Mortal Shell, releasing Q3 2020, is coming to the Epic Games Store first as a timed exclusive for about a year. In Q3 2021 the game will arrive on Steam. Priced at $30, the Souls-like action RPG is of smaller size and therefore on the cheaper side as well. A week-long beta will also arrive on July 3.
Mortal Shell, coming Q3 2020 or 2021, depending on your platform
Mortal Shell’s Epic Games Store platform and price reveal will undoubtedly be met with many opinions. The founders of Cold Symmetry, however, explain their decision to go for timed exclusivity in a joint statement: “The primary goals of our studio are to make Mortal Shell the best game it can be and to live another day and keep making awesome games in the future. Epic’s financial support, for a small studio like ours, was clearly going to help us achieve those goals so it was something we had to consider earnestly.”
New trailers and gameplay
Alongside the announcements, plenty of new footage was shown, including a trailer that showcased one of the game’s four playable shells, Tiel, a toxic character centered around poison, agility, and some neat dodging mechanics.
Unfortunately, the new Mortal Shell trailer was followed up by a boss fight reveal that looked… awkward and bland. Named Hadern, this boss follows you around throughout the campaign and continues to be a nuisance. One might wonder why Cold Symmetry chose to show a boss fight without the player possessing a shell, therefore having to rely on swordplay and movement alone.
On Sunday, however, more footage was shown on a 2.5-hour Fextralife livestream, and the game looked a bit more impressive. Developers joined live to commentate on the gameplay, talk to the hosts and chat, and answer questions. Some tidbits they shared are that they have not opted for any kind of multiplayer or PvP (for now), there is only a single difficulty, and there are no equippable shields.
If you have any interest in Mortal Shell, the trailer’s worth giving a watch. A recap of all the questions and answers will also be available on Fextralife’s YouTube channel soon.
