Mortal Shell II review: Combat, Exploration & Verdict

Mortal Shell II expands the compact Soulslike structure of the original into a much larger action RPG. The sequel keeps the defining idea of inhabiting fallen warriors, but gives that system more room to develop through active abilities, additional shells, expanded weapons, and a broader version of Fallgrim.

The result is ambitious without losing the series’ grim identity. The world is still hostile, strange, and deliberately opaque, but it now provides more reasons to leave the main path. Side dungeons, distant landmarks, combat challenges, and unusual equipment create a steady rhythm of discovery.

The main quest generally lasts around 25 to 30 hours, depending on how aggressively you explore. That length gives the sequel enough space to introduce its systems without making every discovery feel routine. However, the final stretch can become easier than intended if you invest heavily in upgrades and exploit enemy weaknesses.

The shell system remains the heart of Mortal Shell II. Your creature can occupy the bodies of fallen warriors, adopting their health profile, abilities, and combat identity. This familiar mechanic becomes more effective in the sequel because shells now have distinct active skills in addition to passive progression.

Tiel supports evasive and stealth-oriented play, including a temporary disappearance effect and a powerful reentry attack. Eredrim is better suited to direct pressure, using stagger-focused attacks and wide-area options to control groups. Other shells add their own unusual strengths, including fire resistance, damage mitigation, healing interactions, or specialized weapon pairings.

Passive upgrades are also better organized than before. You can refund shell investment points and redistribute them without permanently locking yourself into one path. This encourages experimentation when an enemy or boss favors a particular damage type.

The freedom to respec is especially useful because Mortal Shell II expects players to adapt. A shell that performs well in a normal encounter may not be the best answer to a fire-based enemy or a boss with a large stagger bar.

Mortal Shell II removes stamina and replaces it with Resolve. Melee attacks build Resolve, while ranged weapons and shell abilities consume it. This creates a deliberate push-and-pull: staying active in close combat gives you access to more powerful tools.

The system rewards players who continue attacking, but it does not remove the need for patience. Weapons have different attack speeds, reach, stagger potential, and combo patterns. Fast weapons can apply debuffs, while slower options deliver heavier hits but leave you exposed during their windups.

Eight main melee weapons and eight ranged sidearms provide a broad foundation for loadout experimentation. Melee weapons are dependable, but the ranged options are often more distinctive. The crossbow works well for finishing weakened enemies or applying effects, while stranger tools can confuse enemies or open encounters with area damage.

Tarstones add another layer of customization. Some increase damage or critical chance, while others add elemental infusions or new attacks such as spinning strikes and bullet-based area damage. Their compatibility restrictions make equipment commitment important, particularly later in the campaign.

Fallgrim is the sequel’s most persuasive expansion. The original game used a central hub with several routes leading toward major dungeons. Mortal Shell II enlarges that idea into a sprawling landmass filled with twisted vegetation, bleached mountains, ruined kingdoms, distant gates, and optional paths.

The map helps with orientation, but it does not remove every navigation problem. Many regions share similar visual shapes, and points of interest can be easy to forget after a detour. A stronger pinning or note system would make backtracking more practical.

That friction is balanced by strong environmental curiosity. A visible cave, strange structure, or distant landmark often creates just enough mystery to pull you away from your current objective. The game is particularly effective at making optional exploration feel like a natural part of progression rather than a separate checklist.

The small dungeons are among the best additions. They may contain narrow corridors, mines, puzzles, locked doors, arenas, or compact combat challenges. These spaces are not always mechanically elaborate, but they provide valuable pacing changes between the larger regions.

The enemy design also strengthens the atmosphere. Iron-clad knights, cultists, exploding bats, miners, human-faced spiders, and skull-bodied creatures make even ordinary routes feel threatening. Groups that appear weak can still punish careless attacks, which keeps exploration connected to the combat system.

Mortal Shell II has a strong visual identity, but its main story remains deliberately cryptic. The central narrative can be difficult to interpret, especially when names, motives, and world history are delivered indirectly. The individual shell stories are more grounded and often provide the clearest emotional context.

This contrast works better than a straightforward lore dump. The world feels ancient, damaged, and morally compromised, while the personal stories give the setting recognizable human tension. Cannibals, cultists, warriors, and strange nonhuman figures fit naturally into the setting’s macabre tone.

The bosses are similarly memorable in presentation. Their designs lean into grotesque silhouettes and surreal combinations, even when the actual encounters are less innovative than their appearances suggest.

The main technical issues are not enough to erase the sequel’s strengths, but they do affect polish. Auto-targeting may miss or behave inconsistently, and certain abilities that require movement across space can fail to connect as expected. These problems are most noticeable when a fight is balanced around a narrow opening.

Balance is the more important long-term concern. Since shells can be adapted freely and upgrades can target specific enemy weaknesses, dedicated preparation may overpower later challenges. That flexibility is excellent for experimentation, but it can make some endgame bosses feel less imposing than earlier encounters.

Mortal Shell II is a successful sequel because its expansion feels purposeful. The larger world is not merely wider; it is filled with more routes, optional dungeons, shell identities, equipment combinations, and unsettling discoveries. The combat also benefits from clearer differences between shells and a Resolve system that encourages active play.

It does not solve every problem inherited from the first game. Navigation remains imperfect, technical issues occasionally interrupt precision, and the final portion can lose some challenge when a build is highly optimized. The story may also require patience from players who prefer direct explanations.

Even with those concerns, the sequel’s strongest qualities are substantial. Its dark fantasy world is memorable, its enemies are unusually disturbing, and its build system invites experimentation without forcing one correct playstyle.

Final score: 4/5

Mortal Shell II is best understood as a broader, more confident version of the original. It retains the series’ unusual shell mechanic while giving every major system more room to matter. The result is a dark and rewarding action RPG that occasionally stumbles under the weight of its own ambition.