Mortal Shell review: A snack-sized Soulslike with a clever twist

Source: Cold Symmetry

Though many accept tried, it's arguable that no developer other than FromSoftware has been able to create a Soulslike game that manages to experience as engaging and enjoyable equally Dark Souls, the franchise that kicked the genre off. Several titles have come close, though, and Mortal Shell — a new Soulslike ARPG from modest programmer Cold Symmetry — comes the closest. And while Mortal Shell does miss the mark in a couple of means, it'southward nonetheless incredibly impressive what Common cold Symmetry was able to achieve here.

Night Souls, simply with body takeovers

Mortal Shell

$30

Bottom line: While it'due south not perfect, Mortal Shell is nonetheless an impressive snack-sized Soulslike that'southward fun, polished, and unique, providing an feel that Souls fans volition honey.

Pros

• Excellent combat system
• Shell mechanic is awesome
• Strong polish and presentation
• Interesting lore to unravel

Cons

• Level blueprint could be amend
• More weapons would have been squeamish
• Music is bland

What y'all'll dearest about Mortal Crush

Out of everything within Mortal Shell'due south 12-16 hour take a chance, the game'southward combat system was, by far, my favorite affair nigh it. As is expected from a Soulslike, light and heavy attacks, stamina direction, dodging, and parrying all take an essential place in your moveset. However, what sets Mortal Shell apart is its replacement for shields: Hardening, a cooldown-based mechanic that allows yous to plow into stone whenever y'all want (including while you lot're attacking) and take one hit without taking damage while too staggering whatever hit you lot. Since Hardening doesn't require committing to an animation but can only block 1 strike, it uniquely encourages ambitious play in a way that no Soulslike earlier it has. Pair that with Mortal Crush'due south "Resolve" meter that builds when you lot attack and can be used to either perform devastating special attacks or evangelize a wellness-regenerating riposte post-parry, and you've got an offense-focused gameplay loop that'south as addicting as information technology is clever.

Mortal Shell allows for mid-playthrough playstyle swapping, which is rarely the instance in Soulslikes.

Something else that stands out in Mortal Shell is its "shells," or bodies that tin can be taken over by the player. In that location are four, and each comes with a different corporeality of health, stamina, and maximum Resolve. They tin can be found in the world, and each shell comes with its own skills that can exist unlocked with earned resource. For instance, Harros the Vassal is a jack of all trades with average stats and Hardening skills, while Eredrim the Venerable is a tanky knight with high health, low stamina, and damage skills. You tin switch betwixt these shells at whatsoever time, too, offering the role player a ton of freedom in terms of mid-playthrough choice.

Finally, Mortal Shell's Fallgrim is a cute and interesting world filled with marshy swamplands, underground dungeons, icy caverns, and even crystalline obsidian vistas. The game'southward fidelity is stunning likewise — because Cold Symmetry is a team made upwards of only fifteen people, information technology's incredible that Mortal Shell looks as AAA as it does. There's a good amount of interesting lore to find throughout Fallgrim also, which will please narrative fans. Lastly, Mortal Shell is a dream in terms of performance. In my playthrough, I didn't feel a single issues, and the game consistently ran at 60 FPS on my gaming PC with Ultra settings.

What yous'll love less about Mortal Shell

Source: Windows Central

Equally enjoyable as Mortal Shell is, it isn't without issues. My biggest issue with information technology is that the level design is defective. Firstly, the game'due south swampy hub surface area is confusing to navigate because at that place are side by side to no landmarks you tin can use to go on track of where you lot are. Secondly, one of the game'south major areas has segments where hordes of enemies are thrown at you, and it feels impossible to fight them all regardless of skill level (I ran past them). Lastly, almost all of the zones are continued by petty holes that yous crawl through. These disguised loading screens feel way too "video-gamey" and immersion-breaking.

The small weapon diverseness in Mortal Shell is disappointing.

Additionally, I was disappointed by the fact that there were only four weapons. While each of them are singled-out from one another, I would have liked to see more options. Function of what makes Dark Souls fun is that players have an armory of different weapons at their disposal, and while I didn't expect Mortal Beat to take dozens, having eight or ten instead of just four would give players a reason to go on playing and experiment more than.

Lastly, Mortal Shell'southward music — mainly consisting of boss themes — is really, really defective. Overall, the score is very forgettable and bland, which is a shame considering a huge part of what makes Soulslike dominate battles feel epic is their top-notch soundtracks. There are a few decent ambience tracks in the game, but more often than not, I was really disappointed.

Should you buy Mortal Trounce?

Source: Common cold Symmetry

While Mortal Shell'southward bug with level design, pocket-sized weapon variety, and an underwhelming score are disappointing, the game as a whole is great. Mortal Vanquish'southward combat is stellar and unique, and the beat out mechanic gives players plenty of freedom to try out new playstyles mid-playthrough. On top of that, the world of Fallgrim is gorgeous and intriguing, filled with interesting sights, items, and lore to discover.

If y'all're a fan of Dark Souls and games like it, I highly recommend giving Mortal Crush a shot. It's a pocket-size, nevertheless creative have on the genre, and I can't look to meet what Cold Symmetry does adjacent.

Mortal Shell is available for $30 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC through the Ballsy Games Store. If you lot practice determine to option the game upwardly, make certain to refer to our beginner's guide for some starting tips.

Welcome to Fallgrim

Mortal Crush

Night Souls, but with body takeovers

While it'south not perfect, Mortal Shell is however an impressive snack-sized Soulslike that's fun, polished, and unique, providing an experience that Souls fans will dearest.

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The definitive FromSoftware Souls-similar power ranking (at present with Elden Ring)

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/mortal-shell-review

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