I hate the final boss so damn much. Such a fucking pain of a fight. My god is it so fucking boring and elongated. I had a relatively good experience with the game till that fight.
I never want to think about this game cause of that fight. Thank fuck, I didn't spend a single penny on this game. I'd never be able to forgive myself if I did
I never want to think about this game cause of that fight. Thank fuck, I didn't spend a single penny on this game. I'd never be able to forgive myself if I did
neat but don't play it
Very impressive for a small team, but the combat is slow, clunky, and just not fun. Dark Souls was slow, but it also gave you a shield so you could get used to the mechanics. This game has a one time block that has a cooldown. It looks cool, but taking away the shield and replacing it with this mechanic weakens combat and makes it unintersting.
Just not fun to play honestly.
A painfully dull game, very nice graphics and atmosphere but the combat/gameplay always felt weird to me, the level design was sometimes terrible and the story was meh.
el gimmick esta guay, los parrys son una basura infecta, los personajes estan "bien", las pasivas y tal pues no esta mal, el combate con una glandula es terrible y poco mas. Bueno, y que la dungeon final es una mierda como un piano de cola, lo unico que le doy decente es que mi sufirmiento fue corto
not good
I kept hoping it would get better. It never did.
The world is cool looking and the gameplay is not bad, the idea of us being a sort of spirit that possesses the bodies of fallen warriors and the need for their memories to get stronger is actually quite interesting.
Alas, I am not well suited for Souls-like games so after a while of getting pommeled into the ground I gave up.
Alas, I am not well suited for Souls-like games so after a while of getting pommeled into the ground I gave up.
I am not souls player but this game feels and look like unfinished project.
caramba que jogo ruim, bem sem alma e com um level design ruim
Very solid, certainly one of the better 3D non FromSoft Souls-like games.
For those of you who don't know about the game, it changes up the Souls formula with its own gimmick of possessing different bodies (Shells) that have unique build types and abilities, so you aren't confined to one style all game long like in most of these games. You can get items that let you swap bodies on the fly too so you can switch builds often for different situations.
Combat is your standard Souls affair. Lock on, dodge roll, light attack, heavy attack, a special move unique for each weapon, a parry and counter, but instead of a block you have a feature called "harden" and it lets you turn your body into stone and a well timed harden can stagger enemies. Plus there are items that give you attack buffs or heal buffs after hardening, it's not much, but aside from the Shells, it's a cool little gimmick that sets the game apart from its contemporaries.
There's only about 4 real bosses in the game and a couple mini-bosses and honestly they're not that memorable. The final boss was cool and I liked the ice boss personally, but other than that they were pretty weak which is disappointing since bosses are usually the strong point of these games.
The level design isn't anything you haven't seen before and there's only 4 areas in the game. A hub that's like a swamp. A fire styled level, a snow level and a level where you're walking on floating pathways, so I guess it could be considered an air level, but regardless the levels are well designed, not too complex or labyrinthine yet still have many little secrets to discover and everything you'd expect from Soul-like exploration.
Music wasn't much to write home about, mostly being ambient, though there were a few more folky medieval sounding pieces with lute spread around and some more esoteric Gregorian chanting in the boss themes. Also it's worth mentioning that there's a music DLC pack of instrumental Rotting Christ (Yes, the black metal band) songs to switch the boss music to and I highly recommend that because it's a lot more epic than the base boss themes which were pretty unmemorable.
There isn't a lot to say about the story because it's mostly based on lore like almost all Souls-like games. The different Shells have back-stories and histories you can learn if you want by using Tar (this game's Souls essentially) to unlock new abilities for the Shell and also unlock a lore entry. The overall story is your standard Souls-like affair of killing immortal godlike beings and absorbing their powers to ascend to the next stage of humanity.
So all in all the game was a very solid and enjoyable time and even though it's far from amazing or the most original game ever it honestly is still pretty damn impressive all the same due to the fact the game was made by a group of only about 15 people.
I would definitely recommend it to hardcore Souls fans because there's no denying that the game is basically a huge love letter to Dark Souls in every way possible, even the load screens are a dead ringer for Souls and if you want more of that style, Mortal Shell is a good alternative, it starts out very difficult with a big learning curve, but if you stick with it you'll find a very rewarding experience, just like the games it emulates. The developers definitely have potential and I really look forward to what they do next.
For those of you who don't know about the game, it changes up the Souls formula with its own gimmick of possessing different bodies (Shells) that have unique build types and abilities, so you aren't confined to one style all game long like in most of these games. You can get items that let you swap bodies on the fly too so you can switch builds often for different situations.
Combat is your standard Souls affair. Lock on, dodge roll, light attack, heavy attack, a special move unique for each weapon, a parry and counter, but instead of a block you have a feature called "harden" and it lets you turn your body into stone and a well timed harden can stagger enemies. Plus there are items that give you attack buffs or heal buffs after hardening, it's not much, but aside from the Shells, it's a cool little gimmick that sets the game apart from its contemporaries.
