Guide for Mortal Shell

Mortal Shell

Mortal Shell is a ruthless and deep action-RPG that tests your sanity and resilience in a shattered world. As the remains of humanity wither and rot, zealous foes fester in the ruins. They spare no mercy, with survival demanding superior awareness, precision and instincts. Track down hidden sanctums of devout followers and discover your true purpose.

Possess Lost Warriors

The lost remains of defeated warriors are yours to discover. Awaken these Mortal Shells, occupy their bodies, and master unique combat styles.

Iron Sharpens Iron

Combat is strategic, deliberate, and unforgiving. Commit your sword only when an opportunity opens.

Face Formidable Foes

Your path is guarded by adversaries, devoted to inscrutable gods. Behold creatures both pitiable and grotesque and muster your courage and face them down.

It’s impossible to talk about Mortal Shell without comparing it to the seminal Dark Souls. Everything about this new indie title from indie developer Cold Symmetry, from the combat and storytelling to the level design and music, is heavily influenced by FromSoftware’s classic action RPG. In fact, you could easily mistake a screenshot of Mortal Shell for a new Dark Souls game. But while the resemblance is strong, Mortal Shell adds enough twists to FromSoftware’s formula to craft its own identity as a worthy entry in the burgeoning genre.

As in Dark Souls, Mortal Shell’s story is cryptically told through item descriptions and vague comments from NPCs. At the start of the game, you wake up in a pool of water as the Foundling, a gray husk that looks a lot like the creatures in Tool’s classic “Schism” music video. After learning the basics of combat, you’ll come across your first of four “shells,” Harros the Vassal, a fairly typical, balanced warrior type. These shells, which can be switched on the fly, are key to combat, as each one provides different bonuses in speed, damage, and stamina, so using the right shell can be the difference between slaying your enemies and suffering a gruesome death.

That might sound more confining than Dark Souls near-endless customization, but each shell also has its own set of upgrades, and plenty of new weapons litter Mortal Shell’s dark fantasy landscape. And all of those weapons have upgrades of their own, almost always guarded by powerful enemies.

The shell system also allows for a couple of neat additions to the typical Souls formula. Mortal Shell has no traditional block button. Instead, you rely on parrying attacks and holding down the left trigger button, which causes the Foundling to “harden,” making him impervious to attacks for a few seconds and causing an enemy who hits you to stagger. While staggering an enemy opens them up to a few extra hits, the harden ability doesn’t make the game a cakewalk. It needs a few seconds to recharge after use, and if you’re not careful, you can be knocked out of your current shell.