Some soulslike games can be spotted at a glance andMortal Shellis one of them. Playing as a humanoid construct of tremendous frailty, you’re forced to possess the bodies of fallen warriors to defend yourself. You’ll run and fight through a dark and gloomy land plagued by death and darkness as you try to find the key sources of energy that remain.
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Depending on the warrior you inhabit and the weapon you carry, you’ll find a playstyle that is most comfortable for you. Though the game can provide a solid challenge accompanied by mysterious lore, there are several ways Mortal Shell can improve.
8Ranged Options
In soulslike games, the greater distance you’re able to maintain from an enemy, the better. A lot of titles in the genre give you ways to do this while still being able to attack, but Mortal Shell doesn’t. Although it does offer items that can let you deal damage from afar, they’re not as reliable or common as you would like.
The weapons that you’re able to obtain are all melee-focused with only one of them offering a larger attack radius — we are speaking aboutthe Ballistazooka. Adding in some bows or just a more consistent ranged attack would help expand the gameplay.
7Secret Locations
Like the original soulsike titles, Mortal Shell is intentionally vague in terms of lore and story. It leaves you to your own devices to explore and figure outwhat to do. Despite all the nooks and crannies that can be found, they never feel rewarding or important. There are certainly locations off the beaten path that can contain some strange enemies or items, but nothing to write home about.
Secret areas are always welcome in games, especially ones that test your curiosity. Mortal Shell should add some more false walls, alluring drops, or whatever kind of hidden places so that it feels better to head in random directions on a whim.
6Greater Custom Builds
The main gimmick of Mortal Shell is that the humanoid entity is able to possess fallen warriors or “Shells”. In order to do so, you need to find where they’ve fallen, and deal with the enemy that will usually be guarding them. You can only possess one Shell at a time with each one having a different appearance, stats, andunique skillsto learn.
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Unfortunately, this limits customization as you’re essentially just choosing a character you like. However, in a soulslike situation, some characters will easily stand above the rest. If a way to mix and match the different warriors were implemented, it would increase customization and give provide more playstyle options.
5More Open Spaces
Mortal Shell has a hub region, and several dungeon-like areas to visit. They offer a decent variety in terms of environment, but there’s a similarity among them which is bothersome: tightness. So many areas of the game are narrow whether they be tunnels, stairways, paths, or more.
Since the game throws a fair number of enemies at you, fighting them can feel like swinging a broom at a fly in a bathroom stall. This can make for hectic fights but doesn’t fix the feeling of claustrophobia. Simply put, the game needs toopen up.
4Greater Enemy Diversity
When populating a dying world with creatures, it’s understandable to make it so that they fit or match the color palette at the very least. Mortal Shell pulls this off quite well since a majority of the enemies look decrepit or ghoulish enough to thrive here. The problem is that they’re not very distinct, blending together in a dark blur of humanoid andscrappy creatures.
As a result, a majority of the enemies will use the same tactics, and you’ll respond in kind. Once you get stronger, most of them just become an annoyance. It would make sense to expand on the bestiary for more notable encounters.
3Refined Combat
Soulslike games rely on their combat system to give you a chance to figure out what works for you. Since Mortal Shell only has a handful of Shells andweapons to master, you’ll quickly find which combination feels the best. This means you’ll quickly figure out all the best combos and most effective attacks that you’ll repeat over and over.
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As is, the combat system makes things stale quickly, especially for some of the clunkier weapons. It’d be best to go over the combat again to make it more fluid and natural, so it feels like you’re fighting the way you want to fight.
2Improved Boss Fights
The bosses can be considered the most important part of a soulslike game, as they literally stand in the way of your progress. In Mortal Shell, bosses can be seen coming from a mile away since they’re located at the end of each dungeon and in the spectral realm. The fights themselves can be quite entertaining witheach boss having a specific look and feel.
Sadly, they suffer from the same problem as the enemy types. Most of the bosses are humanoid and can be defeated with similar tactics, which removes a lot of the challenge. If the game were to add more kinds of bosses with more dynamic strategies, it would help make them more enjoyable to fight.
1Expanded Color Palette
Mortal Shell is dark, gloomy, and foggy, which honestly works based on the vibe it’s cultivating. There’s never a point where you feel truly relaxed and all the areas feel like they flow into each despite being separate. Though each area is limited in terms of color expression, each defaults to the standard based on a theme (fire is red, ice is white, etc.).
These natural elements can have a widerange of colorsand shading that is wasted in their presentation. The temple is the biggest culprit, being an empty structure with a lot of obsidian-like colors. This game could use another pass with a paintbrush.
