A massively improved sequel.
By Ameer Ammar
The first Mortal Shell title was a game that I never was too fond of, I played it for quite a few hours back when it launched in 2020 but overall found it to be a generally "meh" game. Mortal Shell 2 on the other hand, is a massive step-up in every single aspect over the original.
Mortal Shell 2 combat and gameplay improved drastically from the first one with the smoother, fast-paced combat and better character animations with smarter enemy AIs, making the game stand in its own league when it comes to the souls-like genre. The weapon and shells diversity in the game makes it extremely enjoyable. If you don’t like a certain way of playing, you can always switch between weapons and shells to change strategies, making the game extremely replayable due to the high level of variety.
The open world of Mortal Shell 2 is larger and more detailed than its previous game, with more corrupt beacons, dungeons, and challenges spread around the world for you to find and collect their rewards from Tarstones, weapons, and even shells. Each dungeon has its own selection of monsters. One of them is filled with hostile grandmas called “hag’s pit” which is honestly my favorite dungeon in the game. Even when it doesn’t give much of a reward, its fun concept made it extremely memorable.
This game’s atmosphere is one of my favorites. It’s dark fantasy, depressing, and gothic. Even in the more friendly looking forest and grass areas that seem friendly from a distance. Going into them, the detail in those areas shows you how much the world and its inhabitants are suffering from monsters roaming around with soldiers, knights, and hunters trying to cut you down or even demonic sheep that exist around the world that disguise themselves as real sheep until you get too close. It is an extremely hostile world.
One of my personal favorite locations in the game has to be the cherry blossom blood trees called “Abbey” in the “Ruins of Mammon” region, where you can fight the fierce combat Sesters and the forest beginning area of the “Fainweald” Region.
The story begins with you being born as the Harbinger, a character with no purpose other than to collect the ova eggs for the Great Mether to ensure their survival and kill the enemies that oppose you from succeeding in your one great task throughout the game.
In the beginning of the game, it gives you “The Iconoclast,” a broad sword with the “Naylshotte,” which is your shotgun sidearm, and a temporary shell you abandon after completing the tutorial and entering “The Marrow’s Keep,” the Great Mether's castle made out of ivory, where you start your journey to the different regions of Mortal Shell 2.
The Marrow Keep will be your hub area, where you can upgrade your weapon and if you find the correct parts that allow you to upgrade your equipment or buy maps and other helpful resources. Then, discover the locations of the other shells with The shell keeper, or train with Genessa and earn the Infinite Seal.
In Mortal Shell 2, you have 3 kinds of currencies: the “Gloom,” a soul-like essence which allows you to upgrade your Harbinger, which you can siphon from the ovas you collect throughout the game in a massive hall in the Marrow Keep; Gold, that allows you to buy maps and resources from Merrick, the vendor, and upgrade your equipment with Franz, the machinist; and the “Glimpse,” which is the most important and hardest one to come by. You can get it from cleansing beacons, finding them in certain dungeons, and killing mini bosses and bosses. Glimpses are used to find other shell locations, allow a shell to get summoned to aid you in a boss fight, and strengthen your shell bonding with Zhirelle to discover the shell’s history and backstory to know and understand how the shells became shells to begin with.
Each shell in this has its own unique backstory. My favorite one is the knight Eredrim with his squire William, whom he was given as a payment from a neglected father. While Eredrim goes on a path to seek peace and forget his past sins and mistakes, he takes William under his care until the very end. Or Proxima, the outsider warrior lady whose journey starts with meeting Merrick, the vendor, who helps her claim her weapon and build their relationship until her last moments with him.
The shells aren’t cosmetics either. Each shell has its own abilities style that can be complemented by using a fitting weapon and your favorite Seal out of the 4 seals, making the Harbinger an unstoppable force.
The weapons in this game are genuinely one of the best weapon designs I’ve ever seen. From a chainsaw scythe to a ballista bazooka named “Ballistazooka,” each weapon and sidearm has its own unique fighting style. Some are heavy, some are light, some are the combination of both, like the “Axatana,” which’s a dual-blade katanas that can be turned into a heavy axe. My favorite sidearm of all time is a lute named “Troubadour Lute” that has 5 banger tracks. Just don’t forget to buy its Tarstone upgrade called “Hand of Rock” from the bartender at the location you find it in and play your favorite track all the way to the final boss.
The Tarstones are your foundation for most builds in this game. Each gives a certain buff, a certain effect, and a certain special attack and power-up to your weapons and character. Some Tarstones are specifically made for a certain weapon or sidearm, and some are used on all weapons. Of course, Tarstones are upgradable, but you need to kill enemies while having them equipped to level them up.
Bosses in this game are phenomenal. Some are definitely weirder than others, but each gives its own unique fight and strategy that probably only exists in Mortal Shell 2. One of my favorite bosses was Sir Isaac, the Scholar Prince, and the Monolith because of how challenging they were, especially the Monolith. My favorite mini boss is definitely Sariel, the Endless, which rewards you with his shell, his chainsaw scythe, and sidearm.
As for normal enemies, I have mixed thoughts. Most enemies are well-designed, but some are reskins with just a different effect from other enemies. The same goes for some dungeon and beacon mini bosses. This becomes a huge flaw in the end game, where just 1-2 types of enemies are spammed that can 1-hit you, and if it gets crowded, you’re most likely dead. However, you can run past them, but they will chase you down until they get stuck somewhere. I found these areas in specific to be more frustrating rather than a fair and fun challenge.
Early on, I did struggle with many small bugs, glitches, and game-breaking bugs. For example, weapons suddenly disappearing mid-boss fight when I got hit or the game freezing when I open the inventory, forcing me to restart the game. But I’m happy to say they did patch those glitches and bugs with the latest update that came out right after I finished the game.
Easter eggs and small secret details are always some of my favorite stuff to find in games, and Mortal Shell 2 doesn’t lack those in the slightest. From the original Doom first level in a secret room in the marrow keep to small little pop-ups like killing a random good sheep among the herd of demonic sheep or certain actions that affect the NPCs around you like playing the lute in the keep makes most NPCs dance beside Franz or killing Louis the dog causing Merrick the vendor to kill you and increase the prices of everything he sells. There is a ton of little details and easter eggs here that help the world feel truly alive and dense.
FINAL VERDICT
Mortal Shell 2 went above and beyond my expectations, it's one of the best non-From Software Soulslike games and due to the high level of variety, I am tempted to come back to it and replay it again in the near future. It’s an amazing Souls-like game that has its own unique style and way of playing, and I will definitely be playing any DLCs made for this game.
My main issues were the last few areas feeling unfair and frustrating due to the enemies that can one shot you, and some of the reskinned enemies and mini-boss fights that I'd rather have unique enemies in those places instead.
Mortal Shell II - 8.5/10 - GREAT
Special thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.