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Gaming News #18

25 August 2026

Story 05/07
Just released Metacritic

Mortal Shell II Lands Near 84 on Metacritic and Reworks Its Shells in a Day-One Patch

Mortal Shell II, the 49.99 US dollar soulslike sequel from indie studio Cold Symmetry, launched August 20 and its reviews have settled around 84 on Metacritic and 85 on OpenCritic. Critics credit faster combat, a bigger open world, and a deeper Shell system, the game's swappable warrior bodies, for the jump over the 2020 original. A day-one patch went past bug fixes, rebalancing the Shell and Tarstone upgrade systems and making several encounters deadlier.

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Discussion Topics

  1. 84 on Metacritic: is Mortal Shell II the year's best soulslike surprise, or riding a quiet release month?
  2. Removing stamina management: smart streamlining, or does it strip the tension out of a soulslike?
  3. A day-one patch making enemies deadlier: respect for players, or should launch be the finished tuning?
  4. Indie soulslike at 49.99 US dollars: fair price, or should it undercut the big studios?