As you might expect with a game that takes much of its inspiration from Dark Souls, Mortal Shell is a game that will test both your skill and patience.
As an action RPG, the game is designed with plenty of lore, often alluded to throughout your interactions with NPCs such as the Sester Genessa statues, and the inscriptions that you will find throughout the game. There are many places to explore, and the dark marsh of Fallgrim is not the easiest place to navigate.
With four shells and five weapons for you to find and unlock, there is plenty to start with. As you progress further into the story, you will make your way through three instanced areas that contain dungeons, all differing greatly in the atmosphere, size, and enemies. Not only that, but once you’ve completed each dungeon’s full and mini-bosses, you must make your way back to Fallgrim on foot. There’s no easy way out here. More awaits you after the last three main instance areas, but to avoid spoilers, you’ll have to find that out for yourself.
As such, the amount of mileage that you can expect from Mortal Shell depends on a few factors. It’s a more accessible game compared to Dark Souls, with more tools that provide a more forgiving combat experience. If you’re a frequent player of FromSoftware’s titles, you will probably find yourself running through Mortal Shell faster than your average player.
During my playthrough of the game, I managed to complete the game in just over 15 hours. However, I would consider that to be a slightly faster run than most people will experience. If you want to experience everything on offer, maxing out each shell, you will be able to clock up between 20 to 25 hours in Mortal Shell. If you choose to take on the game’s challenge of completing it without a shell to work towards a Platinum Trophy, you can potentially double this time.
