Updated daily · 12 Oct 2026
Player reception
Mortal Shell II
Cold Symmetry’s soulslike sequel wins players over with fast, weighty combat and eight Shells to master, and loses many of them in its second half.
In short
As of 12 October, 80% of 20,009 player reviews recommend it. Players rank the combat with the best in the genre outside FromSoftware, and enjoy switching between the eight Shells. Many turn on it in the second half, where enemies repeat, damage spikes feel unfair and the last area feels untested. Soulslike fans who want fast, parry-led fights get the most from it, and the latest reviews say the patches keep improving it.
What players say
What players say about Mortal Shell II.
Read in full
We read every one of these reviews on 10 October 2026 and judged each by what it says.
- The combat is the best part.
- Hits land with weight, movement is quick without a stamina bar, and the parries, ripostes and finishers look and feel good. Even players who turn on the late game single it out.65
- The second half loses players.
- A strong first half gives way to reused enemies, damage that can kill in two or three hits and a final area many call untested. It’s the fullest reason behind the negative verdicts.65
- Enemies repeat.
- Most enemy types appear early, and later areas bring them back with more health and more damage, in denser groups.65
- Late-game damage feels unfair to many.
- Players describe grabs and combos they can’t answer and boss attacks that land after a clean dodge. Some call it a fair challenge, and more find it artificial.65
- The Shells are the best idea, and resources limit them.
- Players enjoy eight Shells with distinct styles, and switching between them changes how the game plays. Limited points and materials mean a run fully builds only two to four, though the Week 1 update added a way to respec.6568
- Stability depends on the PC.
- Some players lost progress or crashed often in the first weeks, while others report high frame rates without a crash. The latest reviews mention crashes and lost progress much less.65
Themes raised
| Theme | Most helpful, of 80 | Latest, of 36 |
|---|---|---|
| Combat and camera | 52 | 15 |
| Difficulty and balance | 46 | 12 |
| Bosses | 46 | 10 |
| Art, sound and story | 42 | 13 |
| World, map and checkpoints | 41 | 9 |
| Bugs and performance | 39 | 7 |
| Shells and builds | 33 | 6 |
| Enemy variety | 28 | 7 |
| The second half | 27 | 7 |
| Progression and upgrades | 23 | 3 |
Questions
Mortal Shell II, in short.
Is Mortal Shell II worth it?
Most players say yes. As of 12 October, 80% of 20,009 reviews recommend it, mostly for the combat and the Shells. The players who don’t lose interest in the second half, over repeated enemies and harsh damage.65
How long is Mortal Shell II?
Players finish it in about 25 to 30 hours with most of the map explored, and around 40 hours to complete everything.65
Is Mortal Shell II hard?
What are Shells in Mortal Shell II?
Is Mortal Shell II open world?
Has Mortal Shell II been patched?
What PC do you need for Mortal Shell II?
Cold Symmetry lists a single spec, a Core i7-10700K or Ryzen 5 3600 and a GeForce RTX 2060 Super or Radeon RX 6600 with 8 GB, on Windows 10 or 11 with an SSD.65
Sources
- 65Steam: Mortal Shell II, store page and user reviews (opens in a new tab) Accessed 10 Oct 2026
- 66Cold Symmetry and Playstack on Steam: Mortal Shell II release date, pricing and pre-orders, 8 July (opens in a new tab) Accessed 10 Oct 2026
- 67Cold Symmetry and Playstack on Steam: Mortal Shell II Advance Access, 17 August (opens in a new tab) Accessed 10 Oct 2026
- 68Cold Symmetry and Playstack on Steam: Mortal Shell II Week 1 update, 29 August (opens in a new tab) Accessed 10 Oct 2026
- 69Cold Symmetry and Playstack on Steam: Mortal Shell II update, Adaptive Difficulty, 5 September (opens in a new tab) Accessed 10 Oct 2026
- 70Cold Symmetry and Playstack on Steam: Mortal Shell II hotfix, 24 September (opens in a new tab) Accessed 10 Oct 2026