Mortal Shell II is out today, August 20, 2026, on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S — and the review embargo lifted right alongside the Standard Edition unlock. The critical consensus: this is the best-reviewed game Cold Symmetry has ever shipped, sitting at 84 on Metacritic (PC) and 86 on OpenCritic at the time of writing, against a 76 for the 2020 original.
But there's a wrinkle most roundups aren't making obvious: the majority of those reviews were scored against the pre-launch build. Cold Symmetry dropped a substantial day one patch on top of early access that rebalances the back half of the game, reworks several Shells and Tarstones, deletes Gloom farming spots, and fixes the exact camera and progression complaints critics flagged. Start fresh today and you're playing a meaningfully different game than the one reviewers scored.
Review Scores: The Consensus Table
The launch review sample is strong and unusually consistent. Here's where the major outlets landed:
| Outlet | Score | One-line take |
|---|---|---|
| Giant Bomb | 9/10 | "Extraordinarily close to a perfect center of difficulty" |
| ShackNews | 9/10 | One of the best follow-up sequels in a long time |
| COGConnected | 9/10 | A "richly textured epic" compared to the original's short story |
| CGMagazine | 8.5/10 | Kinetic gameplay, great soundscape, gorgeous visuals |
| DualShockers | 8.5/10 | Expands on every aspect of the first game |
| IGN | 8/10 | Expansion into a large-scale ARPG is "mostly successful" |
| GameSpot | 8/10 | Zelda-like dungeons are the star; balance needs fine-tuning |
| GamesRadar+ | 4/5 | "The best Soulslike I've played since Elden Ring" |
| Console Creatures | 7/10 | Fairer and more punishing — great for wider accessibility |
| PCGamesN | 7/10 | Solid but uneven difficulty curve |
Metacritic PC sits at 84 across ~39 reviews and PS5 at 85 across 11; OpenCritic shows 86 across ~38 critics. Xbox only has a handful of entries so far. These will drift over the next few days — expect a mid-80s finish, a massive step up from the original's 76 on both sites. GamerFuzion, which re-reviewed the game after the patch, went even higher with a 9/10.
The praise was near-universal: the no-stamina combat is faster, more aggressive, and "heavenly" after the original's molasses pace, in GamesRadar+'s words. Shells now feel like distinct character builds rather than different health bars, with free respecs encouraging experimentation. And the dungeon-dense open world was repeatedly singled out — GameSpot called each temple "markedly different from the others" with "gorgeous, inventive locales to fight through."
The complaints were just as consistent: camera behavior in tight fights, difficulty spikes in the late game, a handful of progression blockers, and some bugs. Which brings us to the part that changes your launch-day experience.
The Day One Patch Changes Everything
Here's the honest version of the review story: most outlets scored the pre-patch build. The day one patch that went live during the Devout Edition's 72-hour early access (August 17) directly targeted most of the criticisms in the roundup above. If you read a review that complains about camera jank or an unfair back-half boss, weigh it against the build you'll actually download today.
The full patch notes are long, but the changes that matter for your playthrough:
| Area | What changed |
|---|---|
| Riposte | Core riposte timing/rules reworked — the parry punish window works differently than in review builds |
| Late-game difficulty | Back-half boss and encounter curve flattened; several boss cameras and targeting behaviors fixed |
| Gloom economy | Unlimited Gloom farming spots removed entirely; gold and Gloom boost stones heavily nerfed |
| Smert | Fully reworked — Miracle now costs half of Smert's current health and lasts less time by default |
| Eredrim | Shoulder Bash costs more Resolve; the Oppression upgrade was weakened |
| Proxima | Buffed — infinite ammunition in the Endeavor and a much wider Seizure radius |
| Tarforge stones | Devout, Bulwark, and Shattering Stones reworked (saves migrate automatically); Myriad, Retribution, and Shrike nerfed; Parasitic Stone now works with every weapon |
| Progression | ~12 arena/quest progression blockers fixed |
| Stability | Save files hardened against corruption with validation and rebuild on load; crash fixes for video memory, hit detection, final credits, and a save-loading infinite loop |
| Quality of life | New tiled world map with boss-gate icons (Locked/Open/Cleansed), Shell Info panel, Speaker Configuration option, and a full audio pass restoring missing attack sounds |
| Xbox Series S | Memory tuning plus frame generation and FSR timing fixes |
If a review mentions camera problems on a specific boss, difficulty spikes late, or Gloom farming — check the date. Several of those exact issues were addressed by the day one patch. The game critics described at 84 is not quite the game you're buying today; most signs say yours is better.
