Mortal Shell
A compact soulslike with distinct shell-based playstyles.
Last updated
Players in Mortal Shell take on the role of one of several "shell" characters, each offering distinct playstyles, within a third-person action role-playing game that centers on melee combat.[1] By September 2023, the title had achieved sales of one million copies, and critical reception was described as mixed to positive.[2] According to critics, the experience of playing Mortal Shell was often likened to the sensation of encountering Dark Souls for the first time.[3]
Making and release
The game was developed by American indie developer Cold Symmetry.[4] Some changes to the Dark Souls formula were creatively driven, such as giving players only a limited amount of consumable health items.[1] Other changes came from the limitations of being a smaller developer, such as developing four "shells" with different play styles and backstories instead of many armours and weapons.[1] An early prototype of the game, titled Dungeonhaven, was focused on procedural generation, but the developers moved away from this and opted for hand-designed areas.[1]
The team behind Mortal Shell believed a market void existed for video games that could elicit profound emotional responses, which motivated their development of the game.[1] Dark Souls, released in 2011, served as an inspiration for the developers, leading them to craft a world with a gloomy ambiance and inhabitants who offer players enigmatic guidance.[1] An October 2020 update named "Rotting Autumn" introduced new shell skins, a fresh quest, a photo mode, and a different soundtrack performed by Rotting Christ.[4]
What the cited sources add
A GameStop article by Daniel Tack announced the release date of August 18 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Epic Games Store.[5] The same article noted that two shells were available in the demo, one more tank oriented and one more like a traditional rogue.[5] That article also quoted Tom Senior calling the game a "refreshing example of a game that does just a few things very well"[6] The Game Awards 2020 nominees list, reported by Sheehan, included Mortal Shell as a nominee for Best Debut Game.[7][8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Mortal Shell" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: O'Donoghue, "Finding the Soul of Soulslikes – the devs riffing on the genre", VG247, 16 November 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mortal Shell" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rodriguez, "Mortal Shell 2 Release Date and Time", Game8, 2026-07-21 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mortal Shell" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Saltzman, "Mortal Shell Hands-On Preview: Finding Its Own Souls-Like Voice", IGN, 2020-07-02; Hornshaw, "Mortal Shell Hands-On Preview: Hardened By Dark Souls", GameSpot, 2020-07-02; Boudreau, "Mortal Shell reminds you how you felt on your first Dark Souls run", PCGamesN, 2 July 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mortal Shell" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: O'Donoghue, "Finding the Soul of Soulslikes – the devs riffing on the genre", VG247, 16 November 2020; Tack, "Mortal Shell Arrives On August 18", GameStop, 5 August 2020; Sheehan, "The Game Awards Releases The Complete 2020 Nominees List", Bleeding Cool, 18 November 2020; Bolding, "Mortal Shell's free update has pumpkin hats and black metal by Rotting Christ", PC Gamer, 24 October 2020 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Tack, "Mortal Shell Arrives On August 18", GameStop, 5 August 2020. facts only, no text reused. gameinformer.com
- Bolding, "Mortal Shell's free update has pumpkin hats and black metal by Rotting Christ", PC Gamer, 24 October 2020. facts only, no text reused. pcgamer.com
- Sheehan, "The Game Awards Releases The Complete 2020 Nominees List", Bleeding Cool, 18 November 2020. facts only, no text reused. bleedingcool.com
- Wikipedia, "Mortal Shell" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mortal Shell for PC Reviews", Metacritic; "Mortal Shell for PlayStation 4 Reviews", Metacritic; "Mortal Shell for Xbox One Reviews", Metacritic; "Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition", Metacritic; "Mortal Shell", OpenCritic; Sheehan, "The Game Awards Releases The Complete 2020 Nominees List", bleedingcool.com, 2020-11-18 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Mortal Shell (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Role-Playing Games of the 2020s
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Mortal Shell (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced