As a diehard Dark Souls fan I’ve played nearly every soulslike, and none have done it as well as Mortal Shell. Not only has Cold Symmetry nailed the fundamentals, but they’ve added their own spin to the formula without being coy about their influences. Mortal Shell is the only copycat that can stand toe-to-toe with FromSoft’s own work, and although it’s considerably shorter than their offerings, it’s no less beautiful, haunting and rewarding.
This is my first souls game, I played it because it was on gamepass, and I. LOVED. IT. its not a long game (I wish it was) and story is also not that fascinating but my god the gameplay is so good. I did check few videos of combat as well because at start i was dying so many times but eventually I got it. Also LEARN PARRY, its the most rewarding part of the game and extremely satisfying as well. Deserves no less than 10
Far from being a pretender, Mortal Shell is a sometimes exceptional entry to the genre. Its stumbles are noticeable only because there is so much to enjoy.
While Mortal Shell may not stand at the upper echelon of the genre, there's still plenty to enjoy. The combat and world are engaging, and its swappable body system feels unique and fresh. Despite its shortcomings, Mortal Shell brings enough new ideas to the table, and with less pressure and investment required, there’s plenty of freedom to experiment with them.
Mortal Shell is inspired by the Souls formula to twist their combat system with their own ideas. Lights and shadows in the title of Cold Symmetry that, although it presents a good challenge, is burdened by some decisions that slow down the game and some inaccuracies in its mechanics.
Mortal Shell is a valiant attempt at the Souls-like genre. Its dark and brooding aesthetic are unnerving, while the unique mechanics, like the shells and Resolve, offer fresh takes on the tried-and-true combat. These slight changes from the formula create a challenging experience that will have those intimately familiar with the Souls-like genre relearning the basics. Unfortunately, while Mortal Shell has a heart of gold, there are mechanics and core decisions that prevent it from being a truly great entry into these hallowed halls.
The biggest flaw of Mortal Shell is how much it tries to be a Dark Souls game, especially aesthetically, something that makes all of its shortcomings so much more prevalent. Its world is quite small and restricted compared to other soulsborne games, and it lacks in terms of personality, by trying to present a dark fantasy setting so similar to what we have already seen. Nevertheless, it still is one of the most detailed 3D games of the indie scene in it still provides an entertaining 10-15 hours experience thanks mostly to the well-crafted combat system, albeit without deviating from established formulas, and a good variety of nicely designed enemies.
Overall, the game has nice graphics and the combat system is not bad, but the game is quite simple (one attempt is enough to learn all the mechanics of each boss) and the item learning system could work better, but I still liked the game and will probably play it again
The Scorn of Dark Souls clones. It's a 7 from me but a high 7 (green rather than the default yellow colour). The aesthetics are oppressive and beautiful. The slow methodical exploration and figuring out what to do is way more obtuse than Dark Souls but has a similar feeling of reward. I'd argue that the mechanics are a little too obtuse and that as a result I didn't commit to any other playstyle rather than my starting one, but the sense of being lost in an aggressive dream-like world is very strong. The combat for me was repetitive and sluggish and the bosses aren't the best I've seen. For me the game shines in it's 3 main 'dungeons', and the genuinely scary 'run-backs' to base camp after killing the bosses. As others have said the long animations and clunkyness are what hold it back, despite it clearly being intended to give the impression of heft - it does but at a cost.
A weak game. Among the advantages, I can only highlight interesting game mechanics.
The game design of the locations is low, everything is monotonous. Fortunately, the mobs are different, but the design quality is terrible. The game itself is very easy, regardless of the level of pumping, the game mechanics allow you to do cheating. Also, unfortunately, there are many bugs in the combat system.
I had a high expectation for the game. As a standalone it is decent, but it comes nowhere near games from Fromsoftware. I compare it to Souls games, because almost everything in the game was influenced by Fromsoftware, so the devs actively made the choice to make it souls-like.
However, most things that make DS great are missing in Mortal Shell. No real customization, no real skill tree, no real boss music and no real lore, from what I've seen so far. The world feels simply empty and many details feel like bad design. But even so, the game comes off as incomplete, and finished hastily, as there are many wacky animations, bugs and no proper cinematics.
I like the idea of the game, but the execution is poor. After first area, it became boring. Bought the game at a discount for $15 and it was hardly worth it.
For time comparison: Souls game easily take me 20 hours on a casual playthrough, 40+ on first attempt. Even though I tried most things in Mortal Shell, it was finished in 14 hrs. Went back out of curiosity and finished it for a second time in 3. So much for length of the game and learning curve of combat. Cannot recommend buying.
SummaryMortal Shell is a deep action-RPG that tests your sanity and resilience in a shattered world. Your adversaries spare no mercy, with survival demanding superior awareness and precision. Possess lost warriors, discover hidden sanctums, and face formidable foes.