This game follows the staple of hard as nails, challenging timing-based combat that characterizes Dark Souls, but something about its simplicity and directness compared to Dark Souls makes it very different. The ambience, the variety of weapons and Shells you can use, the entire thing is very unique and well worth time and money.
This was my first Soulslike game and I enjoyed it a lot. The combat pacing and animations are very well thought and executed and it makes you sweat for getting good at the game and learning. It can be frustating though, if you are not on difficult games, altough I read this is a very easy Soulslike. Its worth the money. I wish they would make Mshells2.
As a souls newbie this game was a nice entry into the genre. Started playing passionately but had troubles in ht elast section. Started Bloodborne in the meanwhile. Will finish this nice gem and then beat bloodborne.
Totally worth it! Must-buy if it is reduced.
Mortal Shell learned a lot of the right lessons from the games that inspired it: chunky combat, spacing, stamina management, tone, atmosphere, design. Sadly there are a number of fairly glaring flaws that make this recommendation a tepid one. I'd say this game is really only for die-hard fans.
Like I said, the tone is great. The Falgrim swamps are really spooky, and are cloaked in a thick mist that is both unnerving and hides the frankly glaring pop-in problem. It is almost entirely populated by one or two enemy types, though. And unlike other games in the genre, it lacks a lot of landmarks and alternate routes that make navigation less of a chore. "Where is that fallen tree," you'll ask yourself, in a forest of copy-pasted fallen trees.
The combat is heavy and deliberate. Sure, it's a blatant copy of better games, but it's a good copy. The biggest problem with it is the terrible AI. Some enemies literally will walk off cliffs to their death right in front of you. It's quite easy to cheese your way through the game just by poking with the starting sword and rolling away. There are a lot of archers in the game, which are possibly the hardest enemies to deal with due to your severely limited ranged options.
Speaking of options: you don't have many. You've got 4 characters in the base game, 5 with the DLC (who is basically a random hodgepodge of the other 4). If you don't like their premade stat allotment, tough cookies. There's no way to increase the tank's energy bar to anything less anemic. It's the same story with the weapons: 4 in the base, 5 in the DLC (which isn't a copy this time). All you can upgrade is the damage in a linear fashion.
The DLC, while good, is not everyone's cup of tea. It's a roguelite mode, which is surprisingly compelling if you like that sort of thing. If not, the extra weapon might be nice, but that's all you're really getting.
The performance isn't great, the last boss is cheap, and the dark sections are lazy, especially the last one.