It’s a kick to find another shell and test the differences between them, but their specific quirks and bonuses must be unlocked using the aforementioned currency, which limits the initial differences between them and invites a player to lean toward one shell from the outset, especially if the player has yet to happen upon the others. Using another Soulslike standard, currency acquired from defeated enemies is used to upgrade the shells, with the first unlock for each of them being their name and a small chunk of lore. There are a handful of shells to find, each with a leaning toward particular play styles, with one being a tank-like mountain of health with low stamina while another is a fragile but athletic reversal of stats. Fail again though, and it will be truly fatal. You must then reclaim your shell while avoiding damage in order to return, fully restored and ready for round two. Being fatally wounded won’t floor you the first time instead, time freezes for a moment, and the impact knocks your pallid corpse inhibitor backwards out of the shell with a sliver of health remaining. The function of the shells in-game goes beyond modulating your stats and actually provides what is effectively an extra health bar and an extra life. Through some esoteric magic, the pale husk you control will merge with the body and possess it, adjusting health and stamina bars and giving access to that shell’s particular quirks. It’s not long after you begin the game that your first shell is found – a broken corpse resting on the ground. The other genuinely defining feature of Mortal Shell is the game’s namesake – the empty shells of fallen mortals. It might not seem like much, but with combat balanced around the mechanic, learning to harden at the right times will be the difference between success and failure. Your ability to harden is limited and must recharge, so there’s no standing still and sucking up endless blows, so timing its use during enemy attack sequences is vital. Time slows for a moment when struck, allowing a swift counter or an evasive roll to escape the next attack aimed at ending your life. At any time be it mid-combo, falling from height or just standing around, you can press a button to harden your character’s skin and deflect a blow. Once the initial impact sinks in, you’ll quickly face off against your first foe and a lesson in what makes Mortal Shell stand apart from its inspirations – hardening. It is at once familiar and different, tempting those familiar with such tone to immediately beg questions of how this world came to be and what its particular rules and oddities are. Every aspect of the world seems obscured behind inexplicable decay and dialogue designed to tease with fantastical concepts. You’ve got a health and stamina bar, the ability to dodge roll and combine fast, weaker blows with slower, stronger attacks. Starting the game as a pale, humanoid husk armed with a long sword, the Souls-like inspiration is clear from the outset. I’m happy to say that Mortal Shell, while far from perfect, does rise to meet most of the expectation set by its overt Souls-like qualities, albeit on terms that may cause those truly attached to FROM’s particular flavour of gameplay balance to baulk a little. Aspiring to meet the genre-defining standards of FROM software’s Souls series is as lofty a goal as a small team could aim for, but also one fraught with potential to misstep or simply repeat what has already been done. Aiming for greatness is the first step on the path toward achieving it, and it is clear that the developers at Cold Symmetry have done just that.
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