--- Full Beta Completed Review + Bug report ---

This beta blew me away with what they had to offer. I've played the first game and to put it briefly, it had good bones but i felt it was missing a lot. Mortal Shell 2 addresses a LOT of the community feedback on what we liked and didn't like.
With the limited shells and weapons they offer in the beta, i was having so much fun with the little that was available. The shotgun weapon they give us is genuinely so much fun to use. I love the resolve system and how they've tied it directly into the combat and abilities of not just your shell but items too.


Combat/enemies - 9/10

While this game doesn't do anything that i would consider industry changing or ground breaking, there is a level of mastery to their combat system that I adore. The way resolve works is beautiful and adds a lot of depth to the combat for the people who want to master combat and get into it. It is by no means required for combat but makes it 10x more engaging.

The weapons and ranged weapons that are available are very limited but the ones available to us in the beta feel great. The animations are smooth and chain well with mixed inputs, it doesn't have the chunky UE5 combat that i feared it would. Chaining melee and ranged attacks felt smooth and even the lock on system felt good, I was able to manage a crowd with the axe+dagger weapon while switching from one enemy to another in a light attack chain.

Enemies were decently challenging, in these early areas i don't expect anything more than low level chaff but the "elite" enemies were phenomenal. The designs of the enemies are incredible, (as someone who is studying to be an animator/modeler for 3d games im jealous of the skill put into these) and some of the more grotesque models genuinely had me shotgun spamming out of instinct.


Level Design / Graphics - 9/10

"Oh my God its so PREETTYYY" The post tar golem sequence had me stopped in my tracks just admiring the texture work on the floor i kid you not. the lighting, the natural textures, the sense of scale, the color, everything is gorgeous in this game. Despite the grim dark setting of this game, the world feels vibrant in its own right. Even on lower graphics settings it looks amazing. The devs should be immensly proud of the work they put into the world.


Bosses - 7/10*
I'll put an asterisk by this score because we are still very early game in terms of where we can go in the beta.

Let me just say, the tar golem had me wanting to just run around and prolong the fight because he is just so cool looking. his animation and model is fantastic.
There are a handful of bosses that i love and a few i love less. I'd like to see more attack variety in the bosses. Maybe i just had bad rng when i fought them but i could just perfect block over and over and they would attack with the same attacks until they died. Some bosses had so much character to them that i wanted to experience but they died too quickly (hall of illusions boss, Shepherd boss, first boss in the tutorial). I think the devs should not be afraid to beef these bosses a tad. I know this is a bit hypocritical coming from a MS1 player who actively said that the bosses were too difficult or just damage sponges, but understand when i say you could get away with buffing some of these lesser bosses to last longer. This is also the purpose of the asterisk as most early game bosses aren't going to be difficult in that sense (but i wish they were personally)


Music / Dialogue 8/10

I love this super unique sound track that you've developed. The mix of metal and dark fantasy is an amazing aesthetic and i hope you choose to go all out on the music for bigger bosses. I can't wait to hear more.

Dialogue i was pleasantly surprised, I was not expecting much from this game in terms of both story and dialogue. I was surprised to see that dialogue was actually very well written and executed. People don't realize how much an npc's mannerisms and voice can impact how a world feels. I love everything about how they've done this. (though i will say, sometimes it gets annoying when an npc sasses me for walking away when i wasn't near him lol)


Bugs 8.5/10
I understand this is an open beta so honestly tying a score to this section feels a little unfair.

The game runs incredibly well, 0 issues on performance. I deduct points on this front just with some things being untested. riposte animations will break on some bosses, causing the player to do the ripost animation to the air or ground. The shadow strike ability will do it's riposte but the enemy will still attack the player. Items that NPCs hold will float on their hand or misplaced, just little things like this that i notice and im sure the devs are aware of. For an open beta in 2026 this is remarkably well polished.

Overall Score 8.5/10
I am beyond excited for this game to release, These devs have clearly taken to heart every word their community has said about MS1 and are coming in with one of the most prominent contenders in the souls like market in my books. This and Lords of the Fallen 2 have me stoked to play. I wish the devs every bit of luck in development. You've made a gem of a game so full of character which is worth so much in today's game market.


Another review done, thanks for reading.
"Good bye then. Be safe, friend. Don't you dare go Hollow."