History VideoGame / MortalShell

''Mortal Shell'' is a 2020 Indie SoulslikeRPG developed by Cold Symmetry, for whom it is their first major project. It was released for UsefulNotes/Playstation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and as a timed exclusive for the UsefulNotes/EpicGamesStore on the PC.

An expansion titled ''The Virtuous Cycle'' was unveiled on July 28, 2021 and released on August 18th of the same year, coinciding with the game's release on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

* RecurringBoss: You fight the knight-like enemy Hadern every time you acquire a new weapon, with him using said new weapon against you and you having to defeat him to acquire it. You also fight werewolf-like Grishas multiple times as boss fights. The game's only unique bosses are the 3 main objective bosses, the final boss, and a single Ven Noctivagu guardian Tiel's shell, which is literally just a non-respawning common Nocteserper enemy with a unique name and a life meter appropriate for a "boss".

* RecurringBoss: You fight the knight-like enemy Hadern every time you acquire a new weapon, with him using said new weapon against you and you having to defeat him to acquire it. You also fight werewolf-like Grishas multiple times as boss fights. The game's only unique bosses are the 3 main objective bosses and the final boss.

** [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Its a me]]

* MorphWeapon: The "Virtuous Cycle" DLC introduces the Axatana which can be a [[AnAxeToGrind two-handed axe]] or split apart into [[KatanasAreJustBetter twin katanas]].

* {{BFS}}: Your starting weapon is the Hallowed Sword, a long blade that requires two hands to swing effectively. The Martyr's Blade you can unlock at the beginning of the Abandoned Chamber is even bigger. The hilt of the sword is as long as your character's torso and the blade stands taller than you do. Needless to say, it hits like a truck

''Mortal Shell'' is a 2020 Indie SoulslikeRPG developed by Cold Symmetry, for whom it is their first major project. It was released for UsefulNotes/Playstation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and as a timed exclusive for the Creator/EpicGames Store on the PC.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The players sole projectile weapon melts just about all non-boss monsters in one or two hits. Naturally you might assume you'll be able to go crazy with it and turn the game into a cake walk, however ammo is quickly shown to be scarce and only available in certain areas. It also does a relatively small amount of damage to bosses as well as being slow to both use and reload.

* BoringButPractical: The Smoldering Mace and to a lesser extent the Martyrs Blade. Both are heavy weapons that are slow to swing and use up a considerable amount of stamina, but are great for crowd control with the range of their move sets and powerful special attacks.

* ElementalShapeshifter: In lieu of a shield, you can Harden, briefly turning your body to stone in order to block damage. You can even do it while you're attacking, though it has to recharge between uses.

* NewGamePlus: After you complete the game once by fighting [[spoiler: The Old Prisoner/The Unchained]], you start right back again at the Tower with all of your upgrades and shells. Sester Genessa will even comment that [[GroundhogDayLoop it's happening all over again]]. Enemies now have more health and do more damage, but weapons can now be upgraded to +10 to compensate. Any weapon upgrades you picked up in your first playthrough will be replaced with extra Quenching Acids, and Sester Genessa will also start selling Quenching Acids for Glimpses to Shells that have been maxed out.

* RealityIsOutToLunch: Eternal Narthrax is a zone made of obsidian obelisks that gets more and more bizarre and disconnected from reality the further you climb. Eventually the ground disappears entirely, the stone slabs float in the air in circular formations, and the last appearance of Sester Genessa before the boss fight has her inexplicably giant, staring down at you. She acknowledges that reality is just a bit weird here.

* NewGamePlus: After you complete the game once by fighting [[spoiler: The Old Prisoner/The Unchained]], you start right back again at the Tower with all your upgrades and shells. Sester Genessa will even comment that [[GroundhogDayLoop it's happening all over again]]. Enemies now have more health and do more damage, weapons can now be upgraded to +10, and all the Quenching Acids you found or bought are reset. If you found any weapon upgrades, they now give bonus Quenching Acids as well. If you have a Shell maxed out, Sester Genessa will also sell Quenching Acids for Glimpses, as well as an Ornate Mask that allows [[WarpWhistle fast travel]] between Sester Genessas, but only for the Shells who have bought it.

