MORTAL SHELL II: NO STAMINA BAR, NO MERCY, MORE SHELLS

8.0 of 10 bananas. Cold Symmetry's soulslike sequel swaps the stamina bar for a Resolve system and turns its body swapping Shells into real character builds. Critics call it a big step up. Camera trouble and bugs are the scars.

By the Alpha. Full review. Updated Nov 12 2026.

Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from critic reviews, player reviews, the store listing, and the official game pages linked below. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Released August 20 2026, developed by Cold Symmetry and published by Playstack. The Amazon button is the PS5 disc. At my Nov 12 2026 check it was sold by Amazon.com at 49.97 dollars and listed In Stock.

Store check, Nov 12 2026: new copies sold and shipped by Amazon.com at 49.97 dollars, In Stock. On Nov 10 the listing showed low stock, so it can swing. Prices and sellers change, so look before you pay.

Sit with me a moment. Every soulslike sells you the same promise: you will die, and you will learn. The first Mortal Shell kept that promise in a small, strange box. The sequel opens the box, adds a world, and takes away the stamina bar that told you when to stop swinging.

What It Wants To Be

You are a hollow being that possesses Shells, the bodies of fallen warriors, each with its own style, passives, and active abilities. You roam a ravaged world, clear temple dungeons, and fight false gods. Instead of stamina, a Resolve system rewards aggression. It wants to be a full sized soulslike that rewards switching bodies to solve fights, not grinding one build.

What Works

At my check it sat at 84 on Metacritic for PS5 from 21 critic reviews, all positive, with 85 on OpenCritic, up from 76 for the first game. IGN gave it 8 of 10 and liked that Shell upgrade points can be refunded and moved for free, which makes swapping builds painless. GameSpot praised the temple dungeons as the stars of the show. COGconnected called it a richly textured epic next to the first game's short story. On Steam, 83 percent of 10,062 English reviews were positive.

What Breaks

Critics flag the camera, boss fights that telegraph too loudly, and visibility problems, per Polygon's roundup. COGconnected names pacing, opacity, difficulty spikes, and bugs. At least one outlet cited in OpenCritic coverage hit a bug that forced a full restart mid run. Some of the open world reads as bland between the dungeons, and the story is as vague as the genre usually is.

Who Should Play

Play it if you love soulslikes and want builds that actually feel different, or if the first Mortal Shell felt too small. Wait for patches if bugs ruin your night, and skip it if punishing combat is not your idea of fun.

Related: Lies of P, Elden Ring, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.

Sources: Metacritic PS5 critic reviews, Polygon review roundup, OpenCritic score report, Steam page and user reviews.

Affiliate note: this Amazon link supports the troop at no extra cost to you. One CTA per review. Platforms listed honestly above.