Mortal Shell Review — Becoming Immortal

Mortal Shell Review — Becoming Immortal

Aug 26, 2020 0
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Review copy of Mortal Shell provided by Cold Symmetry.    In a world post Demon’s Souls, there are countless titles that attempt to recapture the magic that FromSoftware found with the series. With a boiled down premise of challenging difficulty that, on paper, should not appeal to the masses, yet in practice many have fallen in love with, Souls titles seem to find the perfect balance between player intrigue and difficulty. Overcoming obstacles in a Souls title is one of the most rewarding shots of dopamine gamers can experience, which is why players consistently chase the high found in doing so. Due to the success of the Souls franchise, there will always be developers who try to replicate and reinvent that high, while searching for a way to stand out from the crowd.  It is nearly impossible to play Mortal Shell and not see the similarities to other Souls titles, primarily the first Dark Souls. Where some might see this as something that can negatively impact the newly released title, in actuality Mortal Shell wears the influences on its sleeves. When comparing the two titles together, the differences become more apparent, in that Mortal Shell has taken concepts from the Souls franchise and improved on them in a way that feels its own. Going forward, games of similar ilk could be referenced as being created in a post Mortal Shell world, instead of solely Demon’s Souls.  Developed by a small team of only 15 members, Mortal Shell is a technological feat on Unreal Engine 4. Developer Cold Symmetry poured their heart and soul (no pun intended) into this title, and their blood, sweat and tears are visible in every pixel. Players cannot simply ignore the technical spectacle on display with Mortal Shell, especially when compared to the products of recent memory developed by studios of a much larger caliber. Regardless of any faults it may contain, Mortal Shell remains an example of a product solely made for love, from love.
Mortal Shell

Eredrim, the Venerable

Immediately when starting Mortal Shell, players will notice the influences of titles like Dark Souls and even Hellblade. The aesthetic and gameplay is reminiscent of a Souls title, yet the combat feels like a hybrid of both titles. The slow and methodical pace of navigation and combat make the encounters weigh more in both physicality and mentality. The patient nature of this game made the learning curve more noticeable, allowing mastery of the game’s mechanics to be something that is far more obvious than almost any other Souls-like title.  Similar to the Souls franchise, Mortal Shell relies heavily on environmental storytelling. Items and consumables all have a flavor-text associated tothem, detailing their relevance to the world and overall narrative. While there is a story to be told through NPC’s and dialogue, all of it feels supplementary to the environmental narrative present within the game. Traversing between the four main locals within Mortal Shell creates an allure that beckons players to follow further down the proverbial rabbit hole to uncover what  exactly is going on. The lack of narrative and ambient atmosphere leaves an intriguing desire to search for answers as to what this game is all about, with a conclusion that answers some questions while posing more. As with all environmental storytelling, the answer to most questions are left for the player to discover.  Mortal Shell throws players into the fray almost immediately with only a minor tutorial to start. Pinned against a difficult mini boss in said tutorial sets players up for the challenge that awaits them in the coming hours, but also educates them more than any other tutorial could for the title. While the enemy is challenging, it reinforces from early on that patience is the player’s strongest weapon in Mortal Shell, and when properly utilized, combat can feel masterfully executed and rewarding.  [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSs0_PBGiLs[/embedyt] The starting area, Fallgrim, serves as the world’s hub that connects the remaining three locals. Although Fallgrim is the hub area, it offers more than something like Firelink Shrine in Dark Souls. With greater surface area and enemy variety, Fallgrim acts more like a world in itself, rather than solely being the area that links them all together. Players can easily find themselves lost in Fallgrim, as there is barely any direction given to where one should head next. Exploration will guide the player in this area, contributing to the wide appeal of environmental storytelling Mortal Shell does so well.   As with any Souls-like, death is frustrating. In Mortal Shell, this remains true, however the title never punishes players for dying like other games of similar design. In most other Souls-like titles, death means the loss of everything accumulated in that life, and the stakes are raised higher when a second death is looming over players who try to recollect their belongings. In Mortal Shell, this concept is improved upon by introducing a dual currency economy that finds a perfect balance in establishing the value of both. While exploring and defeating enemies, players will accumulate Tar and Glimpses to spend on resources and upgrading their character.  Tar is the more frivolous currency that replicates the souls concept in other Souls titles. Killing an enemy will reward players with a select amount of Tar, in which they can spend on buying materials and consumables to aid them on their run. Dying to an enemy will cause all Tar on hand to be left at the corpse, forcing the player to return to the location of death if retrieval is desired. Glimpses, on the other hand, is a more permanent resource that can also be accumulated from defeating enemies, albeit at a sparser rate. For the majority of the game, Glimpses are used to upgrade character skills, and in the later portions, can be used to purchase high end items to benefit the player experience. Glimpses are preserved with the player upon death, as they are inextricably tied to the current playable character. Given the way Mortal Shell handles character classes, Glimpses do not transfer over between them, and are instead unique acquisitions for each one. By only losing Tar on death, the player frustration is significantly more manageable, while not eliminated entirely. This is just another example of how Mortal Shell has taken a concept previously established and replicated in other Souls-like titles and improved it in a way that will surely be referenced in future titles. 
Mortal Shell

