Mortal Shell: not bad. Developer Cold Symmetry's debut Soulslike had real style and interesting ideas, plus it was pleasantly short, but some clunkiness and dull levels held it back. Luckily, Cold Symmetry was able to make Mortal Shell 2, an expanded sequel which just dropped an open beta in time for Steam Next Fest, Valve's big demo blowout. At the time of writing, it's the most popular true-blue Soulslike in the event, and based on my limited time with it, Mortal Shell 2 has made some solid upgrades. (Mortal Shell 2 beta rewards and progress transfer explained in depth here.)
Mortal Shell 2 will feel fairly familiar if you played the original. If you're coming to it from other Soulslike action RPGs, such as Lies of P or Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, it may feel incredibly different. The titular shells frame an interesting class system: each comes with its own abilities and bonuses, though there's further room for customization in weapons and upgrades. Combat just has a different heft to it that's hard to compare – somewhere between the original Dark Souls and the modern Lords of the Fallen, perhaps. It's profoundly heavy, but not in a bad way since the game feels adequately built around it. For example: there's no stamina bar, so swing away.
