Mortal Shell II

Mighty · 36 top critics · 30 articles · Aug 20, 2026

Cold Symmetry · Playstack

What critics said

Mortal Shell II certainly has its flaws and room for improvement, but the qualitative leap compared to the first chapter is undeniable: this is the sequel that demonstrates the true potential of Cold Symmetry.

Gamer Social Club85

Mortal Shell II is everything fans of the soulslike genre should be looking for. Its world is a beautifully depressing homage to a bygone era of fairy tales and medieval fantasies, while its brutal combat will have you scrambling for a moment of peace between fights. I truly believe they have accomplished something great here, and I can’t wait to see what Cold Symmetry has up their sleeve in the next installment of the series.

SmashPad75

Some bugs, a couple of crashes, weak boss battles, and other strange design choices hold Mortal Shell II back from being the masterpiece I hoped it’d be, but Cold Symmetry has more than proven itself as a small-but-mighty team that knows how to deliver the action RPG goods.

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Mortal Shell II news

Mortal Shell 2 dramatically improved in almost every way by first major update

On Saturday, Mortal Shell 2 received its biggest update yet, a little over a week after release. Developer Cold Symmetry was seemingly keen to address as many points of criticism as possible because the update touches almost every aspect of the game. The patch is available now on Steam, and soon on PlayStation and Xbox, and it adds new stuff to the game alongside all of the changes.

Eurogamer / Sherif Saed

Update

Mortal Shell 2 gets its first major update, adding in extra beacons, useful new items, and making riposte damage scaling actually work

We're a little over one week on from the launch of Mortal Shell 2, a game that Jeremy liked quite a lot. But the work of a developer is never done these days, what with the advent of the internet and patches 'n' all. A balance patch arrived on launch day, but the Soulslike has now received its first full update, bringing a whole lot with it.

Rock Paper Shotgun / Oisin Kuhnke

Update

"We ended up kind of cornered there": Mortal Shell 2 devs say they didn't intend to "lock everybody out" by disabling achievements for Slayer Seal "easy mode" users

Formidable fantasy soulslike Mortal Shell 2 has been getting it in the shins from certain players over the decision to 'lock them out' of Steam achievements, when they equip the notorious Slayer Seal. Trailers have characterised the Slayer Seal as an in-game 'easy mode'. As Jeremy summarises in our own Mortal Shell 2 review, it gives "you a pulverising punch and your ranged weapons the ability to deal Break damage", which goes a fair way in an action-RPG this vicious. Not being able to earn achi

Rock Paper Shotgun / Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Interview

Mortal Shell 2 review

In the increasingly crowded Soulslike genre, a game's opening minutes need to do a lot of work. The good news for Mortal Shell 2 is its opening is superb, starting as well as it continues, and condensing the magic of its next 30-odd hours into a few minutes with aplomb.

Eurogamer / Sherif Saed

Review

Mortal Shell 2's first balance patch makes its in-game economy a lot more lenient and nerfs some enemies and bosses for a smoother ride

Heavy is the burden of being a game developer, as even as a game launches, there is always still work to be done. Mortal Shell 2 is out today, and while it generally seems to be doing quite well for itself, a game of its ilk, i.e. a Soulslike, doesn't necessarily get everything right the first go around (or I guess second first in this case). So, to smooth out some edges, developer Cold Symmetry have already released the game's first balance patch.

Rock Paper Shotgun / Oisin Kuhnke

Update

Amid accusations of a post-beta difficulty bump, Mortal Shell 2 devs patch the new soulslike to stop players riposting so hard they steal enemy weapons

Belated congratulations to everybody who correctly guessed that Mortal Shell 2 was the mystery game our guides team were raving about a couple of weeks ago. You'll hopefully have read Jeremy's glowing review, in which he calls the new Soulslike RPG "an incredible second outing that capitalises upon the potential of the first Mortal Shell and brings forth nostalgic memories of DOOM, Heretic, Hexen, and other PC gaming gems." Now, let us speak of difficulty thresholds, hotfix patches, and turning

Rock Paper Shotgun / Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Update

Mortal Shell 2 Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S

Here's a look at how the Xbox versions hold up. Action-RPG Mortal Shell 2 is available now on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S for those who nabbed the Devout Edition, with its proper launch coming August 20th. Early reviews and impressions paint this dark adventure as a pretty darned great one, boasting an 84 on Metacritic. But how does it perform on Xbox hardware? Well, you know the drill when it comes to these comparison features - we've turned to Fuzion Xbox Testing on YouTube, who has once a

Pure Xbox

Release date

Where to Find Every Shell in Mortal Shell II

This guide will go over the locations of each available Shell in Mortal Shell II, including any extra unlock requirements and what abilities they have.

