Mortal Shell Reviews
A very enjoyable souls like, although some parts of its progression and variety could be improved.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Mortal Shell gains a lot of points in my book for at least trying something knew in the “souls-like” subgenre, but its limited scope and some odd design decisions about upgrades and leveling makes it hard to recommend to none other than the most hardcore of fans.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It's a great job for a newly established studio's first game. Among the Dark Souls copies, Mortal Shell managed to stand out with its unique features. This game is the proof that Cold Symmetry can do much better work in the future.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Mortal Shell takes what you’d expect from Souls-clones and adds heaps of creativity along with unique systems and features that make it a whole new experience. Each moment of gameplay is an adrenaline rush as you progress further in the nightmare. There may be a few moments of confusion, but this one’s for the masochists out there who are looking for something to really immerse themselves in and discover for themselves.
Mortal Shell is a step forward in the genre and one of the most peculiar games of 2020. It's bold in its approach and used mechanics and show that sometimes less is more.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Cold Symmetry have nailed it. Mortal Shell is an amazing, brutally hard, rewarding, frustrating, thrill ride that the genre has needed from development teams outside of From Software. With a genre that everyone has been gravitating to, it’s not an easy one to pull off especially on the first try and that’s what was done here. Out of the box and having made the style work in a different manner may just change the game moving forward while having also brought back the thrill of exploration and the fear of what’s behind the next corner.
Overall, Mortal Shell feels like a Souls game. It’s difficult, the enemies are punishing, and the combat mechanics are familiar. Mortal Shell is undoubtedly a love letter to Dark Souls, but Cold Symmetry has added enough novel mechanics and intriguing landscapes to make a game that stands out from the crowd.
In part, it manages to replicate that dark and decadent aura of the FromSoftware series by contributing a few things of its own, but forgetting other characteristics that make the Hidetaka Miyazaki franchise great.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Fans of Souls-like games will love the challenge and unforgiving gameplay within Mortal Shell – those with little patience should maybe give it a miss! For quite a small-scaled game, there’s a lot of variety within the enemy types and locations you have to venture through, making each Gland quest even more exciting. Pick your Shell, your weapon, your accessories, and your skills, what happens next is all up to you as the game has no direction and no strict order of completion, you’re free to do whatever you want – some will find this enjoyable whereas others may get confused and overwhelmed. So far, this is 2020’s best Souls-like game, one which people who love the genre must buy.
Mortal Shell takes from Dark Souls and Bloodborne but still innovates the game genre to the next level and sets a new bar.
A great stepping stone into a difficult genre.
If you have a Dark Souls-shaped hole in your heart, I promise Mortal Shell will climb inside and fill that void quite nicely.
While not nearly as sprawling or complex system-wise like the Souls games, Mortal Shell is an elegant and contained game that benefits from the more limited scope set by its developers and succeeds in providing a substantially shorter but incredibly tight and rewarding experience that does justice to its inspirations.
Mortal Shell isn’t shy in showing off its Souls-like inspirations, but it offers enough fresh ideas of its own to stand out as an entertainingly brutal adventure. Swapping Shells remained neat throughout and added an extra element of strategy to different encounters, whilst the intricate combat mechanics and mesmerising world will keep you engaged all the way through to the game’s conclusion. Sure, it could be frustrating in places thanks to the occasional glitch or overwhelming group of enemies, but there weren’t any stand out issues that make Mortal Shell difficult to recommend. It’s definitely one of the better Souls-likes out there and fans of the genre will have a good time trudging through its desolate world.
Mortal Shell's incredibly strong start peters out as you learn more and more about the limitations of the gameplay and the world Cold Symmetry try to establish.
Many of the mechanics here could lead to an incredible sequel, but more often than not, Mortal Shell feels as lifeless and hollow as the corpses your playable character inhabits.
We can easily say that Mortal Shell has nothing to be ashamed of From Software's games as it has a solid basis which bring some new exciting features. And it's a AA title. More accessible than most of the Souls-like games for all the gamers, it has his own codes. Mortal Shell is not a Dark Souls copycat and even if he doesn't have the same aura, it will easily make his path to your video-games library. And if you're still affraid of the Soulsborne, Mortal Shell seems to be the perfect choice to take a look at this very specific style, especially at a very kind price (29.99€)
Review in French | Read full review
In conclusion, Cold Symmetry has achieved greatness with Mortal Shell. The game is by no means perfect and it is fairly brief. But for such a small team and a new IP, the result is impressive. This is strongly recommended for all fans of the Souls genre and it shows that innovation still exists within the cluttered space.
Mortal Shell is bleak, twisted, and poses a challenge from start to finish. It will leave you wanting more, and while some mechanics weren't as fleshed out and diverse as I’d hoped, this game from Cold Symmetry is a commendable adventure that deserves the attention of those who love the subgenre.