Mortal Shell

More attention to the story would have gone a long way, but Mortal Shell is an intriguing adventure, and an accomplished addition to the Soulslike genre.

Mortal Shell makes for a strong introduction to Souls-likes, a demonstration for new players of what so many have found so interesting about From Software's games and those like them. But Mortal Shell is also a lovingly crafted, weird, and deceptively deep game in its own right that rewards you for wandering its twisted paths and challenging its deadliest foes.

Enjoyably tough and esoteric, if a little uneven, Mortal Shell is a decent debut from Cold Symmetry.

Mortal Shell will induce excessive levels of stress and a practically unending sense of dread. But, if you’re looking for a deep role-playing game with an abundance of unique content, you might come out disappointed.

Mortal Shell boasts responsive combat and gorgeous visuals, but it's let down by rote level design, poor storytelling, and a general unfinished feel.

For those who long for another Souls-like game, Mortal Shell will scratch an itch for sure. It has core gameplay and concepts that hearken to their inspiration and do well in living up to expectations on that basis. At a surprisingly low release price of £25, those tempted by the visuals and promise of an experience to fill the gap until FROM returns to take another swing at the genre they created would do well to give Mortal Shell their time and money.

Mortal Shell will feel familiar to anyone who has ever played a From Software title. Slow, deliberate combat, atmospheric locales, fantastical NPCs, and a moody score. Though there are some strange enemy AI, borderline unfair, and some environmental obstacles can halt your movement to a full stop, Mortal Shell has enough going for it that these small inconsistencies can be mostly overlooked. The familiarity system needs some adjustments too. Mortal Shell has enough fresh ideas to set itself apart and takes enough inspiration from existing titles to create a unique experience for veterans of the genre and new-comers alike.