Mortal Shell II is the sequel the original game was reaching toward: broader, faster, more flexible, and much more confident about its identity. It keeps the grim atmosphere and deliberate brutality of Mortal Shell, then expands the formula into a compact open world with more weapons, more build experimentation, eight playable Shells, and combat that is no longer limited by stamina.
The honest version is less dramatic than the marketing pitch: Mortal Shell II is an excellent Soulslike, but it is not a flawless one. Its combat and build variety are the stars. Its weaker narrative, occasional camera problems, hidden progression, and launch roughness keep it from feeling completely polished.
The verdict in one minute
Buy Mortal Shell II if you want:
- A challenging action RPG with fast, grounded melee combat
- A Soulslike that gives you meaningful build freedom
- A compact world with secrets rather than a huge checklist map
- Distinct character “Shells” that genuinely change how you play
- A sequel that improves substantially on its predecessor
Wait for a patch or a discount if you want:
- A story that carries the same weight as the combat
- Perfect camera behavior in every encounter
- A completely smooth launch experience
- A huge open world with constant spectacle
My overall assessment: 8.5/10
That score reflects the game’s current balance: the systems are good enough to make the rough edges forgivable, but the rough edges are real.
What is Mortal Shell II?
Mortal Shell II is a standalone sequel from Cold Symmetry and Playstack. It takes the defining idea of the first game—possessing the bodies of fallen warriors—and turns it into a much larger character and build system.
The official description centers on:
- Eight lost warrior Shells to discover and possess
- A compact, interconnected open world
- Faster combat with no stamina bar
- Melee and ranged weapon upgrades
- Shell-specific abilities and stories
- Tarstones that modify abilities, damage, and playstyle
- Enemies, bosses, dungeons, and secrets away from the main path
That list sounds like a conventional sequel feature sheet. In practice, the important change is philosophical: Mortal Shell II is less interested in forcing one “correct” combat rhythm and more interested in letting you construct your own.
Image: official Mortal Shell II screenshot via the Steam store.
Combat is the reason to play
The best thing about Mortal Shell II is how quickly its combat becomes readable.
Attacks feel grounded rather than floaty. Enemies have recognizable behaviors. Defensive decisions matter. You are not simply waiting for a stamina bar to refill before trying another attack; you are managing spacing, enemy posture, timing, Shell abilities, Resolve, and the risks of committing to a hit.
Removing stamina could have made the game feel shallow. Instead, it shifts the question from:
“Can I afford another attack?”
to:
“What is the safest or smartest way to create an opening?”
That is a meaningful improvement. It makes the combat feel more aggressive without making it mindless.
Hardening is still the signature trick
The Shell system remains the game’s central mechanical hook. At key moments, you can turn defense into a dramatic interruption, absorbing or nullifying an attack and creating room to counter. The system gives Mortal Shell II its own rhythm instead of making it feel like a less expensive imitation of Dark Souls.
The important sequel upgrade is that Shell choice now has more strategic weight. A Shell is not just a health container or a cosmetic identity. It can shape:
- Damage output
- Elemental resistance
- Posture and break damage
- Riposte potential
- Defensive options
- Resource management
- The way you approach specific bosses or enemy groups
The result is a combat system that rewards preparation without requiring you to plan every encounter like a spreadsheet.
The Shells make experimentation worthwhile
Mortal Shell II’s eight Shells are its best answer to the usual Soulslike build problem. Instead of creating one character and slowly locking yourself into a narrow setup, you can change bodies and rework your approach.
Each Shell comes with its own abilities and a skill tree. The ability to respec makes experimenting less punishing, which is a smart choice. You are encouraged to ask:
- Would this fight be easier with more break damage?
- Should I prioritize frost resistance?
- Do I want a safer ranged option?
- Is a high-risk critical build worth the payoff?
- Which Shell works with the weapon I have upgraded?
That flexibility is one of the reasons the sequel feels more welcoming than the first game without becoming easy.
