Controls are sloppy and unresponsive when needed, ive played similar games that do it better, seems unfinished needs work.
  14. 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
  15. Hackslashshoot
    Oct 9, 2021
    4
    Meh another disappointing Souls clone trying to be complicated for the sake of being “ cool” . I don’t want to have to take a YouTube class on how to play a game. The gaming industry is getting obnoxious with this **** It gets a 4 for the price and the that a boy for a small studio otherwise I would give it a middle finger with a 0 attached to the end of it
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. MetaRogue
    Jun 12, 2021
    6
    Mortal Shell is another example of a promising game that is afraid to step outside the shadow of it's obvious inspirations. In nearly every aspect, Mortal Shell follows the Dark Souls textbook to a fault, but the original elements it introduces to the Souls-like genre do nothing but worsen the overall experience. For one thing, you can't block attacks or wield shields in Mortal Shell, theMortal Shell is another example of a promising game that is afraid to step outside the shadow of it's obvious inspirations. In nearly every aspect, Mortal Shell follows the Dark Souls textbook to a fault, but the original elements it introduces to the Souls-like genre do nothing but worsen the overall experience. For one thing, you can't block attacks or wield shields in Mortal Shell, the alternative to doing so is a defensive move where you 'harden' your 'shell'. This is by far one of the worst forms of defence given the fact that it fully restricts your movement and your ability to harden is limited by a timer. Another aspect that Mortal Shell gets fundamentally wrong is its dodging mechanic which is clunky and requires a double tap to actually roll away from incoming attacks.

    Furthermore, Mortal Shell requires two separate forms of currency - Tar and Glimpses - to upgrade your different Shells. The only problem is that these can both be difficult to obtain and be easily lost through carelessness - I foolishly used a special mask that returned me to the respawn point only to discover afterwards that doing so sacrificed all my accumulated Tar and Glimpses. For the developers to brazenly implement such an insulting feature that further compounds an immensely challenging/frustrating experience adds to the growing list of things that are a detriment to Mortal Shell.

    Damage scaling and hitbox detection are other issues that contribute to Mortal Shell's underwhelming and unfair combat. Common enemies do WAY too much damage - and this is just in the game's starting area(!). Hitbox detection and overall perception of depth is another thing the game gets wrong: I encountered a large monster called Grisha very early in the game and I had a lot of trouble gauging the 'reach' of its attacks because it would suddenly close the distance - without warning - due to the unpredictable nature of its attack animations. This was one of the things that contributed to my decision to stop playing the game - and I had only been playing for roughly 3 hours.

    Healing in Mortal Shell is another fundamental thing the game fails to do adequately. To heal, you either consume food (that has a painfully low amount of regen per item consumed) or absorb damage from incoming attacks when you harden (which actually seemed negligible despite the game's assurances that it works). Considering that maintaining your health meter in a Souls-like is an essential component of the core experience, this is yet another detracting factor to Mortal Shell.

    Being true to Dark Souls' example, Mortal Shell is predictably light in terms of narrative direction, but is even more ridiculously obscure than its source of inspiration. I virtually had no clue as to what the game's story was or what I was doing or where I was going or even what the main character's purpose was. It was just a vague 'go here, unlock new Shells, fight enemies, progress forward, fight bosses, rinse, repeat, and reach game's ending - Hurrah! You finished Mortal Shell!'. This is simply appallingly underwhelming and lazy because you shouldn't need to read a Wiki page on what the story is or why the world is the way it is, nor should it be a simple case of the developer saying (but not actually saying) "Well, you've played a Dark Souls game, so you know the gist".

