While I was covering Summer Game Fest 2025 Play Days, Cold Symmetry, the developers of Mortal Shell, made it clear they didn’t care about my time or sanity and casually announced they were working on a follow-up, Mortal Shell 2.
For those who might not know, I’m the Soulslike person around these parts, and I genuinely enjoyed the first Mortal Shell, which was released back in 2020. Naturally, I was more than a little interested to see what they had planned for the sequel.
Check out the trailer below.
After spending time digging through the new details and watching the first gameplay footage, it’s clear that Mortal Shell 2 is shaping up to be a much bigger and more ambitious game than its predecessor.
The Shell system, which lets you swap between Shells to gain new abilities, is making a return. And honestly, it would have been strange if it didn’t, since it’s the core hook of the series. While the first game had a story of sorts, this time, Cold Symmetry is pushing the narrative further. We’ll be going up against “False Gods” that have corrupted the world, while also working to liberate captured warriors. That certainly sounds like more Shells are on the horizon, which means more cool and creative abilities for us to experiment with.
One of the biggest criticisms of Mortal Shell was that while combat was satisfying, it could feel limited, especially due to a smaller weapon selection and a heavy reliance on stamina management. Mortal Shell 2 looks ready to turn that criticism on its head.
Gone is the strict dependence on stamina. Good riddance. I was not a fan of the stamina system in the first game, as it hampered the combat. With it gone, the new system will encourage faster, more aggressive play with expanded options. Melee combat is still the main focus, but now you’ll also have access to firearms — including shotguns, revolvers, a machine-gun crossbow, and the return of the lone ranged weapon from the first game. It’s a bold change that should offer players far more variety in how they approach each encounter. I won’t lie, it gave me Remnant: From the Ashes and Remnant 2 vibes — and that’s definitely a good thing.
Finishers are also getting a brutal overhaul. Expect gory, stylish executions that look ripped straight out of a heavy-metal fever dream, or someone has been playing a lot of Mortal Kombat and has been taking notes.
Lastly, the environments will be larger and more diverse than those in the original game. Don’t get me wrong, Mortal Shell wasn’t small, but the locations were lacking compared to other games in the genre. Now we’re being told that the game will have 60 dungeons, which is plenty to get lost in. I assume that’s going to also include a lot of boss battles. Please say I’m correct.
Overall, it seems that Mortal Shell 2 is going to be a great follow-up to the first game, and I’m already looking forward to it. Oh, and lest I forget, Cold Symmetry is taking sign-ups for a beta that will be hosted at an unknown date. So be sure to head over to www.mortalshell.com and sign up.
Mortal Shell 2 doesn’t have a release date, but it will be released sometime in 2026 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam).
