Back in 2020, Cold Symmetry and Playstack released their highly anticipated RPG Mortal Shell and it was greatly appreciated by fans and players around the world. What sets this title apart from other traditional RPGs is that it takes its inspiration from FromSoftware’s Dark Souls franchise however Cold Symmetry is a much smaller studio so coming from them, Mortal Shell was a solid effort that I personally enjoyed playing back on the PS4. Since we have already reviewed the full release of Mortal Shell, we will be mostly sticking to the next-gen upgrades of Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition in this review. Our original Mortal Shell review is linked at the bottom of this article.
Starting with a brief introduction of the title, Mortal Shell is an action role-playing game where you are the chosen one. Known as the Foundling, we have the ability to possess the bodies of fallen warriors known as ‘Shells’. Occupying these shells, we get their powers and characteristics that include weapons, fighting style, and everything else. If you are a Dark Souls player, right from the very first screen, you will notice familiar gameplay mechanics, the traditional dodge and attack mechanic, and the tedious battle to balance your stamina for attacks and movements.
However, Mortal Shell is not just a blatant photocopy of the franchise from where it takes its inspiration from. It brings plenty of unique mechanics of its own into play as well such as the aforementioned shells. Apart from the shells, it also brings its own take on blocking which is the mechanic ‘Hardened’. During this hardened form, you become still and form a tough shell around yourself which blocks one attack and sees your character returning another attack back at the enemy dealing damage. Overall, the formula remains pretty much the same when it comes to combat and deadly exploration that Dark Souls is known for.
With that out of the picture, let us now look at the new features and additions to the Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition. The very obvious feature is the enhanced textures that make the game really pretty to look at. The textures all around the game have been enhanced and given more detail be that characters or the environment around you. Switching to 4K makes them even prettier especially in open spaces. Even the environments which are inside caves or ruins now look darker and more detailed with improved lighting and reflections. Looking at the armor of our shells, you can now make out each of the small holes and additional details on Foundling itself as well.
The special effects now give out more details as well for example the fires and attacks give out more sparks and the fire is now shinier and much more realistic. The same goes for water as well which looks much more detailed now in the game. You can easily spot all of these details right at the starting of the location without much trouble. One thing that I liked about the Enhanced Edition is that the high-resolution mode does not reduce the frames at all. You can play at a full 60 FPS in full 4K without suffering any performance drops or hiccups in the game. The full potential of the Enhanced Edition is unlocked only when you are playing it in 4K on the PS5 on a decently sized screen.
Apart from the visual and performance upgrade, the PS5 version also fully utilizes the additional features present in the DualSense controller. The game utilizes the speaker of the controller fully as you will hear a lot of sounds coming from the controller throughout the journey ranging from whispers to the ambiance in certain cases. The Adaptive Triggers are fully utilized by the DualSense controller as well as it is tied to stamina. Once your stamina is depleted and you cannot attack anymore, pressing the Heavy Attack R2 will be blocked and will not go all the way down. It will greatly resist your input. It goes the same for L2 as well which is tied to Hardening and if the ability is still charging, the L2 will not go all the way down and will resist your input until you can use the ability again. Apart from this, the developers have also made vibrations much better and you feel a more immersive vibration this time around while playing on the DualSense controller.
With all that said, I was surprised to see that the PS5 version still was around 5GB when I started its download. This is brilliant for a title that features 4K resolution, high-quality textures, and all the next-gen goodies. If you have already played the PS4 version and have transitioned to the next-gen console already, you would be happy to know that your version will upgrade automatically to the PS5 version of the game so you are all set to jump back into the world of Mortal Shell and get rekd this time around in crisp 4K and creamy 60FPS gameplay. If you want to read our full review of Mortal Shell on the PS4 which covers the entire title and its gameplay in detail, make sure you check out our writer Navaid Zafar’s detailed Mortal Shell review.
Final Verdict:
Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition is definitely the best console version for the title. For PS5 players, it is crispier, smoother and the DualSense’s added features really enhance the gameplay. The sounds coming from the controller and the DualSense blocking your inputs when your stamina is low offers a more immersive gameplay than the PS4 version of the title. If you still have to play this decent soulslike RPG, and you own a PS5, go ahead. Otherwise if you already played it on the PS4, it is a free upgrade for you to make sure that you jump back in the game to try out the new crispy visuals, smoother gameplay and DualSense features. It is really a next-gen experience. Highly recommended for fans of the Souls franchise or if you like playing challenging RPGs.
Final Score: 8.0/10
