Mortal Shell II
Possess eight warrior Shells, shatter enemy posture, and wage stamina-free war against false gods.
Mortal Shell II nails crunchy, weighty combat with the Shell-class system — but wait for the bug fixes if you're not already a Souls vet.
For you if
- Soulslike retry loops energize you instead of wearing you down.
- You loved Sekiro's parry focus and want a Dark Souls-style world around it.
- You finished the first Mortal Shell and want a shorter, tighter follow-up.
Not for you if
- Game-breaking bugs spawning loot under the map will end your run.
- You need a deep bestiary and boss variety across 40+ hours.
- Magnetic hitboxes and inconsistent Shell abilities will drain your patience.
Crunchy, weighty combat with distinct Shell playstyles is what keeps 100-hour fans hooked, with every weapon and sidearm offering a different build.
Game-breaking bugs and hitbox inconsistencies are the friction that erodes trust for the 60+ hour crowd, especially in endgame bosses.
Latest patch
Patched 1 weeks agoMedia
What critics say
- Giant Bomb
Mortal Shell II is a 'fun-forward' souls-like, one that values flexibility and variety over sheer difficulty. It grabs you and plies you with a plethora of options for tackling its monsters, dungeons, and bosses, handing you shiny toys and trusts you to work out what to do with them.
- IGN Italy
A top-notch Soulslike—fun, satisfying, and full of good ideas—held back by a few shortcomings and, for the moment, various technical and balancing issues.
- Game8
Mortal Shell 2 is one of those games that'll make you smile when remembering it, but frown when you recall the details. Its horrifying audiovisuals and polished combat create plenty of memorable moments, but repetitive stages, limited build variety, and a painfully slow narrative make it equally frustrating. Its content also falls short of justifying the $49.99 price against the competition. For all its strengths, Mortal Shell 2 gets the pieces right without quite putting them together.
- Shacknews
Mortal Shell 2 is one of the best follow-up sequels to a game in a long time. It expands upon every single aspect of the first game, twists deeper into its metal roots, and hammers out the dents of the original title while retaining the same brutal, unforgiving gameplay Soulslike fanatics have come to masochistically enjoy. Mortal Shell 2 slays.
- EvelonGames
Mortal Shell 2 hits hardest when its brutal combat and inventive weapon arsenal click into place, but a string of nasty bugs, including one that forced a full restart mid-playthrough, keep undercutting an otherwise gripping souls-like.
Before You Play
Refreshed monthlyIs Mortal Shell II buggy at launch, or is it polished enough to buy right away?
The launch build drew criticism for technical problems, frustrating enemy encounters, and uneven world design, with the back half of the game described as noticeably rougher than the opening. One outlet advised console players to buy immediately but PC players to wait about three days if frame pacing would ruin the experience for them. Melee combat, hit feedback, and build variety across eight possessable Shells and four Seals were the strongest parts of the launch version.
Source: Digital Citizen Review
Does Mortal Shell II have difficulty settings, and which one should a new player pick?
Mortal Shell II has no Easy, Normal, or Hard menu option — difficulty is managed through in-game items. New players should start on Standard and pick up the Slayer Seal, which acts as an Easy Mode by boosting Sidearm Break Damage, improving riposte recovery, and adding Slayer Punch as a protected mobility tool. If you want more challenge instead, find the Gloombound Flame to unlock Night Mode, where enemies are deadlier but rewards are improved. Both modifiers are optional and reversible.
Source: GamesRecon
Does Mortal Shell II respect your time, or is it padded with filler?
Reviews put the main campaign at 25-30 hours, with one critic rolling credits in about 30 hours after exploring multiple biomes and dozens of bosses. Filler complaints center on repetition rather than bloat: reskinned bosses and similar-looking dungeons with weak rewards. The back half is rougher, with balance issues toward the end of the quest.
Source: Push Square Review
Do I need to play the first Mortal Shell before Mortal Shell II?
No. Mortal Shell II is a standalone sequel, so you won't need to play the first game to know what's going on. The story follows the Harbinger as they collect the Ova for the Undermether, and you can jump straight into it.
Source: Pure Xbox
Is there meaningful content in Mortal Shell II after the main story ends?
Yes — after the main story ends you can start New Game Plus, called New Purpose. It keeps your level, Shells, weapons, gear, currencies, and Tarforge upgrades, but resets beacons, dungeons, quests, and your Ovum count back to zero. Finish trophy cleanup before selecting Send Ova, since that choice triggers the transition.
Source: KeenGamer Guide
Dig deeper on this game
If you liked this
Nioh 3
Soulslike with comparable difficulty and equally split reception
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Punishing soulslike that divided its players the same way
Black Myth: Wukong
Solo action-soulslike at the same price and length, better received
Elden Ring Nightreign
Soulslike combat rebuilt as co-op roguelike runs
This week's picks
Find similar games
Browse our catalog by what made Mortal Shell II click — every link is a short list, ranked by what's actually worth playing tonight.
See how Mortal Shell II stacks up
One of several games on our radar — line it up against the field, or find something else worth your time.
- Compare head-to-head Side-by-side matchups across the catalog.
- Most played Ranked by current Steam concurrent players.
- Best of 2026 All 2026 releases we’ve covered.
- Best deals Current price cuts and historical lows.
- Find by vibe Filter by vibe, mechanics, and platform.
- Also covered Every game we’ve written about, archived.