''Mortal Shell'' is a 2020 Indie SoulslikeRPG developed by Cold Symmetry, for whom it is their first major project. It was released for UsefulNotes/Playstation4 and UsefulNotes/XboxOne, as well as being an Creator/EpicGames Store exclusive on the PC.

An expansion titled ''The Virtuous Cycle'' was unveiled on July 28, 2021 and released on August 18th, 2021.

* {{BFS}}: the Hallowed Sword is a long blade, easily requiring both hands to swing effectively. The Martyr's Blade you can unlock at the beginning of the second dungeon is even bigger. The hilt of the sword is as long as your character's torso and the blade stands taller than you do. Needless to say, it hits like a truck

* HyperspaceArsenal: Surprisingly averted for a "Souls-like" game. You are limited to only 4 weapons throughout the game (5 with the DLC) and can only carry one weapon at a time. You can find consumable items later that allow you to switch to the other weapons at any time.

* NewGamePlus: After you complete the game once by fighting [[spoiler: The Old Prisoner/The Unchained]], you start right back again at the Tower with all your upgrades and shells. All the Quenching Acids you found or bought are reset. If you found any weapon upgrades, they now give bonus Quenching Acids as well. Weapons can now be bumped up another 5+ levels, especially since enemies now have bigger health pools and hit harder too. Sester Genessa will even comment that [[GroundhogDayLoop it's happening all over again]]. If you have a Shell maxed out, she'll also sell Quenching Acids for Glimpses, as well as an Ornate Mask that allows [[WarpWhistle fast travel]] between Sester Genessas, but only to that/those Shell(s).
* PossessingADeadBody: Your shells used to be living people. Lucky for you they're not living anymore, so you can hop in. One shell even turns out to be that of the brother of the Old Prisoner, who briefly mistakes you for him until he realizes it's just you wearing his body.

* RealityIsOutToLunch: "Eternal Narthrax" is a zone made of obsidian obelisks that gets more and more bizarre and disconnected from reality the further you climb. Eventually the ground disappears entirely, the stone slabs float in the air in circular formations, and the last appearance of Sester Genessa before the boss fight has her inexplicably giant, staring down at you. She acknowledges that reality is just a bit weird here.
* RecurringBoss: You fight the knight-like enemy Hadern every time you acquire a new weapon, with him using said new weapon against you and you having to defeat him to acquire it. You also fight werewolf-like Grishkas multiple times as boss fights. The game's only unique bosses are the 3 main objective bosses and the final boss.

* TreacherousQuestGiver: Zig-zagged with [[spoiler: the Old Prisoner]]. They give you the main quest and offer you no reward other than the satisfaction of doing the task, and you character seemingly accepts for no reason other than having no other purpose in life. Once you finish the main quest and free him, he does turn against you and become the FinalBoss, but only after he fails to ascend and realizes it's you who's destined to ascend, and not him, attacking you out of jealousy.

An expansion titled ''The Virtuous Cycle'' was unveiled on July 28, 2021 and is set to be released on August 18th, 2021.

%%* NewGamePlus:
* RealityIsOutToLunch: "Eternal Narthrax" is a zone made of obsidian obelisks that gets more and more bizarre and disconnected from reality the further you climb. Eventually the ground disappears entirely, the stone slabs float in the air in circular formations, and the last appearance of Sester Genessa before the boss fight has her inexplicably giant, staring down at you. She acknowledges that reality is just a bit weird here.

* {{BFG}}: The "ballistazooka" you can repair for about 5000 tar at the top of the hub area is a heavier-than-heavy boxy crossbow affair that launches a huge bolt. The bolt fired by that thing tends to turn lesser enemies into PinkMist and can kill all but the toughest elites, often pinning them to the wall.

* BodyHorror: