Back to Blog
Mortal shell review5/17/2023 ![]() ![]() There is no long overture to this game offering backstory and exposition so you know where you stand. So learning how to best utilize your dodge, harden, and parry abilities are the key to surviving long enough to progress. Just a few hits from them and you’re toast. ![]() This makes a huge difference to combat and really makes it easier to just, not die all the time.Īs with other, similar games, the enemies in Mortal Shell are powerful foes. Once you complete the first short section of the game, you’ll get access to a parry ability that allows you to turn an enemy’s attack back on itself. Combine it with a melee attack and you can really do some damage. Time this right and you can even send them reeling. When activated, your shell freezes in place and attacks will bounce off you instead of dealing damage. ![]() The more unique ability to Mortal Shell is their Harden ability. You have two basic attacks, a light melee, and a heavy melee. And for someone as terrible at gaming as I am, that just shows how many possibilities this game will provide, especially for those that are better-versed in this genre. The first time I played this it took me an hour or so to reach the first goal area of the hidden statue. The combat in this game is where the learning curve really kicks in. I like that this adds even more mystery to the game as you have to just roll with it and decide when to try out whatever you find, hoping that you made the right choice. You’ll also learn more about an item’s abilities the more familiar you are with it (ie, the more times you use it). With a lot of the items you pick up, you don’t know what those items will do until you use them. This does lead me into an interesting point about how items are used in Mortal Shell though. Now this isn’t exactly a requirement for the game, and I still don’t know if it will ever come in useful, but I’m nothing if not an opportunist so I wasn’t just going to let that lute lie there unplayed. And by fun, I mean its time to learn how to play the lute. As you’re not able to simply switch between shells as you please, there is a large planning aspect to making sure you’re able to face your enemies in the right shell. ![]() Next, you find a more wily fellow who is better at sneaking around and throwing out faster light melee attacks against your enemy. The first, the Knight, is a sturdy all-round fighter which makes it perfect for your first few sessions. A quick look at the menu shows us that there will be four different shells to inhabit in this game, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. As you emerge from the carcass, you come across the corpse of a Knight and find your first Shell to inhabit. When you awake, you’re inside the body of the now long-dead creature and you must crawl your way out to freedom. When your health gets to a certain point, he also disappears, and you are swallowed by some kind of strange creature that appears from the water, ending the tutorial. The final fight is against some dude with a huge sword, and it seems you are not destined to win. Once you’ve performed it correctly, the foe disappears, and its time to move on. A fine mist covers the area really adding to the nightmarish atmosphere of this opening level.Īs you move through each section, you meet a different foe for you to practice a new move on. You’re an ethereal looking pallid humanoid with sinewy limbs and a smooth face, walking through a shallow layer of water amidst a building in ruins. It also does a great job of setting the tone of this game from the get-go. The game starts you off with the obligatory tutorial level, walking you through all the controls you’ll need to attempt staying alive. But for me, it was an interesting glimpse into this world that only resulted in one rage slam of my controller… in the first hour at least. Why am I mentioning this game franchise at the start of a game review that isn’t in said franchise? Well, for those of you that have put yourselves through the Souls wringer before, Mortal Shell will feel like coming back to your very dark, disturbing, and dangerous home. I’ve never touched a Dark Souls game in my life. ![]()
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |