Mortal Shell has been revealed by new indie studio Cold Symmetry, with a focus on moving the soulslike genre forward.
Once titled Dungeonhaven in its earlier stages of development, Mortal Shell comes from a core team of only 15 people, but they bring experience with AAA game design to their debut project as Cold Symmetry.
The game will feature many staples of the genre, most notably an attention to punishing combat. Mortal Shell's co-founders, Andrew McLennan-Murray, Anton Gonzalez, and Vitaly Bulgarov, said to finally announce the game is one of the "most exciting and terrifying" experiences of their lives - which seems fitting for how players feel about the soulslike genre too. You can see it in action in this moody reveal trailer.
In Mortal Shell, you wear the flesh of those whom you defeat to improve your character. The grim premise is furthered by a mysterious story that has players doing the bidding of one "Dark Father," whose endgame isn't yet known when your character awakens as an "empty vessel." The full story outline according to the studio can be read below.
Awakening as an empty vessel, you will enter into a shattered and twisted world where the remains of humanity wither and rot. Implored to do the bidding of the mysterious “Dark Father”, you must traverse this tattered landscape and track down hidden sanctums of devout followers. There, in Mortal Shell’s most hallowed grounds, you must overcome formidable foes and harvest the sacred glands. You won’t be truly alone when the dead litter your path: Scattered across this land are the remnant anima of lost warriors who can be inhabited to gain their unique abilities and knowledge of weapons. The Dark Father is desperate for you to complete your task — but to what end?
The game promises a non-linear campaign, surely giving way to players to find the optimal strategies not just in its grueling, stamina-based combat, but also in how you explore its dark setting. The game is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2020, with a simultaneous launch on PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