There's only about 4 real bosses in the game and a couple mini-bosses and honestly they're not that memorable. The final boss was cool and I liked the ice boss personally, but other than that they were pretty weak which is disappointing since bosses are usually the strong point of these games.
The level design isn't anything you haven't seen before and there's only 4 areas in the game. A hub that's like a swamp. A fire styled level, a snow level and a level where you're walking on floating pathways, so I guess it could be considered an air level, but regardless the levels are well designed, not too complex or labyrinthine yet still have many little secrets to discover and everything you'd expect from Soul-like exploration.
Music wasn't much to write home about, mostly being ambient, though there were a few more folky medieval sounding pieces with lute spread around and some more esoteric Gregorian chanting in the boss themes. Also it's worth mentioning that there's a music DLC pack of instrumental Rotting Christ (Yes, the black metal band) songs to switch the boss music to and I highly recommend that because it's a lot more epic than the base boss themes which were pretty unmemorable.
There isn't a lot to say about the story because it's mostly based on lore like almost all Souls-like games. The different Shells have back-stories and histories you can learn if you want by using Tar (this game's Souls essentially) to unlock new abilities for the Shell and also unlock a lore entry. The overall story is your standard Souls-like affair of killing immortal godlike beings and absorbing their powers to ascend to the next stage of humanity.
So all in all the game was a very solid and enjoyable time and even though it's far from amazing or the most original game ever it honestly is still pretty damn impressive all the same due to the fact the game was made by a group of only about 15 people.
I would definitely recommend it to hardcore Souls fans because there's no denying that the game is basically a huge love letter to Dark Souls in every way possible, even the load screens are a dead ringer for Souls and if you want more of that style, Mortal Shell is a good alternative, it starts out very difficult with a big learning curve, but if you stick with it you'll find a very rewarding experience, just like the games it emulates. The developers definitely have potential and I really look forward to what they do next.
The idea is nice but I didn't like the execution, the controls are a little clunky and it does not feel like a souls game at all, so I gave up after my 3rd shell I think
Took me a half hour to realize this isnt my speed
Mortal Shell is a very interesting game, held back by a confusing and inaccessible layout.
I don’t have enough experience with the Soulsborne games to say if this is genre-appropriate but the world has way too many branching paths that lead to not much at all. It’s far more frustrating than fun to explore and I found myself resorting to a guide to find where I was supposed to be going and finish the game.
The boss battles are extremely easy compared to other aspects of the game and just take time and patience as opposed to skill.
The graphics are fantastic, even on the 2020 version, and the harden mechanic really makes the game stand out. On the negative side. the parry is so difficult to time that I gave up on it completely.
Overall I enjoyed my time with the game, finishing something that was quite challenging and out of my comfort zone. I don’t think I’ll come back to it but I might end up checking out Dark Souls for comparison’s sake.
I don’t have enough experience with the Soulsborne games to say if this is genre-appropriate but the world has way too many branching paths that lead to not much at all. It’s far more frustrating than fun to explore and I found myself resorting to a guide to find where I was supposed to be going and finish the game.
The boss battles are extremely easy compared to other aspects of the game and just take time and patience as opposed to skill.
The graphics are fantastic, even on the 2020 version, and the harden mechanic really makes the game stand out. On the negative side. the parry is so difficult to time that I gave up on it completely.
Overall I enjoyed my time with the game, finishing something that was quite challenging and out of my comfort zone. I don’t think I’ll come back to it but I might end up checking out Dark Souls for comparison’s sake.
The game has interesting mechanics, but the average level design and the unremarkable bosses don't let the game reach its full potential. However, for an indie game made by only 15 people, the developers are to be congratulated.
Reviewed on 3/17/21
For a smaller team’s first attempt at a Soulslike game, this is fairly competent even if I can’t help but miss the varied leveling and build setups from the games it was so clearly inspired by. Boss fights are usually my favorite parts of any game, and coming from a genre known for its memorable boss designs and difficulty, Mortal Shell severely under delivers in that way. I will say though, completing the game’s No Shell run (essentially a 1HP run) gave me one of the most accomplished feelings I’ve had from gaming since Sekiro. Even if its world, enemies, and bosses are rather forgettable, Mortal Shell has given me a sense of gaming accomplishment I won’t soon forget.
Rating: 6/10
Platinum Trophy #161
Platinum Difficulty: 8/10 (No Shell run is a MAJOR test of patience at times)
For a smaller team’s first attempt at a Soulslike game, this is fairly competent even if I can’t help but miss the varied leveling and build setups from the games it was so clearly inspired by. Boss fights are usually my favorite parts of any game, and coming from a genre known for its memorable boss designs and difficulty, Mortal Shell severely under delivers in that way. I will say though, completing the game’s No Shell run (essentially a 1HP run) gave me one of the most accomplished feelings I’ve had from gaming since Sekiro. Even if its world, enemies, and bosses are rather forgettable, Mortal Shell has given me a sense of gaming accomplishment I won’t soon forget.