TechRaptor / Isaac Todd

Guide

Mortal Shell 2 review: A monumental heavy metal sequel with the spirit of a '90s PC game

A few hours into your sojourn across Mortal Shell 2's harsh realm of Fainweald, you might stumble upon a tavern called The One Legged Wolf. In a monstrous land inhabited by pasty-faced brigands who refer to you as "brev" right before shanking you, this watering hole exudes novelty. Here, said thugs congregate to make merry and listen to the strums of the shirtless lute-player on stage. Even if you do as I did, and accidentally massacre the guy with a shot from your sidearm, nobody minds. The One

Rock Paper Shotgun / Jeremy Blum

Review

Roundup: The First Reviews Have Arrived For Mortal Shell 2

A significant improvement over the original? One of the big releases of this week on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is Mortal Shell 2, and for those who are willing to pay for the more expensive "Devout Edition", they can actually start playing the game right now with early access ahead of the full launch on Thursday, August 20th. That also means we've got some reviews! The first reviews have started trickling in for this one over the past hour, and early impressions suggest we're looking at a

Pure Xbox

Review

Mortal Shell 2 Review

This sequel's expansion into a large scale action-RPG is mostly a successful one.

IGN / Tom Marks

Review

Mortal Shell 2 Is A Fresh And Exciting Shake Up Of The Souls-like Formula

Mortal Shell 2 features most of the familiar hallmarks of the souls-like genre: It's set in a dark fantasy world and incorporates gothic, medieval, and otherworldly themes into its aesthetic. Its combat is deep, challenging, satisfyingly hard-hitting, and will punish you for being overzealous. There are bonfires (called beacons) where you can rest and recover lost health at the expense of respawning enemies, and you also drop the level-up currency each time you die, forcing you to retrieve it in

GameSpot / Richard Wakeling

Preview

Hyped PS5 Soulslike Mortal Shell 2 Has an Easy Difficulty Mode, But There's a Catch

For the Slayers. Soulslike games tend to be quite difficult, demanding patience and knowledge of your often unforgiving opponents. But every now and then, a Soulslike comes along that lets you lessen the challenge. For example, Lies of P introduced difficulty options fairly recently via a patch. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Push Square

Announcement

Mortal Shell 2 will let you lower its difficulty by making executions refill your health, or up the challenge by turning off the sun

While Soulslike Mortal Shell 2 doesn't feature traditional difficulty modes, developers Cold Symmetry have included a set of special items that let you tweak the challenge to your liking. As someone who just got back from a three-day cycle trip with friends who coasted up the hills on bikes fitted with fancy 12-speed rear cassettes loaded with extra, larger gear cogs, while I huffed and puffed on my 11-speed, this is an approach to difficulty I both recognise and envy.

Rock Paper Shotgun / Julian Benson

Announcement

Mortal Shell 2 Open Beta Is Seriously Impressing Fans On Xbox Series X|S Right Now

Might be worth adding to your wishlist! Over the weekend, Xbox players have been plugging away at the prologue for Mortal Shell II thanks to an Open Beta. As it turns out the upcoming action RPG - slated for release August 20, 2026 - is making a strong first impression, so much so that I've gone ahead and downloaded the console beta for myself! Mortal Shell II is a standalone sequel, meaning you won't need to play the first to know what's going on, and is a grim Soulslike where players possess d

Pure Xbox

Preview

Soulslike Enjoyers, the Open Beta for Action RPG Mortal Shell 2 Is Live Right Now on PS5

Play it before you shell out. Publisher Playstack and developer Cold Symmetry have released the open beta test for Mortal Shell 2, the second outing in the morbid Soulslike action RPG series. Check out the below trailer to get a taste of what you're in for: Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Push Square

Release date

Surprise! After getting over 500,000 downloads on Steam, there's a Mortal Shell 2 beta live right now on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S

Are you excited for Mortal Shell 2? The game, which is proving so popular ahead of release it recently sold out of its physical Revered Edition on PS5, has just announced a surprise beta - allowing players to dive in and check out its deconstructed soulslike mechanics for themselves.