The downside: discovery can be too opaque
The Shell system is only as useful as the Shells you actually find. Some of the game’s most meaningful progression can be hidden in optional spaces, and it is possible to reach deep into the game without naturally discovering as much of the arsenal as you might expect.
That is partly the joy of exploration. It is also a usability problem. The game sometimes treats important build-defining equipment like a secret collectible rather than a system it wants most players to engage with.
The maps available from the home base help with locating weapons, but they do not completely remove the friction.
Image: official Mortal Shell II screenshot via the Steam store.
Tarstones are the smartest new system
Tarstones are where the sequel’s build variety becomes genuinely exciting.
You can equip multiple Tarstones to add passive effects, change weapon behavior, enhance a sidearm, apply debuffs, improve critical attacks, or create a stronger relationship between your Shell and your equipment.
The best part is not any single Tarstone. It is the possibility of combinations.
A break-damage build might focus on:
- Increasing posture damage
- Improving Riposte damage
- Adding a special finisher
- Increasing critical chance
- Infusing a weapon with a curse
- Turning a Shell’s passive ability into a larger defensive advantage
Another player could build around elemental resistance, ranged attacks, status effects, or a safer hit-and-run rhythm.
This is where Mortal Shell II separates itself from many mid-budget Soulslikes. It does not only ask you to get better at dodging. It gives you enough knobs to turn that the solution to a difficult encounter can be changing your build rather than simply repeating the same attempt.
The open world is compact—and that is a strength
Mortal Shell II does not try to compete with the enormous map design of Elden Ring. Its world is smaller, denser, and more deliberate.
That restraint works.
The map has enough room for:
- Branching routes
- Optional dungeons
- Hidden Shells
- Weapon discoveries
- Upgrade materials
- Environmental storytelling
- Shortcuts and interconnected paths
The world respects your time more than many open-world RPGs. You are not constantly riding past empty terrain to reach the next objective.
The trade-off is that some discoveries are too easy to miss. The compact design creates intimacy, but it also means a hidden doorway or dungeon can contain a surprisingly large portion of the game’s build variety.
Bosses are memorable, but not always clean
The game’s bosses provide some of its strongest visual and mechanical moments. Several encounters feel like genuine showcases for the sequel’s larger scale and more flexible combat.
But the launch experience has some caveats:
- Certain bosses have been reported to contain bugs or rough behavior.
- Camera positioning can become unreliable in tight spaces.
- Large enemies can obscure attacks or push the player into awkward corners.
- Some encounters feel more frustrating than difficult when the camera loses the fight.
That distinction matters. A difficult boss makes you rethink timing and strategy. A bad camera angle makes you wonder whether the game is asking for skill or patience.
The good news is that these issues are patchable. The less good news is that they affect the most important moments in the game: boss encounters where clarity matters most.
Image: official Mortal Shell II screenshot via the Steam store.
The story is the weakest major pillar
Mortal Shell II has the atmosphere right. It is grim, strange, and appropriately hostile. The world looks like it has suffered for a long time, and the Shell concept gives the setting an immediately recognizable identity.
The narrative is less successful.
There are intriguing ideas in the world and individual Shell stories, but the larger story does not always give those ideas enough weight. The game is more effective at making you curious than at fully satisfying that curiosity.
This is not a dealbreaker for players who play Soulslikes primarily for:
- Combat discovery
- Environmental mystery
- Boss design
- Build experimentation
- Exploration
It will matter more if you want a character-driven RPG with a clear emotional arc and consistently strong storytelling.
Performance and technical polish
Mortal Shell II is built as a modern Unreal Engine 5 game, and its visuals benefit from that ambition. The world has strong atmosphere, impressive dark-fantasy environments, and a sense of scale beyond the original.
At launch, however, the technical picture is platform-dependent.