Rating: 6/10
Platinum Trophy #161
Platinum Difficulty: 8/10 (No Shell run is a MAJOR test of patience at times)
Calling this game out for being derivative is besides the point really, it makes no secret of its main inspiration. Indeed, it is in all likelihood to be the game's biggest draw, as it certainly was for me.
Unfortunately I did not enjoy anything about the game besides some visual design elements.
There's clearly a team of passionate and talented people behind this, I just hope they find some fresh inspiration for their next title. I'm completely aware of the contradiction I'm making in criticising a game for being the thing that drew me to it, but it I really did not enjoy the gameplay or structure. On paper, the 'harden' mechanic is just interesting enough to give the game some pull, but the execution is lumpen and offers scarcely any advantage.
After finding all the shells and slaying a few bosses I put it off for the last time. While my experience was unsatisfactory, I still look forward to seeing what the studio come up with next.
Unfortunately I did not enjoy anything about the game besides some visual design elements.
There's clearly a team of passionate and talented people behind this, I just hope they find some fresh inspiration for their next title. I'm completely aware of the contradiction I'm making in criticising a game for being the thing that drew me to it, but it I really did not enjoy the gameplay or structure. On paper, the 'harden' mechanic is just interesting enough to give the game some pull, but the execution is lumpen and offers scarcely any advantage.
After finding all the shells and slaying a few bosses I put it off for the last time. While my experience was unsatisfactory, I still look forward to seeing what the studio come up with next.
Review completo: https://gamelodge.com.br/critica-mortal-shell-uma-carcaca-meio-cheia-meio-vazia/
Apesar de ter seus problemas, Mortal Shell é um bom jogo. Vamos levar em conta que é uma pequena equipe que começou a trabalhar junta em 2017. Para tão pouco tempo de atuação, Mortal Shell foi um grande feito.
O jogo tem um combate relativamente bem polido, gráficos bem feitos e uma dificuldade satisfatória. Não chega a ser frustrante mas também não é um hack n’ slash. Eu poderia dizer que o jogo mostra a capacidade criativa do estúdio caso tivesse mais tempo, trabalhadores e um bom orçamento.
Por outro lado,mesmo se mostrando capaz, Mortal Shell não se sobressaiu em nada. Para fins de comparação, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, é um jogo relativamente curto, com uma equipe limitada e que optou por se sobressair usando uma narrativa cativante e abordando uma temática pouco explorada ainda: distúrbios mentais. E o jogo fez isso muito bem.
Mortal Shell também tem um tempo de duração satisfatório. Muitos podem achar curto, mas o jogo acabaria se tornando maçante caso alongasse mais ainda o gameplay. Ele custa R$ 89,90 na Epic Store, que pode ser considerado um valor um pouco alto pelo tempo de jogo, dependendo da sua disponibilidade de dinheiro para investir.
Por fim, é um bom jogo. Não chega a ser excepcional em nada, mas seria injusto dizer que não merece seu investimento. Mortal Shell provavelmente vai te dar um pouco de raiva nas mortes durante o tempo que você estiver jogando, mas no fim, vai ser divertido.
Apesar de ter seus problemas, Mortal Shell é um bom jogo. Vamos levar em conta que é uma pequena equipe que começou a trabalhar junta em 2017. Para tão pouco tempo de atuação, Mortal Shell foi um grande feito.
O jogo tem um combate relativamente bem polido, gráficos bem feitos e uma dificuldade satisfatória. Não chega a ser frustrante mas também não é um hack n’ slash. Eu poderia dizer que o jogo mostra a capacidade criativa do estúdio caso tivesse mais tempo, trabalhadores e um bom orçamento.
Por outro lado,mesmo se mostrando capaz, Mortal Shell não se sobressaiu em nada. Para fins de comparação, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, é um jogo relativamente curto, com uma equipe limitada e que optou por se sobressair usando uma narrativa cativante e abordando uma temática pouco explorada ainda: distúrbios mentais. E o jogo fez isso muito bem.
Mortal Shell também tem um tempo de duração satisfatório. Muitos podem achar curto, mas o jogo acabaria se tornando maçante caso alongasse mais ainda o gameplay. Ele custa R$ 89,90 na Epic Store, que pode ser considerado um valor um pouco alto pelo tempo de jogo, dependendo da sua disponibilidade de dinheiro para investir.
Por fim, é um bom jogo. Não chega a ser excepcional em nada, mas seria injusto dizer que não merece seu investimento. Mortal Shell provavelmente vai te dar um pouco de raiva nas mortes durante o tempo que você estiver jogando, mas no fim, vai ser divertido.
This review contains spoilers
English/German below
After 9 1/2 hours and unfortunately only 375 gamerscore, I finished this Soulslike. There is a lot of potential in the game and it could be really, really good in a successor with a potent publisher.
story
Well ... just as cryptic as you know it from the soul titles: D. They have already decided to imitate that. I was interested and am happy about the background noise. I cannot say what it has to do with ascent, envelopes, etc. in full detail.
