Mortal Shell 2 review: 9/10 for combat and exploration

Mortal Shell 2 was developed by Cold Symmetry and published by Playstack. It launched in Early Access via a Devout Edition on August 17 and released on August 20, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The Devout Edition is priced at $59.99; the base game costs $49.99. An early review awarded the game a 9/10 and was conducted on PC test systems using Ryzen 5 7600X CPUs paired with RTX 3070 Ti and RTX 4070 GPUs.

The review reported a median completion time of about 30 hours, with some playthroughs extending beyond 60 hours. The reviewer logged more than 40 hours and noted remaining content to revisit after that playtime.

Combat replaces a traditional stamina bar with a Resolve meter that fuels abilities and sidearms. The review described combat emphasis on positioning, dodging and parrying, with riposte animations on successful counters. Weapon and sidearm variety includes the Axatana, the Black Needle spear and an Axe-and-Dagger setup. The review highlighted crit-focused builds using Tarstones such as Acolyte’s Stone and Grudge Stone.

The Shell system functions as a class-like mechanic. Shells alter playstyle and contain memories tied to narrative threads. Shells appear across the map and require upgrades; the review noted only two or three Shells can be realistically maximized in a single playthrough. Shells can be summoned in boss fights, but the active Shell is not available for summons.

Exploration features vertical, interconnected level design and rewards off-path wandering. The game provides a map for tracking objectives but yields most discoveries through organic exploration. A transformation item allows players to turn into a sheep; when upgraded, the Graze ability causes nearby enemies to ignore the player.

The review described boss encounters and enemy design as varied and sometimes highly challenging. It noted that mistakes can result in sudden, lethal damage. Accessibility options include the Slayer Seal, which grants a large power increase at the cost of reduced playtime and disabled achievements, and Night Mode, which raises difficulty while increasing rewards and unlocking day-night specific content. A New Game+ mode is available after finishing the game.

On PC, the review reported stable performance. At 1080p, High/Ultra settings with DLSS Quality and a 120 fps cap produced high frame rates; mid-range machines sustained 60 fps with Ultra settings and DLSS Balanced. Enabling frame generation increased average frame rates but caused occasional mild stutter during sharp camera turns or initial scene loads. The reviewer did not encounter crashes on PC; some players reported PS5 crashes. Minor bugs observed included summon clipping and a lute animation issue. A pre-launch patch addressed several issues.

The early review assigned Mortal Shell 2 a score of 9/10 and described it as a focused Soulslike title with an interconnected world, tuned combat and a Shell-based progression system.