On PC, expect to pay attention to graphics settings and hardware. The Steam listing gives a minimum target of:
- Windows 10/11
- 16 GB RAM
- RTX 2060 Super or Radeon RX 6600-class graphics
- 70 GB of storage
- SSD required
Steam Deck users should be prepared for compromises. Reports indicate that the game can be playable on the device, but visual issues, menu behavior, and performance tuning may require work. The game is not the kind of release where you should assume the highest preset is the right preset.
For the best experience:
- Install on an SSD.
- Start with a stable frame-rate target rather than maximum visual quality.
- Test upscaling and shadow settings before lowering everything.
- Watch for patches before judging the final performance picture.
- Check the platform-specific experience if you are buying primarily for handheld play.
What critics are saying
At the time of writing, OpenCritic lists Mortal Shell II at an 85 Top Critic Average, with 91% of critics recommending it. Individual scores include 8/10 from IGN and GameSpot, 4/5 from Eurogamer, 8.5/10 from DualShockers, and 9/10 from Shacknews.
The consensus is fairly consistent:
- The sequel expands successfully from the original.
- Combat and build variety are the main strengths.
- The game has a distinct rhythm of its own.
- Narrative weakness and bugs are the main limitations.
- The overall package is much stronger than the first game.
That consensus matches the most reasonable buying advice: this is not a cautious, barely-improved sequel. It is a substantial expansion that still needs some polish.
Mortal Shell II vs the original
| Category | Mortal Shell | Mortal Shell II |
|---|---|---|
| World | More contained and compact | Larger interconnected world with more optional exploration |
| Combat | Deliberate and stamina-conscious | Faster, more aggressive, and unrestricted by stamina |
| Shell system | Strong central hook | More Shells, deeper abilities, and more build impact |
| Weapons | More limited selection | More weapons, sidearms, and upgrade paths |
| Build variety | Interesting but narrower | Tarstones and Shell trees make experimentation much deeper |
| Narrative | Mysterious and abstract | More ambitious, but still not the strongest pillar |
| Overall identity | Focused Soulslike experiment | More complete action RPG with its own combat rhythm |
If you bounced off the original because it felt too small or restrictive, the sequel addresses those complaints directly. If you loved the original precisely because of its compressed, unusual design, the sequel may feel less singular—but it is still recognizably Mortal Shell.
Who should buy Mortal Shell II?
Buy it now if you:
- Already enjoy Soulslikes but want something outside the FromSoftware catalog
- Prefer build experimentation to rigid class selection
- Like compact open worlds with hidden content
- Enjoy learning enemy patterns and optimizing combat setups
- Want a sequel that meaningfully expands its predecessor
Wait if you:
- Need a polished, bug-free launch
- Want a story-first RPG
- Dislike searching for important upgrades
- Are sensitive to camera problems in close-quarters combat
- Mainly play on Steam Deck and do not want to tune settings
It may not be for you if you:
- Find Soulslike combat exhausting rather than satisfying
- Prefer bright, readable fantasy worlds
- Want a huge open world filled with constant content
- Expect every side activity to be clearly signposted
Final verdict
Mortal Shell II is a very good Soulslike that earns its sequel status.
Its biggest success is not the size of the map or the number of features. It is the way Shells, weapons, Tarstones, and posture-focused combat work together to create experimentation with consequences. You can approach a problem differently without abandoning the entire character you built.
The weaknesses are clear: the story is less compelling than the combat, important discoveries can be too well hidden, and camera or boss bugs can turn a hard fight into an irritating one. Those issues stop it from being an easy 9/10 recommendation.
But if you want a dark action RPG with expressive builds, fast combat, and a world dense enough to reward curiosity without consuming 100 hours, Mortal Shell II is worth playing.
Final score: 8.5/10
Sources and image credits
- Mortal Shell II official website
- Cold Symmetry — Mortal Shell II
- Mortal Shell II on Steam
- OpenCritic review aggregate
- Steam Deck HQ review and performance notes
The screenshots embedded above are official Mortal Shell II media served through the Steam store CDN. Use the publisher’s media/press guidance before republishing them commercially.
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