Here, too, you can learn more about the story, the world and the shells via items, skills, etc.
Graphics / performance / glitches
Graphically, the game didn't upset the trees, but it had an aesthetic that I really liked. Everything kept pretty gloomy, the tutorial is almost Sci-Fi-like and a total of 4 different areas, some of which I liked very much, some less. I found the world with these obsidian-like rock shapes to be terrific.
The armor, weapons and characters, as well as bosses looked very cool and I would have liked to see more different types of enemies.
The game ran mostly smoothly at 60 FPS, so it had no noticeable drops (Xbox Series X).
Glitches, on the other hand, occurred relatively often: opponents bug into walls, I get stuck, opponents bug onto unreachable platforms or the lousy texture reloaders in cutscenes. I don't like that at all, because it always pulls me out of the moment. When that happens almost all the time, I can't overlook it.
Gameplay
It's soul-like. Nasty areas with different and many NPC opponents, as well as different bosses. With the tar and the discernment there are equivalents to the souls. You lose it again when you die and you can get everything back again.
There are different weapons and "classes" (long sword, two-handed, crossbow bazooka, dual 1h and a piston), all of which you have to find first or fight your way through in a boss fight. I played through with the long sword and the character Eredrim, who is extremely healthy.
Unfortunately, there are no attributes or a deep role-play system. The individual shells simply have different status values (more life or more stamina, for example), here I would have wished for more depth, also with skills.
Fighting also consists of dodging or rolling, as well as parrying. The first aspects in particular do not make so much of the gameplay. Parrying, on the other hand, is essential because you can heal yourself with it, especially healing items are very rare if you don't buy them with an embraced tar. In addition, Mortal Shell has the hardening mechanism, which can ward off a complete attack and then has to recharge. I think the idea is great and it makes the gameplay sufficiently different to Dark Souls, but it's also way too easy. This ability should require more skill, similar to a parry, because theoretically I can stay petrified for a very long time and wait for the attack and then strike .. then just repeat once it has charged up. Furthermore, you acquired the so-called determination through attacks, with which you could then use parry or special abilities (very cool, it is also worth playing aggressively).
In total I only died 43 times, the game is not really difficult. In the beginning it takes time, but when you are in you just have it out. Even if it is much easier, it is still a lot of fun to combine hardening, parrying and special skills.
I actually really liked the optics of the bosses and the fights themselves were very nice, but unfortunately too easy. The final boss was e.g. right on the first try.
Sometimes the hit boxes were also weak, you hit or get hit and don't really know why. I like the directness in Souls a lot better. Being able to use items several times to understand their effects is not my thing. Sometimes that felt too wasteful just to know what the item was doing in the first place.
Conclusion
To cut a long story short: A soul-like with a lot of potential that could lead to a really good second part. The foundation is well done and now just needs a little more in everything to my taste (role play depth, opponent diversity, challenge, boss opponent, areas). For me, very good 3/5 tar lumps. This is a promising entry for the makers into the soul genre.
-------------------------------german--------------------------------
Nach 9 1/2 Stunden und leider nur 375 Gamerscore hab ich dieses Soulslike beendet. In dem Spiel steck einiges an Potential und es könnte in einem Nachfolger mit potentem Publisher richtig richtig gut werden.
Story
Naja...genauso kryptisch, wie man es von den Soulstiteln kennt :D. Das haben sie sich schonmal vorgenommen nachzumachen. Ich war interessiert bei der Sache und bin über das Hintergrundrauschen froh. Was es nun mit Aufstieg, Hüllen usw. im ganzen Detail zu tun hat, das kann ich nicht sagen.
Auch hier kann man über Items, Fähigkeiten usw. mehr über die Story, die Welt und die Hüllen erfahren.
Grafik/Performance/Glitches
Grafisch hat das Spiel nicht die Bäume ausgerissen, aber es hatte eine Ästhetik, die mir sehr gefallen hat. Alles ziemlich düster gehalten, das Tutorial wirkt schon fast Sci-Fi mäßig und insgesamt 4 verschiedene Gebiete, bei denen mir manche sehr sehr gut gefallen haben manche eher weniger. Gerade die Welt mit diesen obsidianartigen Gesteinsformen empfand ich als grandios.
Die Rüstungen, Waffen und Charaktere, sowie Bosse sahen sehr cool aus und ich hätte gerne mehr verschiedene Gegnertypen gesehen.
Das Spiel lief weitesgehend flüssig auf 60 FPS, hatte also keine nennenswerten Einbrüche (Xbox Series X).
Glitches dagegen traten relativ oft auf: Gegner buggen in Wände, ich bleibe stecken, Gegner buggen auf unerreichbare Plattformen oder die miesen Texturnachlader in Cutscenes. Sowas mag ich überhaupt nicht, da es mich immer aus dem Moment reißt. Wenn das dann fast immer vorkommt, kann ich auch nicht mehr drüber hinwegsehen.
