"Mortal Shell" is another game created in the long shadow of "Dark Souls". It is an action RPG set in a dark fantasy world with a deep progression system and an "intentional" and unforgiving combat system. (This may sound a little too familiar, but bear with me.)

Whether or not it stands out in an increasingly crowded genre will remain to be seen until you actually get your hands on it, but first impressions? It's the prettiest Souls Like I've ever seen. Seriously, it's gorgeous. You should see the trailer above.

Indeed, I love the gravelly narrator and the "fractured" world. It's full of "Dark Souls"-esque elements, but it's not just its sparkling exterior that makes me look at the direction Mortal Shell is taking. It's a cute inversion of Dark Souls, where you play a spirit rather than a shell that gradually loses its ego and can possess dead warriors. According to the press release, you awaken as an empty vessel and follow the orders of a man called the Darkfather, who goes out in search of his devout followers, harvesting "holy glands" along the way.

I don't expect you to understand, but that's okay; "Mortal Shell" is more of a mood piece than anything else, and that mood is a very large, tired frown.

Even the combat is not the typical board-and-sword circular dance. There appears to be some sort of combo system in place, most noticeably when a ghost possessed by a dead warrior leaps out of the host's body and hits it. I am curious to see how far that system goes. Can they actually die, or is the punishment for "death" simply the loss of a leveled host body? How freely can one switch between corpses? It would not be a substitute for simple campfire respawning.

At first glance, the environmental design looks great, with abyssal lakes and obsidian castles. But what really makes it Souls-like is the actual geometry: can you get lost in Mortal Shell? Will you find unexpected shortcuts, hidden areas, and tricky navigation challenges?

There is not much to read from the combat fragments, but most of the locale appears to be a flat combat arena designed to showcase combat. The few exceptions are dense, uneven forests and poorly lit dungeons. Near the latter half of the trailer, there is also brief footage of an icy area with winding footpaths and bridges jutting out from the mountainside. I'm not interested in a boss-rush game masquerading as an action RPG.

Mortal Shell will be released later this year, but you'll be able to play it earlier in the upcoming beta (date TBD). If this sounds like your cup of tea, join the Discord or sign up for the newsletter on the official site. Definitely my kind of thing. Anything to keep me occupied while I wait for Elden Ring to pick up the phone.