Well, that was a way to start Summer Game Fest! Kicking off today’s Summer Game Fest presentation, new action indie title Mortal Shell 2 was revealed, and honestly, I’m thrilled to see Cold Symmetry’s brilliantly twisted take on the souls-like genre making its comeback. If you slept on the original Mortal Shell in 2020, you seriously missed out on one of the most unique spins on challenging action-RPG combat we’ve seen in years.
Cold Symmetry confirmed Mortal Shell 2 at Summer Game Fest 2025, coming to Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2026, and the reveal trailer was absolutely brutal in all the right ways. The Mortal Shell 2 reveal trailer has a similar aesthetic to the first game and is accompanied by a heavy metal soundtrack that perfectly fits the gory combat. We got our first look at a few of the bosses, enemies, and weapons at your disposal.
What gets me most excited about this sequel is how the developers are taking everything that made the original special and cranking it up to eleven. According to the devs, it will take everything from the first game and make it even better. The combat is faster and more intense, and weapons have more upgrade choices. Plus, players can explore the world freely without limits. That shell-possession mechanic that made the first game so distinctive? It’s back, and it sounds like we’re getting even more variety in how we approach combat encounters.
“Mortal Shell II is a standalone sequel action-RPG with adrenaline-charged, high-stakes combat. Possess warrior Shells, dethrone false gods, redeem a ravaged world,” Playstack said of the title. That tagline alone has me hyped – there’s something deliciously dark about the promise of dethroning false gods while wearing the shells of fallen warriors.
The original Mortal Shell proved that indie studios could nail the souls-like formula while bringing their creative twists to the table. Now with a 2026 release window, Cold Symmetry has plenty of time to polish what already looks like a worthy successor to their cult classic. Sometimes the best games are the ones that dare to be different, and Mortal Shell 2 looks ready to be beautifully, brutally different once again.