Gameplay
Es ist ein Soulslike. Fiese Gebiete mit verschiedenen und vielen NPC-Gegnern, sowie verschiedenen Bossgegnern. Mit dem Tar und der Einsicht gibt es Äquivalente zu den Seelen. Diese verliert man auch wieder an Ort und Stelle, wenn man stirbt und kann sich alles wieder zurückholen.
Es gibt verschiedene Waffen und "Klassen" (Langschwert, Zweihänder, Armbrust-Bazooka, Dual 1h und einen Kolben), die man alle erst finden muss bzw. sich in einem Bossfight erkämpfen muss. Ich habe mit dem Langschwert und dem Charakter Eredrim durchgespielt, der extrem viel Gesundheit hat.
Attribute oder ein tiefes Rollenspielsystem gibt es leider nicht. Die einzelnen Hüllen haben einfach verschiedene Statuswerte (Mehr Leben oder mehr Ausdauer z.b.), hier hätte ich mir mehr Tiefe auch beim Skillen gewünscht.
Das Kämpfen besteht auch aus Ausweichen oder Rollen, sowie Parieren. Gerade die ersten Aspekte machen aber nicht soviel vom Gameplay aus. Das Parieren dagegen empfinde ich als essentiell, weil man sich dadurch heilen kann, gerade Heilgegenstände sind sehr rar, wenn man sich nicht welche per erfarmtem Tar kauft. Daneben hat Mortal Shell aber die Verhärtungsmechanik, welche einen kompletten Angriff abwehren kann und sich dann wieder aufladen muss. Die Idee finde ich klasse und macht das Gameplay auch ausreichend anders zu Dark Souls, aber es ist auch viel zu einfach. Diese Fähigkeit müsste mehr Skill erfordern, ähnlich wie ein Parry, weil theoretisch kann ich eine sehr lange Zeit versteinert bleiben und auf den Angriff warten und dann zuschlagen.. danach einfach wiederholen sobald es sich aufgeladen hat. Weiter hat man sich die sogenannte Entschlossenheit durch Angriffe erspielt, mit der man dann Parieren bzw. Spezialfähigkeiten wirken konnte (sehr cool, auch aggressiv zu spielen lohnt sich).
Insgesamt bin ich auch nur 43x gestorben, das Spiel ist nicht wirklich schwer. Am Anfang brauch es Zeit, aber wenn man drin ist hat man es einfach raus. Auch wenn es deutlich einfacher ist macht es trotzdem viel Spaß Verhärtung, Parieren und Spezialfähigkeiten zu kombinieren.
Die Bosse haben mir eigentlich optisch richtig gut gefallen und auch die Kämpfe an sich waren sehr nice, aber leider zu einfach. Der Endboss lag z.b. direkt im ersten Versuch.
Schwach waren manchmal auch die Hitboxen, man trifft oder wird getroffen und weiß nicht so wirklich warum. Da gefällt mir die Direktheit in Souls deutlich besser. Auch Items mehrmals nutzen zu können, um deren Effekte zu verstehen, ist nicht mein Ding. Das fühlte sich manchmal zu verschwenderisch an, nur um zu erfahren, was der Gegenstand überhaupt bewirkt.
Fazit
Lange Rede kurzer Sinn: Ein Soulslike mit viel Potential, das in einem richtig guten zweiten Teil münden könnte. Das Fundament ist gut gelungen und bedarf nun einfach nach meinem Geschmack in allem etwas Mehr (Rollenspieltiefe, Gegnervielfalt, Herausforderung, Bossgegner, Gebiete). Für mich sehr gute 3/5 Tar-Klumpen. Damit ein vielversprechender Einstieg der Macher in das Soulsgenre.
After 9 1/2 hours and unfortunately only 375 gamerscore, I finished this Soulslike. There is a lot of potential in the game and it could be really, really good in a successor with a potent publisher.
story
Well ... just as cryptic as you know it from the soul titles: D. They have already decided to imitate that. I was interested and am happy about the background noise. I cannot say what it has to do with ascent, envelopes, etc. in full detail.
Here, too, you can learn more about the story, the world and the shells via items, skills, etc.
Graphics / performance / glitches
Graphically, the game didn't upset the trees, but it had an aesthetic that I really liked. Everything kept pretty gloomy, the tutorial is almost Sci-Fi-like and a total of 4 different areas, some of which I liked very much, some less. I found the world with these obsidian-like rock shapes to be terrific.
The armor, weapons and characters, as well as bosses looked very cool and I would have liked to see more different types of enemies.
The game ran mostly smoothly at 60 FPS, so it had no noticeable drops (Xbox Series X).
Glitches, on the other hand, occurred relatively often: opponents bug into walls, I get stuck, opponents bug onto unreachable platforms or the lousy texture reloaders in cutscenes. I don't like that at all, because it always pulls me out of the moment. When that happens almost all the time, I can't overlook it.
