Mortal Shell II Reviews Are In - Critics Praise Combat, Exploration and a Huge Leap Over the Original

Mortal Shell II

Release Date: August 20, 2026

Genres: Action RPG, Soulslike

More Info

The first Mortal Shell was an interesting Soulslike with a few genuinely original ideas, but it often felt like a small studio testing how far those ideas could go.

Mortal Shell II appears to be the game where those ideas finally grow into something much bigger.

With reviews arriving ahead of the August 20 release, critics are repeatedly pointing to the same strengths: combat is faster without losing its weight, exploration constantly gives players something worthwhile to find, the Shell system supports much more experimentation, and the sequel feels far more confident than its predecessor.

Mortal Shell II Review Scores

The early critical reception is strongly positive.

At the time of writing, Mortal Shell II holds a Metascore of 84, with 86% of the counted reviews classified as positive and no negative reviews listed. OpenCritic currently places it at 85/100, with 92% of critics recommending the game.

Critics Love the Faster, More Aggressive Combat

Combat is probably the most consistently praised part of Mortal Shell II.

The biggest change is the removal of the traditional stamina meter. You no longer need to stop attacking or dodging simply because a bar has emptied. Instead, fights encourage constant pressure while still punishing reckless attacks through committed animations and enemy counterattacks.

GameSpot highlights this change as one of the reasons combat feels substantially better than in the original. Attacks are more responsive, the pace is faster, and players can move immediately from defense back into offense.

That does not turn Mortal Shell II into a button masher. Heavy attacks still require commitment, parrying remains important, and poor positioning can kill you quickly.

The familiar Harden mechanic also returns, allowing you to temporarily turn your Shell to stone and absorb an incoming attack. Combined with Perfect Guards, posture damage, finishers, special abilities, and ranged weapons, there are now far more ways to control a fight.

COGconnected also points to the replacement of stamina with Resolve as an important change. Resolve powers abilities and sidearms and is generated through melee combat, creating a loop that actively encourages you to stay in the fight.

The result is still Soulslike combat, but with much more forward momentum.

Exploration Is One of Mortal Shell II’s Biggest Strengths

The second point critics keep returning to is exploration.

Mortal Shell II shifts into a much larger interconnected world filled with optional paths, equipment, hidden encounters, Shells, upgrades, and dozens of dungeons.

The important part is that critics generally do not describe the map as large simply for the sake of being large.

GameSpot praises the pleasure of discovering new Shell mechanics, while GamingBolt highlights how consistently exploration leads to useful rewards. GamesRadar similarly emphasizes how frequently the world hides secrets and ideas away from the main route.

That creates a strong gameplay loop:

explore, discover something useful, adjust your build, become stronger, then push farther into the world.

Even smaller dungeon-like areas and checkpoint challenges can lead to equipment or passive upgrades, so curiosity frequently has a practical payoff rather than ending with another crafting material you immediately forget about.

The Shell System Finally Reaches Its Potential

Shells remain Mortal Shell’s defining mechanic, but the sequel gives the system significantly more depth.

Instead of choosing a conventional RPG class, the Harbinger can possess fallen warriors. Each Shell changes abilities, combat strengths, progression, and the way you approach encounters.

Reviewers particularly like how this interacts with the rest of the build system.

Weapons, sidearms, Seals, Tarstones, passive effects, Shell abilities, and upgrades can be combined to create specialized setups. Some builds can counter particular status effects, others focus on aggressive melee damage, ranged attacks, stagger, defense, or survivability.

This also means difficulty becomes partly dependent on how intelligently you build your character.

Gamer Escape notes that Mortal Shell II can feel extremely punishing early on, but optimization can dramatically change that balance as you discover better combinations of Shells and passive effects.

In other words, getting stronger is not only about increasing numbers. Understanding how the game’s systems work together is a major part of progression.

Critics Praise the World, Atmosphere, and Visual Direction

Mortal Shell II has not suddenly become cheerful.

Cold Symmetry doubles down on the grotesque dark fantasy aesthetic of the original, filling the world with ruined temples, diseased landscapes, enormous monsters, body horror, and environments that often look like someone turned a particularly unpleasant heavy metal album cover into an RPG.

Hardcore Gamer specifically praises the visual leap and the game’s Unreal Engine 5 presentation, while several other reviews highlight the contrast between oppressive ruins and unexpectedly beautiful natural environments.

Enemy variety also receives positive attention. Different regions introduce noticeably different creatures, while boss fights lean heavily into the grotesque visual identity that separated Mortal Shell from cleaner fantasy RPGs.

The result is a game that is clearly inspired by FromSoftware, but critics generally agree that the sequel has a stronger identity of its own.

Reviewers Say Mortal Shell II Is a Huge Improvement Over the Original

This may be the most important part of the critical reception.

Reviewers are not simply saying Mortal Shell II is good. Many specifically describe it as an unusually large improvement from one game to the next.

The original Mortal Shell earned attention for Harden and the possession-based Shell mechanic, but its limited scope, repetitive areas, slower combat, and relatively modest variety made its smaller budget obvious.

The sequel addresses many of those criticisms at once.

• Combat is faster and more responsive.
• The world is dramatically larger.
• Exploration offers more meaningful rewards.
• The Shell system supports deeper builds.
• Weapons and sidearms create more combat options.
• Enemy and environment variety has increased.
• Progression gives players more room to experiment.

COGconnected describes the jump in scope as enormous, while The Outerhaven calls the sequel a much stronger and more confident realization of what worked in Mortal Shell.

That is particularly encouraging for players who liked the first game’s ideas but did not enjoy the actual experience enough to finish it.

Our earlier Mortal Shell II gameplay analysis asked whether the improvements visible in trailers would survive a full-length game. Based on the first wave of reviews, the answer appears to be yes.

What Reviewers Did Not Like About Mortal Shell II

The reviews are positive, but Mortal Shell II is not being described as flawless.

The most common criticisms involve:

• Technical bugs: AI problems, sound issues, and occasional problems with level geometry have been reported.
• Camera behavior: Some reviewers found certain angles frustrating during combat.
• Progression pacing: A few sections can make upgrades feel slower than they should.
• Balance: Certain Shell and weapon combinations appear considerably stronger than others.
• Story: The narrative is not receiving the same enthusiasm as the combat and exploration.
• Boss spectacle: Some critics wanted more memorable large-scale encounters.

GamingBolt is particularly critical of bugs and the story, despite awarding the game a 9/10. COGconnected also mentions technical roughness and occasional difficulty spikes.

That distinction is useful. The criticism is mostly aimed at polish and specific design choices rather than the core gameplay loop.

So, Is Mortal Shell II Worth Playing?

Based on the first wave of reviews, Mortal Shell II looks like one of the stronger Soulslikes of 2026.

Its 84 Metascore does not put it in Elden Ring territory, but the critical consensus suggests Cold Symmetry has built something considerably more ambitious and enjoyable than its first game.

The combat has a clearer identity, exploration is worth the risk, builds offer meaningful experimentation, and the open world seems dense enough to avoid many of the problems that affect oversized RPG maps.

Perhaps the biggest compliment comes from reviewers who did not love the original Mortal Shell but found themselves impressed by the sequel.

If you bounced off the first game because it felt too slow, small, or restrictive, Mortal Shell II may be worth giving Cold Symmetry another chance.

For more release information, editions, and pricing, check our Mortal Shell II release date and editions guide.

Mortal Shell Offers on G2A.COM

The GLOBAL Steam Key for Mortal Shell II is currently sold out on G2A Marketplace, but a GLOBAL Steam Gift listing is available. You can also revisit the original game and its roguelike expansion.

Mortal Shell II Reviews FAQ

What is Mortal Shell II’s Metacritic score?

Mortal Shell II currently has a Metascore of 84/100. The score may change as additional reviews are added.

Is Mortal Shell II reviewing better than expected?

The initial reception is strongly positive. Critics particularly praise the combat, Shell system, exploration, open-world design, and the scale of the improvement over the original Mortal Shell.

What is the best part of Mortal Shell II according to reviewers?

Combat and exploration receive the most consistent praise. Removing stamina gives fights a more aggressive rhythm, while the world regularly rewards players with useful equipment, upgrades, Shells, and hidden challenges.

Do I need to play the first Mortal Shell before Mortal Shell II?

No. Mortal Shell II is designed as a standalone sequel, so newcomers can start with the second game.

What are the main complaints about Mortal Shell II?

Reviewers mention bugs, occasional camera problems, uneven progression, balance issues, and a story that is less impressive than the combat and exploration.

Cold Symmetry Finally Breaks Out of Its Shell

Mortal Shell was proof that Cold Symmetry had an idea worth developing. Mortal Shell II looks like the point where that idea becomes a full-scale action RPG.

The early scores are strong, but the repeated praise is more interesting than the numbers themselves. Critics keep returning to the same things: combat feels better, exploration matters, builds are deeper, and the sequel fixes many of the limitations that held the original back.

There are rough edges, particularly on the technical side, but the consensus so far is clear.

Mortal Shell II is not simply more Mortal Shell. It is the version of the concept reviewers seem to believe Cold Symmetry was always trying to make.