    In the end, Mortal Shell just feels like a waste of time and a 'hollow' (Dark Souls reference) imitation of the game it tries to emulate. But by simply being frustrating for the sake of being frustrating doesn't add much to the experience or make it 'better because it's harder'. Regardless of its length or talented developers what ultimately undermines Mortal Shell is its determination to be unnecessarily difficult.    … Expand
  20. Millymolly
    Apr 25, 2021
    10
    Авансом ставлю 10, в игру явно вложили душу, чувствуется атмосфера, проходить игру в обычном режиме одно удовольствие, но прохождение без оболочки просто идиотизм, зачем это вообще делать, если даже финал тот же, хз я не понял разрабов, это явное фиаско. Но игра отличная для первого проекта , да и учитывая что игру делали 15 человек. Будем надеяться что вам дадут больше денег и ресурсовАвансом ставлю 10, в игру явно вложили душу, чувствуется атмосфера, проходить игру в обычном режиме одно удовольствие, но прохождение без оболочки просто идиотизм, зачем это вообще делать, если даже финал тот же, хз я не понял разрабов, это явное фиаско. Но игра отличная для первого проекта , да и учитывая что игру делали 15 человек. Будем надеяться что вам дадут больше денег и ресурсов для более мощного проекта.… Expand
  21. GuguSuper
    Feb 9, 2021
    10
    It is like this game was made for me. I have always been fascinated by Dark Fantasy, at the crossroads between the sinister passages of Conan's book and the old artworks of Mordor in the lord of the rings. This solitude and darkness are delectable. Long live this sublime adventure, alongside the souls without being a copy.
    spoil /
    I really felt sad because of the ugly final fight. This    It is like this game was made for me. I have always been fascinated by Dark Fantasy, at the crossroads between the sinister passages of Conan's book and the old artworks of Mordor in the lord of the rings. This solitude and darkness are delectable. Long live this sublime adventure, alongside the souls without being a copy.
    spoil /
    I really felt sad because of the ugly final fight. This is the only big default, except perhaps some areas that are too big for nothing..    … Expand
  22. Richiisoon
    Jan 3, 2021
    8
    Grata sorpresa de un juego no tan conocido, muy corto y poco explicativo pero te llegas a meter en su mundo y acaba gustando mucho, no deja de ser una copia de un souls pero no por ello es peor juego, muy recomendable.
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. Airamleb
    Dec 15, 2020
    8
    I know its not a AAA game, but very good game. As a souls fan, Im enjoying IT. Congratulations Cold Symmetry!
  26. Bcastelar28
    Dec 3, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great and solid experience. The shells are great and the souls like combat is refreshing . Familiarity with items and harden your body for defense is one of the great parts in this game. Minor visual bugs and the grain and blur effects are **** but it can be turned off in the menu. Rottemn autumn adds new colors to the shells and new boss themes by rotting christ for free and is the kind of example of dlc we would love to see more often.… Expand
  27. WakeUpJeff
    Nov 17, 2020
    9
    This game nails almost everything, aside from perhaps some lackluster bosses and a few glaring faults in certain mechanics. For example, one of the "shells" you can play as has a cheap upgrade that allows him to gain more base damage with every enemy he kills, completely ruining the game's balance. When it's good though, it draws you in almost as if it's a souls game itself. The atmosphereThis game nails almost everything, aside from perhaps some lackluster bosses and a few glaring faults in certain mechanics. For example, one of the "shells" you can play as has a cheap upgrade that allows him to gain more base damage with every enemy he kills, completely ruining the game's balance. When it's good though, it draws you in almost as if it's a souls game itself. The atmosphere is strong, the soundtrack strengthens tension, combat feels great to take part in, and the art design and visuals looks great (especially from such a small team). I would strongly recommend this game, but it's important to remember that you'll have to look past some very amateurish design decisions.… Expand
  28. Xvatch
    Aug 20, 2020
    0
    Someone could make this in Dreams and release it for free and it would be the same or better. The worst souls-like to exist. The combat and movement is the worst I've ever seen and the areas are legit just vast and completely tasteless with about 2-3 enemy types and the same repeated assets. Offensively boring, and I don't like throwing around the "PS3 game" saying, but this is justifiedSomeone could make this in Dreams and release it for free and it would be the same or better. The worst souls-like to exist. The combat and movement is the worst I've ever seen and the areas are legit just vast and completely tasteless with about 2-3 enemy types and the same repeated assets. Offensively boring, and I don't like throwing around the "PS3 game" saying, but this is justified the graphics are so bad. Same for movement… Expand
  29. Felixlaso
    Nov 14, 2020
    10
    This game is Fantastic! I am a huge Dark Souls and Bloodborne fan and I appreciate what the creators did in this game. From a small company Cold Symetry of 4 individuals that no one have heard of since it is their first developed game, They did a pretty good damn JOB! I am looking forward for more releases in the future. I have played this game non stop. I even got the hard copy as wellThis game is Fantastic! I am a huge Dark Souls and Bloodborne fan and I appreciate what the creators did in this game. From a small company Cold Symetry of 4 individuals that no one have heard of since it is their first developed game, They did a pretty good damn JOB! I am looking forward for more releases in the future. I have played this game non stop. I even got the hard copy as well with the poster collections as it was worth buying for me I love the mechanics, combat, boss fights, landscape environments, the gothic dark feel of the game and the cryptic story! I will definitely recommend buying! I loved it!… Expand
  30. amralchalati
    Nov 7, 2020
    10
    This review after I finished the game 2 times and now doing my 3rd run.

    I love this game and I can see a lot of love and dedication from the devs. Amazing environments and unique bosses and enemies. I love the shell concept and the hardin mechanics.
  31. Hopedealer
    Oct 29, 2020
    6
    Mortal shell is another example of a game with amazing potential but a lackluster finish. Mortal shell is basically a dark souls clone in its feel, controls, difficulty and dark atmosphere. However this is its downfall as well as the other titles that attempt to clone the dark souls formula.
    Whenever anyone attempts to clone dark souls they run into an amazing inevitable error in creating    Mortal shell is another example of a game with amazing potential but a lackluster finish. Mortal shell is basically a dark souls clone in its feel, controls, difficulty and dark atmosphere. However this is its downfall as well as the other titles that attempt to clone the dark souls formula.
    Whenever anyone attempts to clone dark souls they run into an amazing inevitable error in creating a game, THE TITLE WILL BE ALWAYS BE COMPARED TO DARK SOULS. Competing with from soft is like trying to defeat the iPhone of video games. I mean seriously you’re literally competing or comparing yourself to the greatest series of all time basically.and the thing is when you do that unless you 100% understand the formula and vision of Miyazaki it’s going to always fall short, and mortal shell does that in many ways. I need to say bravo for attempting to make this game, it’s not easy to create and it turned out fairly good game given the team and devs, but it does deserve some critique. And I hope they continue on to find their groove in the gaming world.

    Problems
    1. Variety- This is non existent essentially there are only 4 player types and 4 weapons and they all handle to same with each different shell type. To me this is a big blunder because so much of the game is meaningless and it requires players to give it meaning. They can’t do that when they are unable to express the character in their play-style.