Gameplay
It's soul-like. Nasty areas with different and many NPC opponents, as well as different bosses. With the tar and the discernment there are equivalents to the souls. You lose it again when you die and you can get everything back again.
There are different weapons and "classes" (long sword, two-handed, crossbow bazooka, dual 1h and a piston), all of which you have to find first or fight your way through in a boss fight. I played through with the long sword and the character Eredrim, who is extremely healthy.
Unfortunately, there are no attributes or a deep role-play system. The individual shells simply have different status values (more life or more stamina, for example), here I would have wished for more depth, also with skills.
Fighting also consists of dodging or rolling, as well as parrying. The first aspects in particular do not make so much of the gameplay. Parrying, on the other hand, is essential because you can heal yourself with it, especially healing items are very rare if you don't buy them with an embraced tar. In addition, Mortal Shell has the hardening mechanism, which can ward off a complete attack and then has to recharge. I think the idea is great and it makes the gameplay sufficiently different to Dark Souls, but it's also way too easy. This ability should require more skill, similar to a parry, because theoretically I can stay petrified for a very long time and wait for the attack and then strike .. then just repeat once it has charged up. Furthermore, you acquired the so-called determination through attacks, with which you could then use parry or special abilities (very cool, it is also worth playing aggressively).
In total I only died 43 times, the game is not really difficult. In the beginning it takes time, but when you are in you just have it out. Even if it is much easier, it is still a lot of fun to combine hardening, parrying and special skills.
I actually really liked the optics of the bosses and the fights themselves were very nice, but unfortunately too easy. The final boss was e.g. right on the first try.
Sometimes the hit boxes were also weak, you hit or get hit and don't really know why. I like the directness in Souls a lot better. Being able to use items several times to understand their effects is not my thing. Sometimes that felt too wasteful just to know what the item was doing in the first place.
Conclusion
To cut a long story short: A soul-like with a lot of potential that could lead to a really good second part. The foundation is well done and now just needs a little more in everything to my taste (role play depth, opponent diversity, challenge, boss opponent, areas). For me, very good 3/5 tar lumps. This is a promising entry for the makers into the soul genre.
-------------------------------german--------------------------------
Nach 9 1/2 Stunden und leider nur 375 Gamerscore hab ich dieses Soulslike beendet. In dem Spiel steck einiges an Potential und es könnte in einem Nachfolger mit potentem Publisher richtig richtig gut werden.
Story
Naja...genauso kryptisch, wie man es von den Soulstiteln kennt :D. Das haben sie sich schonmal vorgenommen nachzumachen. Ich war interessiert bei der Sache und bin über das Hintergrundrauschen froh. Was es nun mit Aufstieg, Hüllen usw. im ganzen Detail zu tun hat, das kann ich nicht sagen.
Auch hier kann man über Items, Fähigkeiten usw. mehr über die Story, die Welt und die Hüllen erfahren.
Grafik/Performance/Glitches
Grafisch hat das Spiel nicht die Bäume ausgerissen, aber es hatte eine Ästhetik, die mir sehr gefallen hat. Alles ziemlich düster gehalten, das Tutorial wirkt schon fast Sci-Fi mäßig und insgesamt 4 verschiedene Gebiete, bei denen mir manche sehr sehr gut gefallen haben manche eher weniger. Gerade die Welt mit diesen obsidianartigen Gesteinsformen empfand ich als grandios.
Die Rüstungen, Waffen und Charaktere, sowie Bosse sahen sehr cool aus und ich hätte gerne mehr verschiedene Gegnertypen gesehen.
Das Spiel lief weitesgehend flüssig auf 60 FPS, hatte also keine nennenswerten Einbrüche (Xbox Series X).
Glitches dagegen traten relativ oft auf: Gegner buggen in Wände, ich bleibe stecken, Gegner buggen auf unerreichbare Plattformen oder die miesen Texturnachlader in Cutscenes. Sowas mag ich überhaupt nicht, da es mich immer aus dem Moment reißt. Wenn das dann fast immer vorkommt, kann ich auch nicht mehr drüber hinwegsehen.
Gameplay
Es ist ein Soulslike. Fiese Gebiete mit verschiedenen und vielen NPC-Gegnern, sowie verschiedenen Bossgegnern. Mit dem Tar und der Einsicht gibt es Äquivalente zu den Seelen. Diese verliert man auch wieder an Ort und Stelle, wenn man stirbt und kann sich alles wieder zurückholen.
Es gibt verschiedene Waffen und "Klassen" (Langschwert, Zweihänder, Armbrust-Bazooka, Dual 1h und einen Kolben), die man alle erst finden muss bzw. sich in einem Bossfight erkämpfen muss. Ich habe mit dem Langschwert und dem Charakter Eredrim durchgespielt, der extrem viel Gesundheit hat.
