A Brutal New Shell
When I first played the original Mortal Shell, way back in 2020, I thought it was okay, but no Dark Souls. Then there was an enhanced edition that was released in 2021, and again, I liked it, but the game that impaired it was still the king of the castle. So, is it a case of third time lucky for developers Cold Symmetry and Palaystack? Can Mortal Shell II, as the new game is imaginatively called, escape its fate as a dirty rascal?
Well, the early trailers seemed to hint at a game that stood a chance of achieving greatness, and now that I have spent some time with the game, can it go better than the predecessor?
A Dark And Decaying World
The first thing we need to consider is the presentation, the graphics and wotnot. Here the news is very good, with a proper kind of Dark Souls end of the world vibe going on, and a general air of decay pervading the whole game. This aesthetic is carried over into the enemies that we face, that all seem a little bit ragged, a little bit rotting – all except the edges of their various weapons, that is! The design of the enemies is varied, but there are some glaring similarities in the way that they move. As an example, it appears that any enemy, be they big or small, that is armed with a bow has been given the same moveset. It’s especially apparent when they all use the same “roll away then quickly launch an arrow” move, and that makes things feel a bit low rent, to be brutally honest.
Still, the bosses more than make up for this cut and paste approach, as they are all completely unique and completely dreadful to fight. The first one I came across appears to be nothing more than a tube, and likes to try and eat us, then dispose of us out the other end, which is a little upsetting! Add in some problems with the camera (that same boss managed to trap me in a corner while I was fighting it, and the camera could only show me the roof of its mouth, which made combat somewhat tricky) and the early news is not completely good. Still, the framerate is nice and solid, which helps with the parrying mechanic, so swings and roundabouts.
Sound is also very good in Mortal Shell II, with a deliberately low key approach to the soundtrack – enemy footsteps, the swishing of whatever weapon you have selected, along with the rest of the sounds of battle are your only companions. Except that is when we get to the hub, where we can speak to various NPCs, whose voice acting works very well. All in all, a mixed bag here.
Recovering The Stolen Ova
So, why are we wandering about and attempting to put ourselves in harms way? Well, the story found in Mortal Shell II is somewhat confusing, and while we are still the Harbinger, it’s got no relation to the first game, so forget what you think you know. We are now tasked with recovering some eggs, or Ova as they are called in game, for the Undermether, from whom they have been stolen. And of course, these eggs aren’t guarded by a blue tit, oh no, they are guarded by twisted creatures in the bottom of dungeons, and so recovering said ova is not going to be an easy job. Good job we can still hijack dead bodies that have been carelessly left lying around, eh?
Shells, Weapons And A Serious Challenge
And it is this shell mechanic that is at the heart of Mortal Shell II. As we explore, and after the prologue concludes, we are left shell-less, and much like a snail, without our shell we are squishy, weak and very easy to kill. The first priority is to locate a suitable corpse, and from there the game opens up like a very reluctant flower on a sunny morning. Make no mistake, Mortal Shell II is absolutely punishing, and even the weakest enemy, the enemy that you can usually spank with your eyes shut, can really ruin your entire day if you get too cocky.
Still, what us players really need are some tools to allow us to keep the foes at bay, and luckily here the game has our back. Not only does the shell that you choose to inhabit have a special ability unique to it (my favourite has a kind of grappling hook that pulls you to the enemy and delivers a jolt of lightning when you get there), but there are also a bunch of weapons to get to grips with. Swords, little axes, big axes, spears – whatever floats your boat can be found here, and in a new twist, we also have a firearm to back us up. These range from crossbows to machine guns, and are invaluable for attacking from range when it all gets a bit scary up close and personal. Each weapon and firearm, along with the Tarstones that are able to be equipped with various passive abilities can also be upgraded in the hub, but it isn’t quite as straightforward as you may hope. You see, you’ll need to find various bits of the Tarforge in order to activate the various functions, and this can turn into a quest on its own. In addition, the shells can also be made stronger, and have their memories revealed, allowing opportunity to deepen our bond with them.
Parrying, Combat And Exploration
As far as combat goes, Mortal Shell II is more akin to the likes of Lies of P and its parry based gameplay than Dark Souls, in my opinion. Getting the timing right on enemy attacks and parrying them inflicts break damage, even on bosses, and with enough break damage done, it opens the enemies up to a damaging risposte. This looks great, does a good chunk of damage, and is incredibly satisfying to pull off.
One big difference though is that there is no stamina bar: you are free to attack as much as you like in a melee style, but the firearms and the shell’s special abilities are limited by a bar instead. Luckily, swinging your mighty chopper around will refill said bar, so just keep fighting, to paraphrase Dory! And there is no shortage of enemies to practice this on, as Mortal Shell II works a kind of open world experience, but a fairly compact one. While you can run from point to point, there is also the ability (when you find it) to teleport from beacon to beacon, in the same way that you can move from grace to grace in Elden Ring.
Mortal Shell II Delivers Brutal Souls-Style Combat
All in all, Mortal Shell II is a very enjoyable game, with a serious difficulty curve (although there are items that will lower the difficulty, utilising them will mean the game refuses to give you achievements) and some seriously brutal combat. It is a satisfying game to get to grips with, but sadly issues still remain with the camera. If you want to play a Souls-style game without the stamina requirement, dive in to Mortal Shell II.
Important Links
Mortal Shell II Is Now Out On Xbox, PlayStation And PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/mortal-shell-ii-is-now-out-on-xbox-playstation-and-pc/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/mortal-shell-ii/9ns9tjv1jl86
There’s the Devout Edition too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/mortal-shell-ii-devout-edition/9ntd3r9wd0vt