Eurogamer / Dom Peppiatt

Release date

Mortal Shell 2 beta available for free now, progress carries over to the full game

Play the first three hours of Mortal Shell 2 now for free on all platforms

VGC / Dave Aubrey

Release date

Mortal Shell 2 sells out of physical Revered Edition PS5 pre-orders as players rush to buy the highly-anticipated game on disc

With a little under one month left until the launch of Soulslike Mortal Shell 2, one of the game's physical versions can no longer be pre-ordered. Stock of the £55 ($70) PlayStation 5 Revered Edition is completely depleted, publisher Playstack announced.

Eurogamer / Sherif Saed

Business

The Special PS5-Only Physical Revered Edition of Mortal Shell 2 Has Sold Out, and Fans Are Sending the News Sony's Way as They Continue to Push for a U-Turn on Killing Discs

The special PS5-only physical Revered Edition of Mortal Shell 2 has sold out, its publisher has announced — and gamers are sending the news Sony’s way as they continue to push the company to reverse its decision to do away with discs.

IGN / Wesley Yin-Poole

Business

Look Away Now, Sony: Demand for Mortal Shell 2 in Physical Form Sees PS5 Boxed Copies Sell Out

Unlikely to have more stock of Revered Edition for 20th August launch. Mortal Shell 2 developer Cold Symmetry has shared it's extremely unlikely it'll be able to bring the Revered Edition of the upcoming Soulslike back into stock before the PS5 game's launch on 20th August 2026. Demand for the boxed copy has "exceeded expectations" and outstripped supply, meaning only the base version of the game is left for anyone wanting to own Mortal Shell 2 on a PS5 disc in many territories. On top of the ga

Push Square

Business

Mortal Shell 2 is the latest game to join the Grand Theft Auto 6 release crush, but I don't think it has much to worry about because it looks sick as hell

Cold Symmetry's soulslike releases in August.

PC Gamer / Rick Lane

Release date

Brutal Soulslike Mortal Shell 2 chooses violence, sets release date in the 2026 August traffic jam

Mortal Shell 2, the inventive Soulslike RPG from developer Cold Symmetry, has an official release date. The game will arrive 20th August on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. While Mortal Shell 2 has always been set for release this year, its release window was the biggest mystery.

Eurogamer / Sherif Saed

Release date

Mortal Shell 2 Promises Quality Souls Action on PS5, Out Next Month

It's a £45 / $50 game. Cold Symmetry has confirmed its PS5 Soulslike follow-up, Mortal Shell 2, will release on 20th August 2026, avoiding the big September onslaught by a few weeks. Pre-orders are now live on the PS Store, with the base version costing £44.99 / $49.99 while a Devout Edition bundles in three days of early access for an extra £5 / $10. As well as the ability to play early, you also get the Obsidian skin set, which provides all of the eight Shells in the sequel an additional outfi

Push Square

Release date

Mortal Shell II set for release on August 20

If you love challenging combat - Mortal Shell II may be one for you to pick up when it arrives on August 20th. Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

GamingOnLinux / Liam Squires-Hand

Release date

Mortal Shell II launches August 20

Soulslike action RPG sequel Mortal Shell II will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and … Source

Gematsu / Sal Romano

Release date

Mortal Shell 2 deconstructs the mechanics of Soulslikes even more effectively than its predecessor

Mortal Shell is an action game with the usual smattering of RPG elements; set in a grim medieval/gothic-esque world where everything is terrible and everyone is sad. The dialogue has a lot of Proper Nouns, and is cryptic enough for you to fill in the gaps.

Eurogamer / Sherif Saed

Preview

The Mortal Shell 2 open beta was downloaded 250,000 times over the weekend

The action RPG's developer says the response has been "incredible," and it has begun fixing bugs and "tightening the experience."

PC Gamer / Tyler Wilde

Business

We Hope You're Not Sick of Soulslikes, Because Mortal Shell 2 Just Got a Massive Gameplay Trailer

Welcome to shell. Mortal Shell 2 has just thrown out a hefty gameplay trailer which shows off all kinds of stuff. Much of the video is made up of uncut footage, and it clocks in at just under 12 minutes in length. Well worth skimming at the very least, if you're interested in this Soulslike sequel. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Push Square

Trailer

Mortal Shell II ‘Gameplay Reveal’ trailer

Publisher Playstack and developer Cold Symmetry have released a 12-minute gameplay reveal trailer for Soulslike … Source

Gematsu / Sal Romano

Trailer