Attribute oder ein tiefes Rollenspielsystem gibt es leider nicht. Die einzelnen Hüllen haben einfach verschiedene Statuswerte (Mehr Leben oder mehr Ausdauer z.b.), hier hätte ich mir mehr Tiefe auch beim Skillen gewünscht.
Das Kämpfen besteht auch aus Ausweichen oder Rollen, sowie Parieren. Gerade die ersten Aspekte machen aber nicht soviel vom Gameplay aus. Das Parieren dagegen empfinde ich als essentiell, weil man sich dadurch heilen kann, gerade Heilgegenstände sind sehr rar, wenn man sich nicht welche per erfarmtem Tar kauft. Daneben hat Mortal Shell aber die Verhärtungsmechanik, welche einen kompletten Angriff abwehren kann und sich dann wieder aufladen muss. Die Idee finde ich klasse und macht das Gameplay auch ausreichend anders zu Dark Souls, aber es ist auch viel zu einfach. Diese Fähigkeit müsste mehr Skill erfordern, ähnlich wie ein Parry, weil theoretisch kann ich eine sehr lange Zeit versteinert bleiben und auf den Angriff warten und dann zuschlagen.. danach einfach wiederholen sobald es sich aufgeladen hat. Weiter hat man sich die sogenannte Entschlossenheit durch Angriffe erspielt, mit der man dann Parieren bzw. Spezialfähigkeiten wirken konnte (sehr cool, auch aggressiv zu spielen lohnt sich).
Insgesamt bin ich auch nur 43x gestorben, das Spiel ist nicht wirklich schwer. Am Anfang brauch es Zeit, aber wenn man drin ist hat man es einfach raus. Auch wenn es deutlich einfacher ist macht es trotzdem viel Spaß Verhärtung, Parieren und Spezialfähigkeiten zu kombinieren.
Die Bosse haben mir eigentlich optisch richtig gut gefallen und auch die Kämpfe an sich waren sehr nice, aber leider zu einfach. Der Endboss lag z.b. direkt im ersten Versuch.
Schwach waren manchmal auch die Hitboxen, man trifft oder wird getroffen und weiß nicht so wirklich warum. Da gefällt mir die Direktheit in Souls deutlich besser. Auch Items mehrmals nutzen zu können, um deren Effekte zu verstehen, ist nicht mein Ding. Das fühlte sich manchmal zu verschwenderisch an, nur um zu erfahren, was der Gegenstand überhaupt bewirkt.
Fazit
Lange Rede kurzer Sinn: Ein Soulslike mit viel Potential, das in einem richtig guten zweiten Teil münden könnte. Das Fundament ist gut gelungen und bedarf nun einfach nach meinem Geschmack in allem etwas Mehr (Rollenspieltiefe, Gegnervielfalt, Herausforderung, Bossgegner, Gebiete). Für mich sehr gute 3/5 Tar-Klumpen. Damit ein vielversprechender Einstieg der Macher in das Soulsgenre.
I just couldn't get into it, the tutorial is just a swamp and the main mechanic of the game is to stop and stay still while an enemy wails at you. It's a great idea just terrible execution. Though with that out of the way the world is beautiful and so are the armour sets, the armour sets are probably the main highlight of this game but it's not even a main concept of the game so therefore for me, it's a no. It's just to slow paced for me.
He jugado muy poquito, una escasa hora, pero este tiempo ya ha sido suficiente para desechar este juego. En un Souls, la sensación a los mandos lo es todo. Aquí no es placentera, aunque en primera instancia no parezca desagradar. La mecánica principal del juego se basa en el parry, aunque este no parece responder con la precisión que debería. Además, para más inri, en solo esta hora un enemigo me mató tirando mi cadáver a un punto del mapa imposible de alcanzar, haciendo que perdiera todas las almas conseguidas.
Pros: engaging world, atmosphere, combat
Cons: hard lock on and camera buggy sometimes, very difficult for a beginner
Cons: hard lock on and camera buggy sometimes, very difficult for a beginner
Bom jogo, bem curto, sem uma história para contar, com nenhum aspecto narrativo relevante ou interessante, diferente modo de combate, que é bem diferente, misturado com algumas características básicas de um Soulslike, NPCs, inimigos e Bosses bem repetitivos, não foram muito um ''desafio'' exceto talvez o último Boss, mas foi bem divertido!!
Meu primeiro Soulslike e eu gostei bastante da experiência, reclamam bastante das mecânicas e das lutas mas eu não tenho nenhum problema com elas, talvez quando eu tiver um repertório maior eu desgoste delas. Os visuais e mapas são do caralho, tem uns boss bem legais (por mais que tenham sido fáceis até pra mim que nunca tinha jogado um soulslike).
A passable souls-like experience.
There are some interesting ideas in the game like the hardening and shell switching but there's not really much more to it. The alternative boss OSTs are black metal which was probably my favorite thing about the game. Even if some are a bit short and lacking in of themselves.
