Developer: Cold Symmetry
Publisher: Playstack
Platform: Switch (other versions are on other platforms)
Tested on: Switch
Mortal Shell: Complete Edition – Review
It’s been slightly over two years since we first tried out Mortal Shell, and we found it a very original experience, albeit a bit unbalanced and rough around the edges. A few months later, the game was ported to PlayStation 5 in a so-called Enhanced Edition, and we sadly still encountered the same issues that prevented the game from reaching greatness. Now, almost a year later, the game has been ported again, but this time for Switch users. Dubbed the Complete Edition, we can play this Dark Souls clone on the go now. As we have already extensively covered this game twice, we will mainly be looking at the qualities of the Switch port in the short review below.
It’s clear that graphical cutbacks had to be made to make this game run on the Switch. We found both the PC and PS5 versions to look very good, albeit with a few aspects that were a bit unpolished. The Switch version of the game looks very rough around the edges compared to the other versions, but for a Switch game, this one looks quite good. The environments around us still had enough details, and the overall gloomy and grim atmosphere was still properly conveyed. When engaging in combat, however, there were massive dips in quality, as everything would turn very pixelated and grainy. While everything was still clear enough, it was obvious that the game drops its graphical prowess in favor of smooth gameplay when battling enemies. This took us a bit of time to get used to, but we very much appreciated how fluid the combat was when playing the game in handheld mode.
We were still struggling with certain design choices in the game, where small static objects would create invisible walls, where hitboxes didn’t feel precise, and there was still some noticeable input lag when playing the game. Other than that, many mechanics in the game still feel needlessly clunky, such as the poor lock-on system or the very sluggish movements during combat. We found the game to be most enjoyable with a Pro Controller, as the Joy-Cons are generally not that pleasant for games such as this.
Another new issue arises when playing Mortal Shell on the Switch, namely the loading times. The loading times in this portable version of the game were absolutely ridiculous. We understand that Nintendo’s tiny hybrid console has to load almost all data when booting up the game, but the increased loading times made the already slow game even slower.
As a whole, you’re still getting the same game as on other platforms, albeit with both DLCs included. If you have already played the game on other platforms, there is nothing new here to make this version stand out. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the complete edition doesn’t truly offer that much more. We do have to say that The Virtuous Cycle DLC might be the most enjoyable part of the game if you simply wish to dive into the content and just enjoy a Roguelike experience instead.
Conclusion
Mortal Shell: Complete Edition will probably still entertain Dark Souls aficionados, but it feels like an inferior version of an already flawed Dark Souls clone. The Switch version suffers from extremely long loading times and heavy cutbacks when it comes to the game’s graphics. Luckily, the game runs very smoothly when you’re actually playing, and the overall quality of the port is still great. That being said, if you wish to play Mortal Shell, and you have the option to do so on other platforms, we recommend going for those versions rather than this toned-down port. If you are a Switch gamer and truly want another dose of Dark Souls-inspired content, then you could do worse than this one, but we’d still recommend waiting for a discount.
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