    2. Loot- Most items and skills or anything are not worth getting for any reason. Having to fight enemies in this game is extremely annoying and slogging your way through them only to get a healing item that heals for 1% of your total health, ITS POINTLESS. Also the items have zero information about them till you use them, which sounds interesting in theory but they cause effects you don’t want, like changing weapons or something else lame like that.

    3. Combat- This is by far the worst characteristic of this game. Almost everything you do is based around a bad combat system. The A.I is idiotic, the enemies are way too damaging even the scrubs, hits don’t connect when they obviously should, certain enemies have a stupid animation that can’t be avoided.

    Poise is broken and completely inconsistent. Using what looks like the heaviest weapon possible does not stun enemies in the middle of an animation even with a fully charged hard hit. Attacks from enemies can hurt you even after they have completed with point of momentum, meaning and enemy swings his weapon- you dodge- move back in too fast and still get hit. This also works terrible after getting your second chance to revive. Enemies already finished with their swing can whenever it’s convenient finish the attack and the frames still get you resulting in a crappy cheap death.

    All enemies are stronger than the player even when it makes no sense. Basically any scrub with a hammer in a few hits can kill your character in a full armor set empowered with the wrath of 10,000 sun gods. It doesn’t make sense that a homeless man outside of Walmart can easily kill the spawn of Satan.

    Parry skill is horrible.
    This is very, very inconsistent and this is coming from someone who beat Sekiro with room to spare. The party mechanic is also broken, it doesn’t fire when you press the button but other times fires too early and who can be parried or what can be parried is completely inconsistent.
    And given that this is the primary way of regaining health(WHY?) it makes it extremely frustrating to play the game to completion.

    Final thoughts
    I feel like this game could be much better and grander if it stopped trying to fit into the dark souls universe! There is plenty enough merit on its own to be its own worthy title but the desperation in trying to be the next “dark souls clone” prevents it from being really good. Dark souls has plenty of things that do not deserve to be repeated in another title. Sekiro proved that in its fresh take and won game of the year!

    If you’re looking for something to scratch that dark souls itch, imo this is not it. It’s better to just go and replay the titles you know and love with mods or a new character or something.
    This is worth a try though at its price point but don’t be shocked at the glaring problems when compared to a from soft title.

    Congrats to the studio though on their bravery in trying to make DS clone with that small team.
    The takeaway here though is players don’t care about the process they care about the product and the magic it can bring.    … Expand
  32. s14r43r
    Oct 24, 2020
    10
    Great game, bought it and I hope, there will be a second part! Thanks to developers, they did an awesome job!!!
  33. 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.
  34. 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
  35. 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
  36. hellogamer
    Oct 10, 2020
    6
    I am shortly before the last boss. It s a relatively short game but overall i like it. For a team consisting of only 4 devs in the beginning it s really long game. According to many reviewers: One of the strong points of the game is the hardening mechanic. Reviewers mentioned, it s a fresh new ability which allows for new styles.
    Me on the other hand, I constantly sticked to one combat    I am shortly before the last boss. It s a relatively short game but overall i like it. For a team consisting of only 4 devs in the beginning it s really long game. According to many reviewers: One of the strong points of the game is the hardening mechanic. Reviewers mentioned, it s a fresh new ability which allows for new styles.
    Me on the other hand, I constantly sticked to one combat schematics coz it s so powerful: 1. Commence Heavy Attack 2. Harden and 3. wait until enemy struck u. Rinse and repeat.
    I was tempted to stick to it coz it s so powerful. So now in the end its growing a lil dull and also a bit easy.
    Dont get me wrong, this game is the best soulslike (along with Nioh). But the more i played it, the more I longed for the Original - Dark Souls (Demon Souls on the PS5!)    … Expand
  37. 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
  38. AliDemi
    Sep 24, 2020
    10
    Thanks . Thanks . Thanks .... best game in the souls like.... I enjoyed it.
  39. srinu634
    Sep 19, 2020
    8
    This is an amazing game. The game is short but the graphics are pretty good. The combat system is good and enjoyable. It's impressive that only few people designed this game.
  40. 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
  41. Scorpion1223
    Sep 6, 2020
    9
    Great game and I hope developer can continue enhancing the game and also include dlc
  42. 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.
  43. mbestvina
    Sep 3, 2020
    7
    Mortal Shell isn't an homage to Dark Souls, it's an homage to Demon's Souls. A few hours in, I remembered an interview with the devs saying that they really love Demon's Souls and that's when it clicked for me. And really, that's where Mortal Shell is going to sink or swim for you. I recommend this game for Demon's Souls fans... and only Demon's Souls fans. Mortal Shell contains the mainMortal Shell isn't an homage to Dark Souls, it's an homage to Demon's Souls. A few hours in, I remembered an interview with the devs saying that they really love Demon's Souls and that's when it clicked for me. And really, that's where Mortal Shell is going to sink or swim for you. I recommend this game for Demon's Souls fans... and only Demon's Souls fans. Mortal Shell contains the main problems I've always had with Demon's Souls (henceforth "DeS") but its extremely poor balancing only exacerbates those problems.

