The indie video game scene is awash with Dark Souls clones. Imitators and games inspired by FromSoftware’s great series have been inspired by everything from the game’s brutal difficulty, to its haunting, melancholy aesthetic. However, some of these homages have been more effective than others, and Mortal Shell brilliantly recaptures the best aspects of the legendary action RPG.
With Elden Ring still a couple of months away, Mortal Shell is the perfect Soulslike to keep fans going until FromSoftware’s next release. With the Enhanced Edition now upgraded for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and the PS4 available as one of December’s PS Plus free games, it’s the perfect time to snap up Cold Symmetry’s fantasy epic.
Why Mortal Shell is a Perfect Soulslike
Mortal Shell is set in a crumbling, mist-shrouded realm named Fallgrim, which is beautifully crafted, and echoes the tragically-fallen empire of Dark Souls’ Lordran. Just like FromSoftware’s classic, it is populated by hostile soldiers and other monsters, offering scant and cryptic explanation for its desolate state, encouraging players to consume the lore available in item descriptions, and in the game’s poetic and bewildering dialogue.
Mortal Shell casts the player in the role of “the Foundling,” a humanoid creature capable of inhabiting the corpses of dead warriors to give them new life. Not only does this ability play heavily into the game’s lore and ambiguous, Soulslike storytelling, but it also drives the gameplay, with the player able to find four different deceased fighters to utilize as their “shell” and battle Fallgrim’s deadly denizens.
Mortal Shell also features a number of different weapons, allowing for multiple combinations and play styles. Although the adventure is not as long as other Soulslikes, and does not feature a traditional “level up” mechanic, this variety still enables players to focus on a distinct build, perhaps prioritizing hit points over speed, or vice-versa.
The crunchy, satisfying fighting mechanics once again bring back memories of the best elements of Dark Souls’ combat, and rewards players for well-timed parries as well as encouraging caution rather than an all-out-attack approach. The excellent creature design and animation further enhances these encounters, and the game’s challenging boss battles are uniformly stunning.
Like all Soulslikes, the game’s difficulty is tough and unforgiving, making each successful battle feel very rewarding, especially when one of the major bosses is slain. However, for players who reach a sufficient level of mastery, Mortal Shell does offer secrets and extra challenges, such as a daunting mini boss who grants access to extra weapons when defeated.
How Mortal Shell Innovates on the Dark Souls Formula
Despite its gameplay and aesthetic similarities, Mortal Shell is not merely a hollow Dark Souls clone. The game features a number of original ideas and mechanics that elevate it above its competitors, and make it a title worth seeking out for Soulslike newcomers and hardcore fans alike.
The first is its innovative “harden” functionality, which enables the player to transform into a stone statue, making their flesh impervious to damage. However, this temporary invincibility also renders their avatar briefly immobile, meaning they must time the use of this maneuver to coincide with an enemy’s attack so that they can unharden and retaliate. Although many players found this feature initially confusing and hard to master, it quickly became a favorite mechanic of many critics and fans.
Indeed, once its combat style is mastered, the game’s difficulty is generally lower than some of the more brutally challenging Soulslikes. That's a refreshing change to some players used to making dozens of unsuccessful attempts before overcoming the subgenre’s infamously tough boss battles. After settling on their favorite weapon and shell, fighting against hordes of enemies becomes a bloodthirsty joy rather than a demanding slog.
The game also focuses less on grinding for in-game currency (here known as “tar” rather than "souls"), and more on rewarding exploration driven by item discovery for character progression. This encourages players to explore Mortal Shell’s large and intricate game world, which is cleverly interconnected and includes a number of shortcuts and secrets, not least of which are the four available cadaverous husks and their poignant back stories.
However, perhaps the most impressive aspect of Cold Symmetry’s debut is its visuals. Despite being made on a tight budget by an indie studio, Mortal Shell’s graphics are gorgeous, easily rivalling some AAA games and perfectly realizing Fallgrim’s different worlds, whose themes range from ice-blasted catacombs to flame-soaked lava shrines. The design of the creatures that inhabit these areas is equally superb and innovative, including one enemy whose body is pierced with multiple swords, which he yanks from his torso to hurl at the advancing player.
With all of these qualities, it isn’t hard to see why Mortal Shell has been such a success for Cold Symmetry, and fans will eagerly await news of the developer’s next project. In the meantime, and before Elden Ring arrives to glue fans to their consoles for the months ahead, Soulslike enthusiasts should allow Mortal Shell to occupy their minds as well as their trusty sword-arms.
Mortal Shell is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.