Mortal Shell II Review – The Encompassed Multiplicity

In the realm of souls-likes, one that has a reputation for supposedly brutal difficulty is Coly Symmetry’s Mortal Shell. Having not played it myself, I’ve only heard rumblings of it being one of the steepest difficulty curves in the genre. With that said, I eyed Mortal Shell II with simultaneous caution and excitement, as the thrill from overcoming such a severe trial must be exceptionally gratifying. After experiencing Mortal Shell II myself, I’ve found it impressively matches some of that hype, even if untapped potential is undeniably evident in certain areas.

Story, Shells, and Narrative Execution

Mortal Shell II follows the Harbinger, a worshipped being believed to be a savior, as they are tasked by the deific Undermether with recovering her stolen Ova. Progression is largely centered around this general task, but plenty of lore tidbits are scattered via other methods. For instance, one of the most prevalent storytelling locations is tied to the game’s primary gimmick, embodying different Shells. These Shells used to be individual people before certain circumstances turned them into remnants ripe for possession.

Unfortunately, despite the gripping intrigue presented with the Shells, the narrative execution here is quite lacking. As you get closer to a Shell, through a series of upgrades at the hub, you can view Episodes about their lives. It’s during these occasions that a potential lack of budget is most apparent. The presentation of these sequences is pretty lackluster, comprising bluish hues all across the environments and what essentially amounts to character outlines occupying the premises.

Then, the events themselves are strangely brief and feature hollow gameplay built around unfulfilling button inputs to move things forward. These segments would’ve worked significantly better as full-on cutscenes where the Shells had more autonomy, but maybe the budget wasn’t in it for that. Conceptually, Shell bonding is a neat idea with the potential to integrate the player’s relationship between narrative and gameplay progression; it just fails to capitalize on that notion here. The core story itself feels mostly obligatory, too, without enough focus to spark genuine player-driven intrigue, at least in my case. It falls into the souls-like shackles of being something you have to seek out, without enough material to make that potential investment feel natural.

Combat, Customization, and Build Variety

The gameplay is where Mortal Shell II shines in several ways, even if some notions are undercooked. Tracing back to the Shells, you can roughly think of them as a Class system, so to speak, as they embody different strengths and upgrade trees that offer pronounced distinction at higher levels. When paired with another transformative facet, Tarstones, you get a genuinely impressive range of choices for your build. It isn’t needlessly overwhelming, though. While Shells have compact skill trees, the Harbinger itself has a straightforward leveling structure for spending Gloom, a traditional souls-like resource, that you don’t have to think about regarding stat point distribution.

Tarstones are key items you discover throughout the world, and they come in multiple types, including support, combat, infusion, and ability iterations. Put simply, they are integral to the experience, offering continuous rewards and variety. Some of my favorites involved imbuing attacks with elemental properties, as they can completely alter the trajectory of encounters. Granted, one of the most interesting systems of Mortal Shell II is how consumable items can be equipped passively or actively, imparting unique effects depending on which side is selected. I didn’t play around with this mechanic much, since it requires finding more of the same item to learn its potential, but I do like how it gives substance to repeatedly finding the same item.

As for how combat plays moment-to-moment, I was taken aback by how swift it can all end up becoming. While attack wind-ups can be lengthy, enemy telegraphs and moving in for openings require trained reflexes to gain the greatest possible advantage. Between different weapons, each embodying wholly unique approaches, and even guns that efficiently pay off when approached by groups or fliers, each encounter necessitates constant thought. The guns are cleverly incorporated as well, as their use depends on a gauge filled only by melee swings, synergizing the two applications in a well-balanced measure.

Difficulty is also a factor that could certainly become overwhelming. For clarity, since we received our review code fairly late, I followed the critical path for main progression and didn’t do as much side exploration as you’re probably expected to. Consequently, select boss encounters were quite demanding, with only a couple of hits spelling demise and limited heals became intensely precious. Still, I couldn’t help but adore these bouts since the bosses themselves boast terrific design. Clear tells and variety in movesets resulted in magnificent encounters that highlight Mortal Shell II at some of its best.

Stamina-Free Combat and World Design

Another design choice I adored was Mortal Shell II’s lack of stamina. Unlike most other souls-likes, which dictate all actions around a stamina gauge that requires constant attention, this game lets you run free at your leisure. Dodging, standard attacks, and heavy strikes are solely reliant on your reactivity, leaning more into the action approach. Naturally, this leads you to embrace aggression, with breaking enemy postures for stagger-infused finishers becoming the name of the game. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be defensive-minded; poor judgment on distancing, especially against groups, can kill you in seconds. Still, your offensive approach here will likely differ compared to most other outings in the genre. The final stretch of the game is somewhat rough with balancing, leaning too far in the player’s favor, but that’s more of a mild letdown than anything.

World design is an area where Mortal Shell II tends to thrive, too. While I wasn’t a fan of the borderline identical visuals throughout a decent portion the adventure, especially in dungeons, the navigation itself is always exciting. Countless side paths fill the world with worthwhile rewards. Better yet, this openness isn’t blindly implemented for the sake of hollow engagement. There is still a clearly perceptible linearity to advancement, just with multiple paths and enough dead ends to weigh on your choices. Still, the aforementioned dungeons are a low point. They’re linear to a fault and don’t differentiate themselves enough from each other to justify their existence. At the same time, the pick-ups here are quite notable, ranging from weapons to core upgrade materials used at the hub.

Hub, Performance, and Final Verdict

Speaking of, exploration and convenience go hand in hand. Landmarks, referred to as Beacons, are checkpoints littered throughout the world and can transport you to other Beacons and the hub, the Marrow Keep. Strangely, there is a system here that involves entering and cleansing the Beacons of foes to activate them, so to speak, cleansing corruption. However, this practice came across as slight, needless padding since they’re so brief and lack memorability in their layouts.

Regardless, the Marrow Keep has plenty going on. In addition to depositing the core collectibles, the Ovum, alongside bonding with and upgrading the Shells, you can upgrade your weapons. Plus, Merrick the merchant has no shortage of goods, ranging from equippables to even maps that indicate a rough range of where special items may be hiding around the world. I really appreciated how these maps still encouraged discovery rather than directly saying where these pick-ups were.

Performance-wise, Mortal Shell II was usually stable. I did face a handful of crashes and bugs, including a comically bizarre one in which guarding or dodging attacks at the wrong time would send the Harbinger soaring far into the air. However, an extensive launch-day patch has been implemented, so hopefully those shortcomings are remedied.

I didn’t go into Mortal Shell II with any real expectations, so I was surprised by how robust and fulfilling the experience ended up being. Even with its lackluster storytelling and occasional bits of meager gameplay design, the core progression here is one of the genre’s best, an impressive feat given how jam-packed souls-likes continue to be. If you consider yourself a fan of souls-likes, you absolutely owe it to yourself to give Mortal Shell II a try, which I hope will lead to the team evolving and perfecting its already addictive formula.