    If you've never played it, DeS is extremely open ended. After the tutorial level, you're able to play its levels in any order. Mortal Shell works the same way and suffers for it. There's no enemy scaling so your first level will be your hardest and your last will be your easiest, the opposite of how a difficulty curve should work. The other problem this game shares with DeS is healing. There is no Estus Flask, only single-use healing items. You can buy 99 healing items but they struck me as particularly expensive in this game and you can't warp to the shop until the end of the game so healing items feel like a finite resource. Mushrooms and other items respawn after a certain amount of time but it's not enough. You simply can't count on healing items. Mortal Shell attempts to throw you a bone in that parrying can heal you but this mechanic just sucks. It's far too difficult to land successfully, it rewards too little health, does too little damage, and I ultimately ignored the mechanic entirely. TLDR, you basically can't heal in this game! Combine that with the long, linear, enemy-gauntlet level design of Dark Souls 2 and you've got a recipe for disaster.

    I was intrigued and enjoying myself enough at first, but I hit a wall of frustration in my first dungeon where I almost stopped playing. I ultimately ran through the dungeon ignoring enemies because I was so frustrated, something I usually frown on doing in Souls games. I just felt like I was missing something about its mechanics. Then, I absolutely destroyed the dungeon's boss realized that no, I'm not awful at this game, it's just poorly balanced. After that, I got enough upgrades to turn the tide and found the remaining shells which broke the game.

    You can switch between four classes (shells) but you have to find them in the world and you level them up separately. It's a neat idea but I'm on the fence because the game is so short that if you find one you like late in the game, you might not have enough time to level it up. The same problem goes for the 3 collectible weapons, which are found at the entrance of each of the 3 dungeons. It feels like you should immediately explore the hub area and find all of the weapons and shells. You're given hints of where they are at the central save point so the game nudges you in that direction but this is surely going to drive a lot of people mad that don't do this, as it did me. Also, the shells feel really unbalanced. The four shells focus on defense, agility, offense, and magic but the offense one has twice as much health as the others on top of some awesome attack buffs. Given you basically can't heal, this thing is the obvious choice.

    I haven't mentioned the game's signature mechanic, hardening. Instead of a shield, you can turn into stone for a few seconds and tank most attacks. It's a cool mechanic but turns out to be kind of one-note. You to get a free combo by hardening, dodge, wait for it to recharge, rinse, and repeat. This is how you win the game. There is no variation or strategy at all. I really feel like the parry mechanic should have been worked into the hardening somehow. The game also has something like the die-twice mechanic from Sekiro. You get a free life-refill if you can jump back in your shell on dying but only once before visiting a bonfire. You can buy an upgrade that refills the ability if you kill 10 enemies and this thing feels almost necessary as it fixes the shoddy healing mechanics but it's fairly expensive so it will take you a while to earn. This is yet another baffling decision that makes the first half of this game enraging and the second half too easy.

    And that's really my thesis on this game. Like Demon's Souls, your first few hours with this game can feel overwhelmingly unfair. It holds back essential abilities, forces you to find good enough gear to even have a chance, makes you grind to be able to heal, and generally makes you learn the "right way" to play rather than getting better at its combat. And once you've surmounted that difficulty wall, the game immediately becomes too easy and you run out of upgrades fast. I'm sure this "git gud to the extreme" will appeal to some and when Mortal Shell works, it REALLY works. I genuinely forgot I wasn't playing a FromSoft game at a couple points, but the bad and mediocre moments overpowered the good ones. A really good patch could save this game but as it stands, I only recommend it for Demon's Souls fans.    … Expand
  44. Qroh2020
    Sep 3, 2020
    9
    When I started this game, I wasn't sure about it. I thought I had bought into another stinker of a game like that FromSoftware failure of a game Sekiro (Sorry not sorry). But actually, this one is quite good. Once you get the hang of the mechanics and start leveling up, it's enjoyable and even impressive.
  45. Ash_1337
    Sep 2, 2020
    0
    Regret buying. Combat feels clunky and doesn't feel good to play nor fun :(
  46. Mirror_knight
    Sep 2, 2020
    9
    Similar to souls series, a little bit difficult but the atmosphere and the world are awesome. A few troubles with the camera but nothing to worry. Also the lore needs more work and to become clear.
  47. Agurzil
    Sep 1, 2020
    10
    They took "enough" from darksouls.
    not a long game but also not too short.
    Graphics are great.
    They could do better with soundtracks, but it doesn't really matter.
  48. Cernunnos_
    Aug 30, 2020
    8
    Enjoyable game. A few new combat mechanics, lightweight storytelling, however the aspect which really stands out is atmosphere of the world. That is indeed remarkable, horror-ish sounds in a murky world greatly complement the overall interactions with the world. A few mechanics are broke, which I believe shod be patched soon. Apart from that, a good refreshment
  49. 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
  50. Otakool
    Aug 28, 2020
    8
    If you are a souls fan than this is must play. Once you get use to the hardern feature it sorta turns into second nature.

    Played on a PS4 pro. The game in some areas has screen tear issues and frame rate drops but nothing too bothersome. The environment and graphics are stupendous. Voice acting for one particular character is extremely poor. Laughable almost. A good variety of    If you are a souls fan than this is must play. Once you get use to the hardern feature it sorta turns into second nature.

    Played on a PS4 pro. The game in some areas has screen tear issues and frame rate drops but nothing too bothersome. The environment and graphics are stupendous. Voice acting for one particular character is extremely poor. Laughable almost.

