Mortal Shell II
Jun 6, 2026·Cold Symmetry
About this game
The original Mortal Shell came out in 2020 and quietly carved out a devoted fanbase - the kind that genuinely appreciated what Cold Symmetry was doing with a tiny team and limited resources. It wasn't perfect, but it had this wonderfully grim, oppressive atmosphere and a unique shell-possession mechanic that made it feel distinct from the FromSoftware giants it was clearly inspired by. I played it properly about two years ago and genuinely loved most of it - right up until a certain boss knocked me back to a checkpoint for the fiftieth time and I had to put the controller down and go outside for a walk. You know the feeling. So when Mortal Shell II was announced at Summer Game Fest 2025, I was immediately on board - cautiously, with a stress ball nearby. Developed again by Cold Symmetry and published by Playstack, the sequel is a standalone story, meaning no prior knowledge of the first game is needed. You play as the Harbinger, a prophesied being tasked with reclaiming the Undermether's stolen Ova from the monstrous creatures that guard it. It's the kind of mythological premise that sounds strange on paper but fits perfectly into Mortal Shell's consistently weird and unsettling world. The announcement trailer kicked off with a track from Behemoth, which honestly set the tone better than any gameplay footage could. The scale of what they're building this time is genuinely impressive. The compact but interconnected open world replaces the original's single marshland area with diverse regions - derelict temples, forbidden forests, icy graves, and citadels carved from bone. Scattered across all of it are over 60 handcrafted dungeons, each designed to challenge the specific abilities you've built up along the way. For comparison, the original was a 12-15 hour game with a handful of areas. The jump in ambition here is substantial. The shell mechanic is back and expanded. Three confirmed playable shells so far are Tiel the Acolyte - a nimble, dagger-focused stealth fighter - Eredrim the Venerable, a returning face from the first game built around slow, heavy, damage-absorbing play, and Proxima the Broodseeker, who uses a hook on her arm to pull enemies into striking range. Each shell has its own combat style, hidden history, and upgrade path that deepens the more you use it. Combat itself has been overhauled to remove stamina restrictions entirely, favouring a more aggressive, adrenaline-driven approach with both melee and ranged options - including shotguns, revolvers, and what fans are already calling a "machine-gun crossbow." An open beta launched on Steam earlier this month covering the prologue and early open world sections, which is a great sign for how far along development actually is. The full game is still targeting sometime in 2026 across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. I'll be there day one. Controller in hand, stress ball in the other.
