Was Mortal Shell Worth It?

Try on a new body in this soulslike. Was Mortal Shell worth it?

Full disclosure: We received a review code for the Nintendo Switch version of this game. Rest assured that this will not affect the quality or candor of our review.

Background

It’s a soulslike. Grim, dark, unfriendly world, you roll a lot, etc. You probably saw this game for free recently on the Epic Games store.

In what is perhaps a nod to the genre difficulty, you can also get hard. The “harden” mechanic is your version of guarding, and it factors into the mechanics and classes. I’m the kind of player who is always on the move in action games, so actually standing still to take a hit was a big adjustment for me.

What does Mortal Shell do well?

This game is “Dark Souls at home”, for better or worse. It’s certainly an entry in the same mold, and it attempts to differentiate itself with the hardening mechanic. There are multiple playstyles based on the different shells, and intrepid players can even go for a “no shell” run.

What could Mortal Shell do better?

I’m torn on the DLC – I don’t fault any dev for trying something new, but a roguelike mode?

However, the real issue is that this game doesn’t look great, and has some performance issues. Pop-in is not something you want to see in a game as punishing as this. There were several times where an enemy suddenly spawned right in front of me and it was almost comedic. There were plenty of times when the visuals reminded me of Disgaea 6, which is never a good thing.

Incidentally, the game has an “Indie Mode” that makes everything pixelated. While this might have been a cheeky joke on PC or PS4, it doesn’t quite land in this diluted port.

Was Mortal Shell fun?

I largely find these games to be frustration adjacent. It always feels like there are some quality of life features missing. Is the game withholding healing or fast travel to simulate difficulty or is it developer spite?

Is Mortal Shell good value?

Compared to the name-brand Souls games, this is short. At 29.99 on the eShop, the value will be entirely dependent upon your affection for soulslikes. Dark Souls goes for $40 on the same marketplace, for context.

Who is this game for?

This is for the Souls fans who just need one more hit and have exhausted the other soulslikes in their backlog.

Was Mortal Shell worth it?

This is a competent take on the genre. If you enjoy the basic premise of a grimdark world with minimal story and lots of rolling, then you’ll love it. The different classes give the game variety and the DLC roguelike mode, while a baffling addition, will likely be appreciated by fans of the format. Be advised though – when I called this “Dark Souls at home”, I meant it. Apparently this game looks much better on other platforms, so if you might consider playing this on something more powerful than the Switch.

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