    A good variety of enemies however the boss fights are not that difficult. I found all bosses to be quiet easy (played the Tiel shell whole game with chisel). If you’re looking for a Father Gascoigne level fight you won’t find it in mortal shell.

    Overall the games extremely impressive and you feel and sense the passion of the devs. I had a great time playing it and avid souls fans will too. It’s a must play on this gen.    … Expand
  51. consumptive7
    Aug 28, 2020
    10
    This review will tell you my thoughts on common complaints and why I love this game, and how many are just being negative because there either not good and mad or simply didn't realise that a good game they dislike doesn't mean that others who will actually pay attention instead of whine and complain, can have a genuine good time. Or not, it is unforgivable, that's the point so many seemThis review will tell you my thoughts on common complaints and why I love this game, and how many are just being negative because there either not good and mad or simply didn't realise that a good game they dislike doesn't mean that others who will actually pay attention instead of whine and complain, can have a genuine good time. Or not, it is unforgivable, that's the point so many seem to miss... this game is not for everybody. Honestly a contender for game of the year for me, this is a must play for fans of the souls games, everything from its incredible environments, eerie atmosphere due to the design choice of having limited music, the satisfying and steady paced combat. (which does have op target system you just use the lock on, saying this because alot of people who wrote negative reviews clearly didn't give this game any chance with many of the "missing features" which Are included later on, the lock on being taught at the beginning of the game... And fast travel being unlocked once you max out a shell...)


    The game Is short (10-11hours) but either way I love it to bits, it can feel a little clunky here and there and the occasional glitch is mostly just entertaining than anything, the layout is confusing and hard to navigate at first but gets easier over time adding to the experience and feeling of conquering this mysterious and dark world. *Heals and Items*
    People often complain about the heals, it's not an issue mid to late game personally, at the start it's hard but you learn how to use the parry system on various enemies more effectively to heal and how to use and know when to spare heals effectively and also will have learnt what items do what with the amazing familiarity system, such as taraspore mushrooms, they poison you on first use, second use the give you immunity to poison.



    *The Story, no spoilers*
    The story is mysterious, confusing and dark. There's alot of lore and its hard to make sense of much, like many of the other souls type games, but still as usual, very interesting and brought me excitement to discover anything new about it. This game was developed by a small Indie team and honestly it's a work of art, they did an incredible job considering the lack of people, they were clearly very passionate in their work. To be able to play their game is honestly one of the best experiences I've had with games in the past few years. If I had to describe this game in a few words it's stunning, beautiful enthralling and unforgiving.



    I cannot recommend this game enough, it truly is my best game yet for 2020, so much so it inspired me to write a review for the first time, im hoping to persuade people into realising that many of the negative reviews are from People who didn't like a good game, and that's fair, it's not for everyone, but it's nowhere near as bad as they sound it out I assure you, but if you dislike hard games, don't play this game.

    If you do well, I hope this games stunned you you as it did me.    … Expand
  52. poggerss
    Aug 27, 2020
    8
    This was an amazing game! I have not played souls but have played Bloodborne, this game has great graphics, lore and mechanics. This game feels a lot different to many I have played. The only issue is the parry system but other than that it's a great game.
  53. Lifthrasil
    Aug 27, 2020
    8
    Just finished the Platinum and the run without a shell. All in all a very good souls like game. It is in my opinion not as tough, as the other Dark Souls games, but it has genuinely enjoyable boss fights and a good combat system.

    If you're a fan of Dark Souls and other soulslikes you should pick this game up, as you'll probably enjoy it.
  54. Lauchlan
    Aug 26, 2020
    9
    Mortal shell is a wonderfull love letter to the souls-like genre. Although it may come across at first as a knock off souls game, it actually adds its own fair share of new additions to mix it up a little, and make the gameplay thoroughly compelling. This is a great game and one I would recommend to anyone, especially fans of the souls games.
  55. Uvmaister
    Aug 25, 2020
    9
    If I didn't know Cold Symmetry was the masterminds behind Mortal Shell I could easily been fooled by someone saying it's a new IP from FROM SOFTWARE. That's how great this game is. Sticking so closely to what works but also deviating from what we know is refreshing. This is a decleration of love to Soulsborne and in a way that makes you feel like you're in a Miyazaki game.
  56. The_Mage
    Aug 24, 2020
    9
    Had to write this after reading some nonsense whining comments here. This is an indie title, these people didn’t have the same budget that FromSoftware had to produce the Soulsborne games. Yet, they still crafted a (very) beautiful and challenging experience.
    The combat is fluid and hardening is a really interesting mechanic. Parrying is enjoyable and offers a great risk/reward. I like the    Had to write this after reading some nonsense whining comments here. This is an indie title, these people didn’t have the same budget that FromSoftware had to produce the Soulsborne games. Yet, they still crafted a (very) beautiful and challenging experience.
    The combat is fluid and hardening is a really interesting mechanic. Parrying is enjoyable and offers a great risk/reward. I like the pace of the combat, it is somewhat in between bloodborne and dark souls. Very good debut title, curious to see what this studio can do with more re$ources.    … Expand
  57. CrazyMongol
    Aug 24, 2020
    8
    Было очень странно,быстро,но мне почему-то понравилось
  58. 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
  59. Ghoster
    Aug 24, 2020
    8
    One of very few Souls clones worth to play. Combat mechanics are very interesting and refreshing together with consumable items. Combination of parry and hardened make combat at least awesome like DS! But, there are few bad things which prevent game to be fully enjoyable! First, healing system (those mushrooms hardly touch your health to raise it) and confusing map design with too lessOne of very few Souls clones worth to play. Combat mechanics are very interesting and refreshing together with consumable items. Combination of parry and hardened make combat at least awesome like DS! But, there are few bad things which prevent game to be fully enjoyable! First, healing system (those mushrooms hardly touch your health to raise it) and confusing map design with too less checkpoints. But, WORST gameplay destroyer is LOOOONG loading time after each death. Hard games where you die a lot should have instant respawn (like Dark Souls) because with long loading time become too frustrating to pass game mechanics learning curve! Hope they can improve this in upcoming patches!… Expand
  60. 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
  61. Salad_King
    Aug 23, 2020
    9
    If you enjoyed any of the souls game then you will most likely enjoy this game. Although the souls series has a better budget and larger team you can still get a similar enjoyment out of the combat and gameplay.