The one caveat that survives the patch: balance work is clearly ongoing. Removing an unlimited-farming exploit after launch is a sign the progression curve wasn't fully solved, and Cold Symmetry still hasn't published recommended PC specs anywhere — only minimums (RTX 2060 SUPER / RX 6600, 16 GB RAM, 70 GB SSD).
Editions & Pricing
| Edition | Price | Includes | |---------|-------|----------| | Standard | $49.99 | Base game + Bone Harbinger pre-order skin | | Devout | $59.99 | Base game + 72-hour early access (already over) + Obsidian skins for all 8 Shells |
The Devout Edition's main perk — playing August 17–19 — has now expired, so the $10 premium only buys eight cosmetic skins. If you're buying today, the Standard Edition is the rational pick unless you want the Obsidian set.
How Long Is Mortal Shell II?
Cold Symmetry officially pegs the average playthrough at 30–40 hours, with playthroughs seen breaking 60. Independent reporting lines up:
- Critical path (story rush): 20+ hours
- Standard playthrough (main + optional dungeons): 30–40 hours
- 100% completionist run: 50–60+ hours (all 60+ dungeons, all Shell memories, full map)
- All achievements/trophies: ~60 hours (requires NG+ and NG++ runs)
That's roughly triple the original Mortal Shell's 10–12 hours — the sequel doubles down on scale without padding for its own sake.
All 9 Shells, Confirmed
The full roster is now public: nine Shells total, eight permanent plus one prologue-only body. Harros, the returning starter from the first game, is yours for the opening only — you lose him permanently once the prologue ends. The eight you can keep:
- Fainweald region: Tiel (stealth/mobility), Proxima (defensive utility), Gragu (tavern quest reward), Eredrim (heavy stagger tank), Smert (high-risk Miracle caster)
- Mammon region: Lazlo, Sariel (parasitic thorns/counter build), Genessa (summons + second-chance survivability)
For our picks on which Shell to grab first and how to survive your opening hours, see our Mortal Shell 2 beginner guide. Want the full pre-launch breakdown of combat and editions? Everything we knew before launch is still accurate on fundamentals.
Verdict: Buy Today?
If you like soulslikes: yes. At $49.99, a mid-80s Metacritic score with a genuinely different combat system — no stamina bar, posture-driven parries, firearms woven into melee — makes this the strongest non-FromSoft soulslike of 2026 so far, and the day one patch addressed most launch complaints before you ever touched the game.
If you're new to the genre: the game is fairer and more approachable than the original by design, but it's still a punishing soulslike. Commit $50 if you've beaten Elden Ring or Nioh; otherwise wait for a sale.
The one honest caveat: the patch doesn't erase the fact that the launch build needed fixing at all. Camera work in crowded fights and late-game balance are improved, not perfected. But a 9/10 post-patch re-review, a 91%-positive open beta, and a day one patch this substantive all point the same way: Cold Symmetry shipped the real deal.
FAQ
Do I need to have played Mortal Shell (2020) first?
No — it's a standalone sequel. You'll miss some lore callbacks and the emotional weight of Harros's prologue role, but nothing mechanically requires the original.
Will my open beta progress carry over?
Only two things carry from the beta: The Flayed Harbinger cosmetic and, if you cleared Marrow Keep, a Prologue skip. All currency, weapons, Shells, and collectibles reset by design.
When is the exact launch time?
Mortal Shell II unlocked worldwide August 20 at 6:00 AM PT on all three platforms — the Standard Edition is live now.
The Bottom Line
Mortal Shell II is the rare sequel that both gets the scale right and fixes what held its predecessor back. Reviews are strong (84 Metacritic / 86 OpenCritic), the day one patch closed most of the gaps critics found, and the no-stamina combat delivers on its promise of a faster, more readable soulslike. If you've been waiting for the genre's 2026 answer to Elden Ring, it's here — and it costs less than most of the competition.
