While not completely ripping off short stories and Souls-like games, the gang over at Cold Symmetry definitely weren’t shy about where their inspirations for Mortal Shell came from. The result is a painstakingly unique, yet all too familiar attempt to reinvent the wheel. Let’s delve into the world of Fullgrim and talk about what sets this game apart from its closest competitors.
The Basic Mechanics
Mortal Shell is a fairly standard Souls-like experience but has a unique twist. Instead of consuming souls to increase your stats, you can possess the corpses (or “shells”) of four different heroes scattered across the realm. Furthermore, you build up “resolve” as you fight, which allows you to parry attacks and perform special moves.
Each of the four shells represents a class: The first shell you’ll find is Harros, the Vassal; he’s your fairly standard jack-of-all-trades type, who’s got a decent amount of health, resolve, and stamina, but doesn’t really excel at much of anything. The second is Tiel, the Acolyte, who is basically a thief with low health, low resolve, and massive stamina. Solomon, the Scholar is sturdier than Harros and makes up for his average stamina by having the highest amount of resolve. Finally, there is Eredrim, the Venerable has garbage stamina and resolve, but compensates with massive health and defense stats. The game allows you to swap shells on the fly and adapt your play style to any situation. You can also choose to swear off possessing corpses and go shell-less. You’ll die in one hit, but your stamina takes a lot of effort to drain.
The different shells allow you to experience the same areas in multiple ways. This enhances its replay value and also allows for inexperienced players who cannot master parrying and dodging to swap to the tank when they need a little more survivability. Speaking of which, the lack of an input buffer or I-frames makes Mortal Shell feel considerably different from other titles in the genre if you’re just jumping in. At first, I found Mortal Shell to be a bit daunting. In fact, I’d say it was downright punishingly brutal until I understood the limitations of the combat system. With that knowledge, I found the game to be considerably easier than any other Souls-like experience before it. Just because it was easier, though, doesn’t mean it wasn’t on-par.
How it Comes Together
I really liked Mortal Shell‘s ability to do a lot with a little. The story is present, though admittedly not all that compelling. Still, it’s passable considering that the game is only about eight or ten hours long. The real prize here is the scenery and world-building. While the majority of the game takes place in Fullgrim’s forest area, the game is large and dense enough to interfere with navigation without being so small as to prevent exploration. Inside the forest of Fullgrim, you’ll find three different temples. Each of these temples takes you to an entirely new area without forcing the developers to create a connected, continuous world.
For example, the Crypt of Martyrs is a cool ice cavern (pun intended), yet doesn’t feel out of place after leaving a foggy forest. Neither do the lava reserves of the Shrine of Ash nor the mind-bending fortress that is the Seat of Infinity. I truly enjoyed the level design despite the game being considerably shorter than its counterparts. There are also only five weapons, which lends weight to your choices, as each weapon has two upgrades to their special moves hidden throughout the game. The hammer and chisel set was an interesting choice, but I ultimately used the mace and sword more than anything else. Even so, that bolt-action rail gun was a cool touch and helps make up for the lack of ranged weapons.
The Verdict
That’s what makes Mortal Shell feel so good; it’s an indie game that’s been lovingly crafted by a group of only fifteen people who want to pay homage to a genre they clearly admire. While it’s not the best game out there, I found myself intrigued enough to replay it a few times. I even finished the Platinum trophy before writing this review. Kudos to the team at Cold Symmetry. I hope more people pick up this game so that we can get a sequel somewhere down the road. Personally, I can’t wait to see what these guys can do with an actual budget and a bigger publisher behind them.
Mortal Shell was reviewed on the PlayStation 4 Pro and was provided for review by Playstack.