    The combat is slightly easier and more forgiving than Sekiro-SoulsBorne games but you can make your own challenge if you select the right weapon with right Shell. Bosses are    If you enjoyed any of the souls game then you will most likely enjoy this game. Although the souls series has a better budget and larger team you can still get a similar enjoyment out of the combat and gameplay.

    The combat is slightly easier and more forgiving than Sekiro-SoulsBorne games but you can make your own challenge if you select the right weapon with right Shell. Bosses are fun, just not enough bosses to be found. When you upgrade some weapons to their fullest some of the bosses become easy, the same can be said with the Shells.

    It's mostly a "quiet" game and the sections that do have music it has perfect fit for the setting. The ambient sounds are great as well.

    The environment can be claustrophobic at times which adds to the overall oppression of the world and each location is unique and offers its own take on existential dread, hopelessness and a sense of "wrongness" like your protagonist does not belong in this world.

    I think lore hunters are going to have a lot of fun with this game in the future if the company chooses to release more content.    … Expand
  62. OvrlrdO
    Aug 23, 2020
    10
    Достойная наследница соулов, в ожидании элден ринг зашла на ура
  63. JonnyMenthol
    Aug 23, 2020
    8
    I'm loving the game, 12 hours in with all weapons gained, all shells found and two maxed and two dungeons cleared with the bosses whipped but my biggest complaint of this game, among a few smaller ones, is that hub area is **** horribly designed for navigation. Maybe they done it on purpose to justify the senses and the souls feel but whatever the reason it's atrocious and needs to beI'm loving the game, 12 hours in with all weapons gained, all shells found and two maxed and two dungeons cleared with the bosses whipped but my biggest complaint of this game, among a few smaller ones, is that hub area is **** horribly designed for navigation. Maybe they done it on purpose to justify the senses and the souls feel but whatever the reason it's atrocious and needs to be rectified, just a few more memorable objects in the paths between the few that are memorable and some clever splashing of minor colour and i'd up this game to a 9/10, right now it's an 8. It shouldn't take 10+ hours to map such a small area fully in memory, that said I know it like the back of my hand now.

    Pros -
    Amazing combat
    Limited ability to OP yourself
    Timer on healing items to limit farming, also are heal over time
    Dungeons are incredible, one is a bit short but still really satisfying
    It looks pretty good
    Half the price of a triple A but feels triple A
    Bosses are great and
    Three of the shells are exactly the I'd builds I'd make in souls
    There is an OP option for those who need it but it isn't right up front and requires work

