Mortal Shell 2 is almost upon us, and with players pouring into the Open Beta on PC and consoles as we speak, we thought it’d be a good idea to let everyone know exactly what has changed between the somewhat maligned original, to the highly anticipated sequel. Not content with the first outing, Cold Symmetry is going to great lengths to ensure we all appreciate the sequel far more than we did the original. With that in mind, here’s a few of the biggest changes coming, including some that you’d have expected the original to have, being that they’re staples of the Soulslike genre in recent times.
Attack Indicators
You would be forgiven for being surprised to know that the original lacked some basic quality of life mechanics, and that includes attack indicators. An industry standard, not just for Soulslike games, attack indicators are used to let the player know whether or not an attack is blockable or not. Big-name franchises like Assassin’s Creed to littler, smaller titles like that of the more recent The Relic: First Guardian use them, so it could well be that the original wanted to lean into its own way of thinking with not including them. It did make the experience more difficult at the time, almost in a frustrating manner, but Mortal Shell 2 won’t follow the same path, with attack indicators being featured, with the customary red being unblockable, yellow being parryable.
A Big World, More Open Than Ever
Mortal Shell 1 wasn’t the most open-ended game, with large portions being entirely linear, and the world itself being a little closed-off and small-feeling. That’s gone, with a new design ethos this time round, built around the size of the open world, not just with how you explore, but also the direction. There’s now as much up and down as there is side-to-side, with towers, dungeons and more being included. You’ll always have something new and secret to find, and with there being more than just the base story this time round, you’ll quite easily get lost in your exploration.
More Weapons, More Flexibility, More Builds
If you wanted to view the biggest changes between Mortal Shell 2 and the first title, you could make it as simple as weapons. In the fact that there are more of them, and more variety. Whereas the first game only had four weapons and a single ranged weapon (that wasn’t very good), the sequel ups the ante and offers a HUGE array of weapons. This time round, we’ll be getting our hands on eight primary weapons and the same number of ranged, meaning we’ll have a big choice on exactly how we play, and how we approach the many challenges in the game.
Awful HUD Improved
My biggest criticism of the original was the lack of a Poise meter, or in other words, a meter that dropped as you attack enemies, showcasing when you were going to stun them. Without this, you had to base your perception of an enemy being stunned on the janky animations, often resulting in unnecessary deaths that could have been avoided. This is remedied in Mortal Shell 2. A simple fix, and a big change to possible gameplay. With a clear indicator showing how many more attacks, or how close you are, to stunning an enemy, you’ll be more likely to put the first foot forward and keep being aggressive in your attacks – a pillar of the intended experience.
Stamina Bar
Whereas some titles base their combat on stamina being based around defense only, like the aforementioned The Relic: First Guardian, the original Mortal Shell followed the more standard formula of it being used for everything, attack included. This is gone from the sequel, and, like the above, guarantees a constant pushing forward and aggressive style of gameplay. No more waiting around for stamina to return.
Hardening, the Defining Mechanic, Changed
Hardening was the first game’s truly unique idea. You could harden your shell when needed, which considering the way some enemies could wreck you quickly, you’d be thankful for. The mechanic was half-baked in the original, treated as little more than a defensive measure, but in Mortal Shell 2, it’s been refined and built upon in some quite significant ways. You can swap in and out a variety of slots that’ll change the Hardening mechanic as you play, increasing the amount of different builds you can have.
More Shells, More Opportunities
Just like the weapons mentioned above, and following the general rule for sequels, there’s going to be so many more shells available for players to jump into in Mortal Shell 2. With each shell offering a different set of attributes, and there being nine in the game this time round (two returning from Mortal Shell 1), you can imagine how different each player’s approach can be in the upcoming sequel. If those nine are all equally well designed and implemented, it truly will be a better experience than the first game.
Shell Upgrades
Oh my God, upgrading shells in the first game, even when there was only four, was an absolute chore. If we had to upgrade nine in the sequel in the same way, we’d all be cursing Cold Symmetry for adding more. However, we’re glad to say that this is another big change up in Mortal Shell 2, with the two currencies being done away with, and replaced with ‘Shell Points’. These can then be used on the many different skill trees available for the Shells, making each Shell your own.
Animations and Graphics
The performance of Mortal Shell 1 is okay now, but was way off the mark when it released. Frame rate issues and general performance woes tainted the game, and add into that the janky animations and hard to predict movement, it proved as frustrating as it was fun, moreso sometimes.
However, it looks like Cold Symmetry has spent a considerable amount of time polishing the sequel, with the Mortal Shell 2 Open Beta being a good, long look at the game’s performance and frame rates, if nothing else. Gone are the awkward movements and hard-to-look at animations, replaced with smooth, fluid-like movesets that are far more interesting and pleasing to look at.
For your next read, check out the big casting news for Cosmo Tales, or how to beat Rangifer in Beast of Reincarnation.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
