Mortal Shell

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,050 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Mortal Shell Game Cover
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Mortal Shell is a grueling action RPG set in a condemned world where you must embrace the role of a unoosed warrior. Fight brutal enemies, gather shattered pieces of ancient armor and deadly weapons, and master the deep, tactile combat system to succeed. Your path is guarded by formidable foes and fraught with unimaginable terror, but you must persevere to uncover the truth and restore hope to the desperate realm.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Cloud
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,050 reviews
gameplay359 positive mentions
grinding109 negative mentions
  • Stunning visuals and atmosphere that draw players into the game world.
  • Unique mechanics such as the hardening ability and shell system add depth to combat.
  • Engaging combat that rewards learning enemy patterns and mastering mechanics.
  • Clunky controls and sluggish combat can frustrate players, especially newcomers.
  • Confusing level design with a lack of clear direction and no map makes navigation difficult.
  • Limited enemy variety and repetitive gameplay can lead to boredom over time.
  • gameplay1,126 mentions

    The gameplay of "Mortal Shell" is characterized by its unique mechanics, particularly the "harden" ability, which allows players to temporarily become invulnerable, adding a strategic layer to combat. However, many players find the combat system clunky and inconsistent, with issues surrounding the parry mechanic and overall responsiveness. While the game offers a fresh take on the souls-like genre with its shell system and item familiarity mechanics, it often struggles with pacing and can feel tedious due to its slow combat and limited enemy variety.

    • “The game's core mechanic—inhabiting different shells, each with its own playstyle—adds depth and variety to combat, making every encounter feel fresh and strategic.”
    • “The hardening mechanic is a very neat twist on the formula, and allows for a good amount of personal expression in how you fight.”
    • “The hardening mechanic makes combat trivial & I feel that the rolling i-frames are too generous.”
    • “The combat mechanics are slow and unresponsive, and the hardening mechanic quickly becomes repetitive.”
    • “The parry mechanic is inconsistent, and from the Reddit posts, I am not alone.”
    • “The gameplay is often criticized for being slow and sluggish, and this indeed is the case, but that doesn't mean the game is easy; I actually find it quite hard.”
  • graphics438 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning visuals, atmospheric design, and high fidelity, often compared favorably to AAA titles despite being developed by a small team. However, some players have noted issues with graphical settings that can obscure visibility and lead to performance drops, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, while the aesthetic and art style are highlighted as major strengths, concerns about gameplay mechanics and level design detract from the overall experience.

    • “The graphics are phenomenal and I love the little easter eggs the developers put in there.”
    • “The graphics, the atmosphere and the impact of your attacks are great.”
    • “The visuals are beautiful while the world and its inhabitants are grim.”
    • “The graphics settings of the game are not working properly.”
    • “Despite my PC handling better looking games on high graphics just fine, I experience heavy frame drops when I set the graphics on high.”
    • “The problem comes in that when I turned the graphics down from high to medium, it imposed a significant fog effect that genuinely wasn't far off the fog from early Silent Hill titles; this again would be fine if it didn't seriously impair my ability to see enemies and various pick-ups around the world.”
  • story321 mentions

    The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it vague, minimal, and lacking depth. While some appreciate the cryptic and atmospheric storytelling reminiscent of Souls-like games, others criticize it for being poorly executed and unengaging, often relying on item descriptions and NPC dialogues that fail to create a compelling narrative. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game offers intriguing lore elements, it ultimately leaves players wanting more in terms of a cohesive and satisfying storyline.