    Cons

    Hub area is maze like trash, had to check a guide at times just to navigate early on
    Fours classes, fours weapons (not a harsh downer)
    You can roll past normal trash enemies way too easily, there is little penalty for dying if at any at all
    You can pick the wrong boss (or maybe just one) and get stuck in with it with no chance to upgrade
    It's relatively short (But as long as some exclusive or FPS single player campaigns)
    I can see it being extremely difficult for players who OP there way through souls games    … Expand
  64. Badger2012
    Aug 23, 2020
    10
    If you enjoy Dark Souls and Bloodborne you will enjoy Mortal Shell. I think some of the people giving this game low scores have not made it out of the first area and haven't fully seen what this game has to offer. I am a Dark Souls and Bloodborne veteran and I am really enjoying Mortal Shell. I really like the hardening defense system in the game. Once you get the hang of usingIf you enjoy Dark Souls and Bloodborne you will enjoy Mortal Shell. I think some of the people giving this game low scores have not made it out of the first area and haven't fully seen what this game has to offer. I am a Dark Souls and Bloodborne veteran and I am really enjoying Mortal Shell. I really like the hardening defense system in the game. Once you get the hang of using hardening, harden while attacking, parry, riposte, and dodge the combat becomes extremely fluid and satisfying. This game has a steeper learning curve than the From Software games but it is worth it. The concept of being able to swap between shells is a nice innovation that I have found interesting and useful. Each weapon has 2 special attacks that become available through upgrades. The heavy-duty bolt caster is also a really satisfying and powerful weapon that is really helpful in tackling the more challenging enemies, There is some good Lore as you progress. Voice acting is of high quality. The graphics and environments are really good. I especially liked the frozen land. There are lots of really cool enemies in the different areas of the game and the bosses and boss fights are excellent. A lot of work has gone into this game and it shows. You can fast travel using masks, early game consumable masks allow you to travel to the last Sester visited. Once you have fully upgraded 1 shell you can purchase an ornate mask for 30 glimpses that will allow you to fast travel to any location.… Expand
  65. bcdserra
    Aug 22, 2020
    7
    So I myself, hate the game. But it's not a bad game and I'm not one of those **** giving a zero because I'm salty and ragey, a small team of 15 passionate people made this which is amazing.
    What demotivated me the most is the healing and the lack of checkpoints, which made it tedious to recuperate your lost "souls" after dying 10 kilometers from a checkpoint in a tight corridor filled    So I myself, hate the game. But it's not a bad game and I'm not one of those **** giving a zero because I'm salty and ragey, a small team of 15 passionate people made this which is amazing.
    What demotivated me the most is the healing and the lack of checkpoints, which made it tedious to recuperate your lost "souls" after dying 10 kilometers from a checkpoint in a tight corridor filled with enemies. It just didn't push me to continue when I finally got my stuff back only to realise I also needed a second currency to level up my shell. I was then forced to take my "souls" with me, which I really really disliked. So I stopped playing. If you read this and think you might also feel like that, buy Hellpoint. If you read this and think you're up for the challenge, godspeed and have fun !    … Expand
  66. Borflebop
    Aug 22, 2020
    9
    I think this is outstanding for the price and size of the team working for it. I would probably give a 8 or 7 if it was a total AAA game. Which I’d consider still worthwhile for a souls fan. At first the controls seem to fight you especially with experience in other souls and souls-like games, honestly this made me worried it was lords of the fallen all over again lol. But alas the parry,I think this is outstanding for the price and size of the team working for it. I would probably give a 8 or 7 if it was a total AAA game. Which I’d consider still worthwhile for a souls fan. At first the controls seem to fight you especially with experience in other souls and souls-like games, honestly this made me worried it was lords of the fallen all over again lol. But alas the parry, weapon R2s and harden mechanic work fluidly and this not only saves the combat but pushes it further into very enjoyable territory. The levels, enemies and world are what I really recommend this for however, it’s beautiful, and really stretched the imagination in most cases. If they ever make a sequel I hope to see more responsive and snappy combat, otherwise I look forward to more full heartedly.… Expand
  67. Jamesw29
    Aug 22, 2020
    8
    This is a great game overall. I noticed some frame drops on standard PS4. Graphics are nice though but getting this game on PC would be much better. The weapons and shells have different variety that can tailor to the player’s play style. This is a game worth checking out if you like a challenging game. Don’t know why there’s so many negative reviews when this game was developed by a smallThis is a great game overall. I noticed some frame drops on standard PS4. Graphics are nice though but getting this game on PC would be much better. The weapons and shells have different variety that can tailor to the player’s play style. This is a game worth checking out if you like a challenging game. Don’t know why there’s so many negative reviews when this game was developed by a small company and delivered a great experience.… Expand
  68. 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
  69. 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
  70. 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
  71. Milidante
    Aug 21, 2020
    7
    Mortal shell could be one of the best soulslikes ever made but developers made some weird mistakes. First the game is too short and bkz of no lvl up system there is no repeat value so after you beat the game you’ll never go back to it bkz there is nothing more to do. Second is healing system. A healing system based on just parries is **** Your health is low in a boss fight and to heal yourMortal shell could be one of the best soulslikes ever made but developers made some weird mistakes. First the game is too short and bkz of no lvl up system there is no repeat value so after you beat the game you’ll never go back to it bkz there is nothing more to do. Second is healing system. A healing system based on just parries is **** Your health is low in a boss fight and to heal your self you should parry the boss’s hard hitting massive attacks! This is not acceptable and lower your joy. All and all mortal could my best souls like of the year but now it is my most disappointing souls like of the year :(… Expand
  72. Dizzle_Dogg97
    Aug 21, 2020
    10
    A nice Soulslike game. New and interesting mechanics like the shells and the hardening up ability. Not the flashiest game but for such a small development team, it is an impressive effort.
  73. THESPARTANGAMER
    Aug 20, 2020
    10
    7 hours in the game and oh boy the vibes you get is from DS atmosphere with unique mechanics. At first you will find it very hard but later when you upgrade the weapons then you feel unstoppable. The only problems is it's the loading screen after you die very long and you feel that on console it's not so smooth. 10 because so small team they build and very nice souls like game
  74. GCassels
    Aug 20, 2020
    7
    Great debut from an indie studio. The controls do take quite a while to get used to but overall, it feels pretty solid. The game is short (I beat it in under 8 hours playtime) but the price is right for the challenge and game world.
  75. Hellfire999
    Aug 20, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is trash, plain and simple, but I'm going to delve into why it's so garbage. Let's preface by saying I have beaten the Souls titles and Bloodborne, as well as most Soulslikes I've come across.

    1. Healing: I understand this experience is supposed to be difficult, but the lack of a dedicated and easily obtainable restorative just feels like your actively being cruel, especially when the alternatives punish you further if you aren't adept at the parry, which also is crap.