There's quite a bit of jank to it especially with the animations and lack of depth to things, so many times in my mind I wanted to do a running light attack but that simply was just not an option. The whole healing consumable healing system also did not feel good to deal with.
The dash into roll thing similarly feels like complete ass to use but thankfully early on I ran into a character, Eredrim, that completely removes it in favor of just a roll. Giving a feeling much more enjoyable and akin to dark souls.
The areas were just a bit meh, except for the floating tower type of thing which really sucked. It was a boring, ugly, unintuitive, seemingly unending, and maze-like level filled to the brim with enemy spam. One of the settings (shadow quality maybe?) will add in more fog to it than Morrowind had in 2003 if you set it any lower than high. Extremely questionable design choice on that one.
The final boss also blew ass and was chock full of examples of how to make a boss not enjoyable; Annoying AOE, waves of minions spawned, moves that send the boss flying all over the place giving your cameraman whiplash, healing phase for the boss based on some arbitrary ass mechanic, etc.
Overall, it's just an ok experience, but a bit annoying with its jank and weird design choices. So much so that I probably would have been too annoyed to finish it if the rolls weren't super lenient. Give it a try if you have the patience for a short, off-brand dark souls.
There are some interesting ideas in the game like the hardening and shell switching but there's not really much more to it. The alternative boss OSTs are black metal which was probably my favorite thing about the game. Even if some are a bit short and lacking in of themselves.
There's quite a bit of jank to it especially with the animations and lack of depth to things, so many times in my mind I wanted to do a running light attack but that simply was just not an option. The whole healing consumable healing system also did not feel good to deal with.
The dash into roll thing similarly feels like complete ass to use but thankfully early on I ran into a character, Eredrim, that completely removes it in favor of just a roll. Giving a feeling much more enjoyable and akin to dark souls.
The areas were just a bit meh, except for the floating tower type of thing which really sucked. It was a boring, ugly, unintuitive, seemingly unending, and maze-like level filled to the brim with enemy spam. One of the settings (shadow quality maybe?) will add in more fog to it than Morrowind had in 2003 if you set it any lower than high. Extremely questionable design choice on that one.
The final boss also blew ass and was chock full of examples of how to make a boss not enjoyable; Annoying AOE, waves of minions spawned, moves that send the boss flying all over the place giving your cameraman whiplash, healing phase for the boss based on some arbitrary ass mechanic, etc.
Overall, it's just an ok experience, but a bit annoying with its jank and weird design choices. So much so that I probably would have been too annoyed to finish it if the rolls weren't super lenient. Give it a try if you have the patience for a short, off-brand dark souls.
A gameplay não me apetece
Nice enough, is just not my kind of game.
I was looking forward to this one, despite putting it off for like a year, but the prolonged wait until it ended up being the "free" PSN game ended up being the right choice, because I just can't get into this one.
The aesthetic is incredible and the game is perhaps even more metal than Dark Souls, and the game has the best DLC of all time in the one that changes all boss music to songs by the band Rotting Christ, so that drew me and really made me want to like the game, but I kind of immediately hate it. The combat doesn't have the right weight to it and it doesn't feel like hits actually connect, the first map you get access to is a maze of a swamp that isn't fun to explore and where no path feels like the most obviously inviting one to start with and the mechanics that are meant to make this game more accessible really only makes it harder for me.
Like how you can petrify at any moment, even in the middle of an attack animation, is supposed to be a panic button so that you never take damage, but I just end up missing the timing and the parry system is even worse in how it's so overly generous that you're supposed to parry at the beginning of an enemy attack animation, as opposed to the very end like in every other game, and that just messes up my timing even more and I'm just not having any fun with the game.
I could adjust my timing and learn for this game, but the overall unimpressive combat and level design that makes me feel the opposite of wanderlust makes me much less interested in wanting to. Nothing here felt outright bad to me, but nothing really felt worth the time either.
The aesthetic is incredible and the game is perhaps even more metal than Dark Souls, and the game has the best DLC of all time in the one that changes all boss music to songs by the band Rotting Christ, so that drew me and really made me want to like the game, but I kind of immediately hate it. The combat doesn't have the right weight to it and it doesn't feel like hits actually connect, the first map you get access to is a maze of a swamp that isn't fun to explore and where no path feels like the most obviously inviting one to start with and the mechanics that are meant to make this game more accessible really only makes it harder for me.
Like how you can petrify at any moment, even in the middle of an attack animation, is supposed to be a panic button so that you never take damage, but I just end up missing the timing and the parry system is even worse in how it's so overly generous that you're supposed to parry at the beginning of an enemy attack animation, as opposed to the very end like in every other game, and that just messes up my timing even more and I'm just not having any fun with the game.
I could adjust my timing and learn for this game, but the overall unimpressive combat and level design that makes me feel the opposite of wanderlust makes me much less interested in wanting to. Nothing here felt outright bad to me, but nothing really felt worth the time either.
clunky, slow, boring. there are no good souls-like games and this one is no exception.