Harros, the Vassal

Mortal Shell does away with the traditional concept of character classes and instead opts in for a more defined approach that fits in with the narrative. Instead of selecting a mage, warrior, or rogue—like other titles—Mortal Shell provides players access to four characters in total, each with their own respective skills and stats. The first character introduced to players is ‘Harros, the Vassal’, a more traditional warrior type that specializes in the back and forth nature of combat. Harros has a balanced stat distribution that will serve newcomers and those looking for a comfortable experience. All of the other characters are left for players to discover for themselves, as their lifeless corpses lay dormant in the environment waiting to be inhabited. Along with different skills, each of the other three characters are differentiated by their stats. Since there is no form of traditional leveling up and experience distribution in Mortal Shell, each character’s stats are as static and permanent as the moment players first inhabit them. This concept reinforces alternative playstyles, as each of the four can drastically alter how the game is played. Along with ‘Harros, the Vassal’, there is ‘Solomon, the Scholar’, ‘Tiel, the Acolyte’, and ‘Eredrim, the Venerable’. Solomon has a generic health and stamina pool similar to Harros, however he specializes in greater Resolve capabilities. Resolve is the attribute that allows characters to do special attacks and abilities. The greater the Resolve, the more frequent the ability can be used. Tiel serves as Mortal Shell’s version of a rogue/assassin, as his health is extremely low, but his stamina meter is much larger than the other three. The more dexterous players will find solace in Tiel, as his playstyle is faster and not as heavy as the other characters. Finally, there is Eredrim, one of the slowest characters with the lowest stamina available. The trade off with Eredrim is his insanely high health stat that will allow him to survive in combat much longer and is a solid choice for those who prefer to tank their way through the game.  Despite having four inhabitable shells, there is an option for those who prefer a more challenging, and equally rewarding, path. Each shell is optional, meaning the player’s default husk can act as a character in itself, allowing those who choose to play shell-less navigate the game with an immortal husk. The benefit of this method is the highest stamina bar in the game, meaning the fastest character and most limber when it comes to executing attacks. The trade off, however, is that death is certain with one hit. Only those who desire the highest of dopamine hits should attempt to play through Mortal Shell with no shell, as it will be challenging, to say the least. 
Mortal Shell

Tiel, the Acolyte

The four characters are only half of the customization offered in Mortal Shell. Unlike other Souls titles, there are no plethora of weaponry at the player’s disposal. Instead, Mortal Shell prefers to simplify the selection and provide more impactful weapons There are only four weapon types in Mortal Shell known as: The Hallowed Sword, Martyr’s Blade, Smouldering Mace, and the Hammer and Chisel. Each weapon serves a different purpose that can alter the way in which players experience the game. Finding the perfect combination between each shell and weapon, and how they complement each other’s abilities and strengths is part of the magic that Mortal Shell contains. Despite there being only four weapons in total, each one feels unique from the other, and players will quickly find the one that speaks to them. While exploring the four main areas of Mortal Shell, players can find upgrades for the weapons. Some upgrades are universally applied to all, while others are specific to the weapon, enhancing the base damage and unlocking additional weapon abilities.  Although Mortal Shell is a stellar experience that can stand on its own outside of other Souls-like titles, it is not perfect. There are some inconsistencies that can be encountered throughout, mainly pertaining to gameplay. Technical issues aside, the combat in Mortal Shell can be equally as rewarding as it is frustrating. The hit registration on enemies and the player can feel off, with enemy attacks continuing after death and outside of what is displayed as the character’s hitbox.  When contributing to the waiting game that is the combat within Mortal Shell, the standard FOV and camera angle can sometimes present challenges with depth of field with regards to enemy attacks. Even though it may seem like the character is outside the hit registration of an enemy’s attack, somehow the sword strike just manages to graze, dealing the full amount of damage. This can become frustrating during intense combat scenarios, when timing and positioning are key to landing devastating blows on the enemy. Getting slashed by a strike that one is certain to be a clear distance from can be unsettling when, from the playable angle, it should not have hit.
Mortal Shell

Solomon, the Scholar

Visually speaking, Mortal Shell is never bad to look at. The game runs at a decent 30 fps, with drops only happening when there are a lot of effects on the screen. The title’s day one patch slightly improved performance while adding increased visual fidelity to the higher end consoles. Post-patch, the game looks amazing and becomes even harder to believe it was developed solely by a small studio. What the patch did not improve, however, was the load times. Death and respawn times can keep players waiting from 30 seconds to a minute before being thrown back into the world. Additionally, when interacting with collectibles and objects, the flavor-text that appears on screen tends to overstay its welcome and can often become an obstruction for players who require as much visual clarity in combat as possible.  Overall, Mortal Shell is a phenomenal title that supersedes many Souls-like titles of recent years. By taking the core elements of what made the Souls franchise successful and innovating them to establish something unique to the game, Mortal Shell has solidified itself as a worthy title for anyone who is a fan of FromSoftware’s legacy. Mortal Shell’s success guarantees that its constant comparisons to Dark Souls is only temporary, as the title is so refined that future games will now be compared to it instead of just being referenced as another Souls-like. In the coming years, the industry will look back on Mortal Shell and recognize it for the strides made to perfect the Souls formula and establish its own line of successors.   

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About author

Daniel Pereira

From a young age I've loved video games and the power they possess in bringing different kinds of people together. I have forged many good friendships through this medium that would not exist without it. I love experiencing a new genre for the first time and finding out it resonates with me. Also, Conker's Bad Fur Day is one of the greatest games of all time. Fight me.

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