    2. Combat: While combat "sounds" visceral, it's not. The PC will stagger from any and all blows dealt to them, and, while a foe smaller than the PC will also stagger from blows, a foe equal to your size or even slightly larger than you will not. If the larger or equal foe does stagger, it doesn't feel at all consistent to the blows being dealt, and, to top it off, they gain a period of time where they cannot be staggered at all from any of your attacks, that's not fun, it's just torture. Also, the damage foes deal far outdoes what a PC can do until at least 2 upgrades into a weapon. Dodge is sluggish and feels unresponsive 1/2 the time and eats way too much stamina for the limited reserve 3 of the shells have. Combat just feels like a slog and forget taking on more than one foe at a time or you'll get eaten alive. It often feels like enemies are acting on a different set of rules to the PC.

    Defenses: This was the biggest problem by far next to the stamina and healing concerns, especially with your limited and unchanging health and stamina pools. The parry does not come out quickly enough and the enemies purposely have misleading timings on their attacks, not to mention unparryable attacks, which SHOULD have only been relegated to bosses only, not normal foes, especially since it requires resolve to get a heal out of it, which takes far too long to build even a single gauge of. Hardening is a fine IDEA, but a one use block maneuver that requires a recharge is plain stupid with how much damage foes do and some seem to ignore the knockback from it. Either throw in a shield or make enemies do less damage with better healing abilities, or a less costly dodge.

    Weapons: Only 2 of the 4 are worth any investment. The others are too slow and too weak to do anything remotely useful, especially since your damage output and stamina consumption are garbage except against anything but the weakest enemies.

    Player stagger: 3 of the 4 shells wear heavy armor or, at least, medium. Why do they stagger so harshly from every blow? The point of wearing armor is to shrug off blows. They might as well be wearing tissue paper, for all the good it does.

    Player growth: Another glaring problem. While the shells gain skills of a sort that you unlock, their health, stamina, and resolve pools remain largely static, which does not give a sense of growth for having stuck with a particular shell, since the shell doesn't feel any different to play from the moment you obtained it. And since 2 of the 4 have enough stamina for a single combo before needing to back off and waiting to recharge, the 3rd has enough health to take 2 hits, and the 4th has enough stamina for a single hit and dodge, some growth to them felt sorely needed.

    Unless the devs decide to fix these obvious problems, don't waste your money on this torture session of a game. Dark Souls was difficult, but it felt like you owned your failures, this "game" just makes me wonder if the devs actually wanted someone to play it for how much of torturous slog it is to muddle through. You can tell me to "git gud" if you want, but it has to feel like it's worth "gitting gud" at. This does not, and, unless serious work is done to overhaul it, it won't be.    … Expand
  76. JuliusSmith
    Aug 20, 2020
    10
    Beautiful love letter to Dark souls. Really impressed by what the small dev team acheived, and only costs 30$? Thats very cash money of them.
  77. Tigercloud
    Aug 20, 2020
    8
    For this small Studio to accomplish something so good is a great start, I hope they continue down this line and make a second or learn from what this game needs to improve on and make the transition from there. Being a soulsborne fan this game scratched my itch
  78. Zeydlitz
    Aug 20, 2020
    0
    This game have no pause and inadequate respawn. Garbage. Controls are bad and could not be remapped.
  79. Satanic-majestY
    Aug 19, 2020
    9
    Despite being an indie game, the game shows a modern level of graphics and offers a number of interesting game innovations.
    Mortal Shell is designed to appeal to connoisseurs of dark aesthetics and fans of Dark Souls.
  80. 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.
  81. LilyHooper
    Aug 19, 2020
    0
    Game is so broken on launch that I cannot recommend anyone to play it. I have had multiple game breaking bugs and that isn't acceptable.
  82. 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
  83. 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
  84. 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
  85. 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.
  86. BOHIKAN5
    Aug 19, 2020
    9
    Mortal Shell is easily the best Souls-like game that I've ever played. It perfectly captures the dark fantasy atmosphere of Dark Souls, while also delivering strong combat mechanics, rewarding exploration and interesting builds to play. This game is a stunning achievement from the small development team at Cold Symmetry, and I sincerely hope that there is either DLC or Mortal Shell 2 toMortal Shell is easily the best Souls-like game that I've ever played. It perfectly captures the dark fantasy atmosphere of Dark Souls, while also delivering strong combat mechanics, rewarding exploration and interesting builds to play. This game is a stunning achievement from the small development team at Cold Symmetry, and I sincerely hope that there is either DLC or Mortal Shell 2 to look forward to in the future.… Expand
  87. VanginVnuk
    Aug 19, 2020
    10
    Probably the best souls like game I've played. A lot of work has been done for such a small company. It was fun to play, it was difficult to play. The sword feels heavy. The game is worth paying attention to. I recommend it!
  88. TuffinUp
    Aug 19, 2020
    8
    Fun souls like experience from a small team. Super glad I bought it. Textures are a little rough. Combat is fun.
  89. 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.
  90. Gecko382
    Aug 19, 2020
    2
    Extremely clunky movement and a delay in every single thing you do. Attacking queues the next attack absurdly long so you'll end up attacking when you'd rather want to dodge.

    Could be a great game for its price if the developers spent another six months polishing gameplay.
  91. AkaySama
    Aug 19, 2020
    10
    Great game from a small team and it's not easy to do a Soul game, and they did. and add their own spin into it
  92. 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.

Awards & Rankings

38
#38 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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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