Souls-like action RPG Mortal Shell is coming soon, slated for an August 18 release. The dreary horror also has a new trailer that shows off what fans can expect.
Mortal Shell is one of the many games out there taking a page out of FromSoftware. Their Dark Souls-esque existential horror title looks beautiful and snappy. The trailer offered a glimpse into the tricky battles ahead, where players can expect to die a lot.
Shell is a concentrated dose of Dark Souls
Shell is one of the games that bank on the growing subgenre of Soulslikes. While it’s almost similar to the original inspiration, many exciting things set it apart. It helps that the visuals of the game are drop-dead astounding in scale.
Dev team Cold Symmetry and publisher Playstack started a recent closed beta for the game. Players went in droves to register, forcing both studios to push for open beta. The turnout created a robust 350,000-strong roster, with 5 million views on Twitch.
The gameplay is not something that casuals should trifle with, however. Many of the runs involve several dozen deaths, with a harder difficulty than Dark Souls. It’s a condensed experience, with the game highlighting the good and the bad of the genre.
Expect every hardship in the playbook for Mortal Shell
Mortal Shell is not player-friendly. While its controls are more intuitive, the enemies are also more unforgiving. The telegraphing is clear, but many of the fights need superb reflexes and good dodging.
The game jams a ton of traps, enemies, ambushes, and intense fights. Movement space is a premium, and it can overwhelm many who are looking for a fun time. Those who hate difficulties or have impaired reflexes won’t enjoy this title.
Much of the demo was stamina management, circle-strafing enemies, and parrying. What makes Shell interesting is the unique blocking mechanic.
With the press of a button, players can make themselves as hard as a rock. Some others have a skill that lets them poof off into gas and evade one attack. This skill acts as an emergency “get out of jail” card when they’re in a pickle.
The game also has a superb shell system that allows players to pick up a “shell.” These shells have a variety of class skills and archetypes in-game. They also have an existing backstory that unfurls as the game goes on.
Mortal Shell will come out first on the Epic Game Store this August 18. The game will also release on Steam in the latter half of 2021.
Images courtesy of Playstack/Youtube Screenshot