    • “The story unfolds through environmental details, cryptic item descriptions, and melancholic whispers from ethereal entities.”
    • “The story is as compelling as it is mysterious.”
    • “I was curious and intrigued by the story, the cold and meticulous world-building, the awesome designs and beautiful art.”
    • “The story/lore: I understand the writers were going for 'piquing interest with mystery' but there was nothing to pique the interest from the beginning.”
    • “The story is a mess; you are a thing that exists and you walk and fight, there is a confusing mess of bits and pieces but there is no why to what you do, what brings you there or what's your goal.”
    • “The main storyline isn't just elliptic, it's completely incomprehensible, without any weight or pathos to it, and is presented in a string of incoherent ramblings which touch upon all the genre's clichés.”
  • atmosphere227 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Mortal Shell" is widely praised for its captivating visuals, sound design, and immersive world-building, effectively capturing the dark and gloomy essence characteristic of the soulslike genre. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke a sense of mystery and tension, with many noting its stunning graphics and atmospheric environments that enhance the overall experience. However, some critiques mention that while the atmosphere is strong, the gameplay can feel slow or lacking in direction, which may detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “The atmosphere, movesets, and sound effects were outstanding.”
    • “What is an absolute standout is the art direction, the brooding and suffocating game atmosphere, and the hypnotic and almost subliminal sound design and music.”
    • “The graphics, scenery, and atmosphere are beautiful (as you expect a souls-like to be) and give a really creepy vibe, which fits well with the game and genre.”
    • “Occasionally the atmosphere and environmental art hits just right, but by and large this game is stitched together from hugely uninspired environmental design, dull enemy encounters and hugely disappointing bosses.”
    • “Great visuals and atmosphere, but unfortunately, it lacks any sort of activity and storytelling.”
    • “The devs clearly were heavily inspired by the original Dark Souls; they nailed the atmosphere and the general feeling of the game with some beautiful visuals, and that's basically it. Everything else in this game is a mess.”
  • music151 mentions

    The music in "Mortal Shell" receives mixed reviews, with many praising the optional soundtrack by the Greek black metal band Rotting Christ, particularly during boss fights, which enhances the game's atmosphere. However, some players criticize the overall lack of variety and presence of music throughout the game, describing much of it as forgettable or ambient. While the sound design is generally well-received, the sparse use of music outside of specific moments leaves some players wanting more.

    • “The soundtrack is sparse but impactful, with haunting melodies and environmental sounds that heighten the tension during exploration and combat.”
    • “The music is great; I became a fan of Rotting Christ because of this game.”
    • “The optional metal soundtrack only plays for bosses, but it really makes those bosses feel special compared to the same oppressive throat singing that plays for most of the normal soundtrack.”
    • “Finally, there is like one music track and it sucks.”
    • “Overall, Mortal Shell is a decent, if flawed souls-like with a lot of good ideas, lacking heavily in variety when it comes to enemy types, levels, and music, with almost all of the music being barely noticeable ambience, forgettably dull war-drums for bosses, or literally nothing.”
    • “The original soundtrack, however, does indeed sound bland and near non-existent.”
  • grinding116 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received largely negative feedback, with players finding it tedious and frustrating. Many reviewers noted that the necessity to farm for healing items and currency, combined with a lack of fast travel options, made exploration and progression feel artificially stretched and unenjoyable. While some appreciated the upgrade systems, the overall sentiment is that the grinding detracts from the experience, leading to repetitive gameplay and a lack of engaging content.

    • “Nice shell and weapon upgrade systems that feel rewarding and aren't tedious to get.”
    • “The negative reviews complaining about the lack of healing items have never tasted the plenty of parrying and then eating rats, no farming required.”
    • “It's just tedious and not fun.”
    • “The upgrade system feels too grindy.”
    • “Every aspect of the game is made to be as tedious as possible to add a sense of difficulty.”
  • stability77 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous players reporting a plethora of bugs and glitches that significantly impact gameplay, including issues with character movement, combat mechanics, and enemy behavior. Many reviewers noted game-breaking glitches, frequent crashes, and frustratingly clunky controls, leading to a generally disappointing experience despite some positive aspects. While a few players experienced stable performance, the overwhelming consensus is that the game feels unfinished and requires substantial fixes to be enjoyable.

    • “I've had no glitches.”
    • “Combat is fluid and the game runs great.”
    • “Runs great for me on ultra, no qualms in the performance area.”
    • “The game is buggy, I had to redo a boss fight because as I defeated a boss, I got stuck between their legs and couldn't move.”
    • “With or without that, the game crashes very often (averaged to one crash every 20 minutes) leading me to lose my save multiple times, there are a ton of graphical glitches, one enemy type in particular made me go down to 2-16 fps no matter the settings.”
    • “The buggy gameplay, lack of character build variety and overall content, boring combat, and non-existent music is why I cannot recommend this game to anyone, even those who would consider themselves die-hard souls-like fans.”
  • optimization65 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance and high frame rates, while others report significant issues such as stuttering, input lag, and poorly telegraphed enemy attacks. Many users noted that while the graphics are impressive, the game suffers from bugs and inconsistent performance, particularly in certain areas where enemies pop in unexpectedly. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary widely depending on individual hardware and settings, leading to a divided player experience.

    • “The optimization is good; no lags or bugs were noticed.”
    • “The game is visually pleasing, and so far I haven't had any performance issues.”
    • “With it being the first game from developer 'Cold Symmetry', I was surprised by the excellent visuals and flawless performance.”
    • “The optimization isn't good, the combat is clunky, there's input lag...please don't buy this.”
    • “This game has awful optimization and forces you to raise the quality of shadows to at least high unless you don't mind seeing less than half a meter around you, which barely makes the game runnable in some areas.”
    • “There are some optimization issues and I often had new enemies just appear from thin air 2-3 meters in front of my path, which is very annoying.”
  • replayability49 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is enhanced significantly by the addition of the Virtuous Cycle DLC, which introduces a roguelike mode and various playstyles through different shells and weapons. While some players find the base game lacking in replay value due to its short length and limited enemy variety, many appreciate the opportunities for experimentation and the challenge offered by the DLC. However, opinions vary, with some reviewers noting that the game may not be as endlessly replayable as other titles in the genre.

    • “The virtuous cycle DLC also adds a lot of replayability, which is a separate part of the game that turns it into a roguelike.”
    • “The DLC adds a great layer of replayability to the game, not unlike the dungeons in Bloodborne.”
    • “The length adds to the replayability in my opinion, since there is a New Game+ mode, a great way to experiment with other weapons, shells, and playstyles.”
    • “My initial review was negative, based on the vanilla game which has very little content, progression, and almost no replayability.”
    • “There's almost no replayability in this game nor would you want to with how boring it is.”
    • “Level designs are far from good, lack of diverse enemies which contributes to the low level of challenge and due to this easy mastery eliminates replay value.”
  • humor25 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding the glitches and unexpected moments amusing, despite their potential to disrupt gameplay. While some aspects, like funny character designs and quirky animations, elicit genuine laughter, others feel more frustrating than funny, particularly when they lead to unintended deaths or confusion. Overall, the game offers a blend of humorous elements that can enhance the experience, but they are often overshadowed by technical issues and a lack of polish.

    • “It has a great atmosphere, decent lore, and even some humor.”
    • “If it kills the enemy, it will ragdoll its model through the air and pin it to the wall, where it hilariously hangs there for your amusement.”
    • “What a hilarious mess of a game.”
  • character development14 mentions

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the character design and visuals but criticizing the lack of depth in RPG elements and customization options. While some players appreciate the unique aesthetics and atmosphere, they express a desire for more complex character progression and development systems. Overall, the game excels in visual appeal but falls short in providing meaningful character growth.

    • “There's a lot to love, including some beautifully morbid, Giger-esque character design, an awe-inspiring obsidian temple amidst an endless void, lots of oppressive, grimdark fantasy vibes.”
    • “Better than Dark Souls in terms of combat fluidity, character design, and simplicity in skills and level up.”
    • “While I don't like to judge a game on what it doesn't have, I'd have really liked to see more RPG qualities to the game, such as more character development or a more complex system of items.”
    • “RPG elements are limited to the inventory and skill systems - the character cannot be customized nor is there any character development, except shell- (class-) specific abilities.”
    • “And with good reason - no character development.”
  • emotional9 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, likening its challenging gameplay to the initial experience of Dark Souls, evoking feelings of satisfaction and triumph. The visual art and some heartfelt moments contribute to this emotional depth, although opinions vary, with some feeling the game lacks genuine emotional impact. Overall, the game elicits a mix of exhilaration and frustration, creating a unique emotional journey for players.

    • “The visual art is really incredible as well, and there are some heartfelt moments.”
    • “I don't remember any other game that ever made me feel that way, satisfied that I cracked something even if it was crazy hard and didn't make any sense at the beginning.”
    • “This game made me feel like I was on top of the world, but not before I had to claw my way up there.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is generally viewed positively, as it avoids relying on ads to artificially increase difficulty, a common criticism in other titles. Players appreciate the immersive world-building elements, such as interactions with bandit camps, which enhance the overall experience without intrusive monetization tactics.

    • “Final one didn't feel great at all, huge slow boss with tons of HP, summoning ads... and few initially hard-ish to dodge attacks only because they can start off-screen... died once because wave attack knocked me out of shell and then subsequently killed my vessel in one go where I couldn't do a thing, and it didn't feel fair.”
    • “However, this is one of the first souls-like games I've seen since Nioh 2 that doesn't rely on ads to make the bosses hard (looking at you, Remnant!).”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

10hMedian play time
51hAverage play time
22hMain story
16hCompletionist
5-25hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 39 analyzed playthroughs

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