Mortal Shell II earns strong early reviews

gamingAug 17, 202629702

Mortal Shell II hit its early-access window and embargo lift this week, prompting a rush of playthroughs, spoiler-free reviews, and scheduled streams tied to the Devout edition and Advanced Access. Conversations and early coverage center on the sequel’s sped-up combat, the clever shell-switching system, the removal of a stamina bar that pushes relentless action, and larger, more ambitious map and boss design. Outlets such as GiantBomb and Seasoned Gaming posted full reviews praising the changes, and a Kotaku critic even came out of retirement to write about their time with the game. Several creators say they beat the game into New Game Plus and are already sharing deeper impressions about customization and late-game secrets.

Iron Pineapple

@ironpineapple.bsky.social

I played Mortal Shell 2, had a very fun time, and now here's an hour-long video of me playing through the game. Thank you @mortalshellgame.bsky.social for sponsoring! youtu.be/JmC53fspphg

22610h ago

Pyxelette1

Baby, wake up, new Pineapple just dropped.

Skrogan1

"Oh is he killing the babies? Nice dude!" - Iron Pineapple

AndresPlays

@andresplays.bsky.social

Mortal Shell II upends the soulslike formula by removing the stamina bar, resulting in a brutal, non-stop action experience. Featuring elaborate dungeons, a satisfying parry system and insanely clever bosses, it ends up being a remarkable Black Metal-infused fantasy. My review for Seasoned Gaming.

677h ago

AndresPlays5

Thank you so much for having me! @seasonedgaming.com and congrats @playstack.com @mortalshellgame.bsky.social @thehashtagonist.bsky.social

Finn3

This was a wonderful review Andres, great job! I hadn't heard about the constant eclipse thing before but that sounds super interesting - going to 100% be picking this up at some point so I'll have to try that! 😄

jwac4780.bsky.social2

I saw the easier setting disabled achievements which really upsets me 😣

PhilNeedsCoffee1

The beta is awesome. I liked the first MS, but this is a leaps and bounds major improvement. Really looking forward to getting the full game later this week. I just wish your progress from the beta would carry over. At least we can skip the prologue.

LeedleLee1

Black Metal, you say 😳🤘

Quoting this

CyNetrunner9

No stamina bar? And it has parrying? And Andres recommends it? ...I'm Mortal Sold 2.

Giant Bomb

@giantbomb.com

A NEW REVIEW IS LIVE! @chucktowski.com played through Mortal Shell II, and had a blast with it. Read his full thoughts here! ➡️ giantbomb.com/reviews/mort...

Giant Bomb Review Graphic for Mortal Shell II

Score: 4.5/5

"Mortal Shell II is a 'fun-forward' souls-like, one that values flexibility and variety over sheer difficulty. It grabs you and plies you with a plethora of options for tackling its monsters, dungeons, and bosses, handing you shiny toys and trusts you to work out what to do with them." - Chuck Zimmerheld

535h ago

Nick Calandra

@nickjcal.bsky.social

Oh, Mortal Shell II embargo is up. As the original was the game that got me into soulslikes, the sequel is the exact kind of sequel you want to see from studios. Extremely confident step-up. Fantastic map design, fun and impactful combat, much better bosses... it's a fantastic soulslike.

479h ago

Carly 🌼

@tncarly.bsky.social

Super excited to say that I will be streaming Mortal Shell 2 this evening at 6PM BST 🕺🏻✨ Thank you so much to @playstack.com for providing me with a code for the Devout edition! Hope to see you there? 👀✨ twitch.tv/tncarly

4210h ago

Ryan, Your Friendly Neighborhood Dispatcher3

But @arrontk.bsky.social said you hated "Mortal Shell." Like, a lot.

lazyPYRO (Josh)1

Shell yeah! 😄 (sorry TMNT, use it or lose it haha)

Herr Random 🎮 ALTTP1

Congrats! I hope you have a lot of fun and that the game is good. 🙌🙏

Steve 🔥🗡💀1

😭I missed my chance to get devout edition on physical because they sold out fast. Physical copy coming later this week

Chuck Zimmerheld

@chucktowski.com

I reviewed Mortal Shell II and had a damn blast. Beautiful game, well considered gameplay options, and one of the best souls-likes out there. giantbomb.com/reviews/mort...

4010h ago

SammoNice1

Ooooh baby let’s freaking go Chuck. Played the beta and thought it was a blast.

Denim Chicken1

Great review that might just makes me pick it up. Didn’t have it on my radar at all.

Jessie from GameThatTune1

I loved the Demo and this review probably seals it for to grab it when I am able to. Chanks Thuck

Be_three1

How does it compare to the first game?

cherojack1

Funny how it sounds like I had the same experience with the first game as you. (Maybe the only game I've successfully refunded on steam?) The beta for this one really reset my expectations in a big way - I would probably never have tried it out otherwise. Very smart move by the devs

sappergeck.bsky.social1

Sounds great, thanks, Chuck! May I ask how long a playthrough roughly could be?

HORRORVISUALS

@horrorvisuals.com

I'm about to start my playthrough of Mortal Shell II I haven't played the demo, because I knew I wouldn't be able to contain my cravings. I was a big fan of the first game. Come watch me get my ass kicked: www.twitch.tv/horrorvisuals

296h ago

Knoebel 🛬 Gamescom

@knoebel.bsky.social

'Mortal Shell II' Reviews: GiantBomb 4.5/5 Seasoned Gaming 8/10 Console Creatures 7/10 COGCONNECTED 90 GamesRadar+ 4/5 IGN 8/10 OC 86: opencritic.com/game/20988/m... MC PC 84: www.metacritic.com/game/mortal-...

3510h ago

MORTAL SHELL II

@mortalshellgame.bsky.social

🔥 Mortal Shell II Advanced Access is Live🔥 If you can't wait until Thursday's global release, you can buy the Devout Edition now and play today on Steam / PS5 / Xbox.

1710h ago

Arron Automata

@arrontk.bsky.social

Happy Mortal Shell 2 release day! I will be streaming it on twitch today at 7:30pm BST. I am EXCITED! twitch.tv/arrontko

2410h ago

Ryan, Your Friendly Neighborhood Dispatcher1

But @tncarly.bsky.social said you really hate "Mortal Shell." Like, a lot.

Ian Higton

@ianhigton.bsky.social

⚫️LIVE FROM 3PM BST🟡 #MortalShell2 is finally here and as a big fan of the original game, I can't wait to play the first two hours of this sequel for you on @insertcoin.bsky.social! Watch me harden my shell, here: www.youtube.com/live/vLQAA1W... or on twitch.tv/officialinsertcoin

1410h ago

Nautilus

@nautilus.bsky.social

Mortal Shell 2 é uma evolução em todos os sentidos ao jogo original, um ótimo souls like, com faíscas de excelência. Nossa análise: youtu.be/cjT1pwuReUY

uma imagem que diz "mortal shell 2 - análise/review"

1310h ago

DLC Pod

@dlchypetrain.bsky.social

🎉NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! AndresPlays (@andresplays.bsky.social) joins us to chat Mortal Shell II, Metroid Prime Origins, Lootbound, and more!

117h ago

The Indie Informer

@theindieinformer.bsky.social

This week's indies have a little bit of everything: Aug 17 - Feed It (@prettysoongames.bsky.social) Aug 17 - Tukoni (@dream-operator.bsky.social) Aug 18 - The Sinking City 2 (@frogwares-games.bsky.social) Aug 20 - Mortal Shell II ( @playstack.com) And more: theindieinformer.com/2026/01/05/2...

105h ago

hazzadorgamin.bsky.social

@hazzadorgamin.bsky.social

Mortal Shell II Reviews GiantBomb 4.5/5 Gameliner 4.5/5 Game Lodge 9.5/10 SirusGaming 9/10 Gamersurf 9/10 CogConnected 9/10 HardcoreGamer 9/10 SteamdeckHQ 9/10 Screen Rant 9/10 Gamesradar+ 8/10 Seasoned Gaming 8/10 Gaming Boulevard 8/10 IGN 8/10 Opencritic 86 Metacritic 83

810h ago

3 sources

seasonedgaming.comReview : Mortal Shell II : As Bloody As It Gets thegamerztheory.comMortal Shell II Review Not Quite Soulslike Not Quite RPG Mix That Hits the Mark steamdeckhq.comMortal Shell 2 Review + Steam Deck Performance - Steam Deck HQ

Mortal Shell II earns strong early reviewsgaming Vintage Super Mario Brothers Super Show frames circulate onlinegaming

Mortal Shell II earns strong early reviews

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