New studio Cold Symmetry announces spooky soulslike Mortal Shell

With a chilling trailer, publisher Playstack has announced a new Soulslike named Mortal Shell. Created by the newly assembled studio Cold Symmetry, Mortal Shell is made by “a veteran coalition of AAA developers” and will be the studio’s debut title. Check out the impressive trailer for yourself below.

Seizing the bodies of the dead

Mortal Shell dumps you into a ruined world filled with the rotting remains of humanity. Here, the Dark Father will have you follow his every command, no matter the cost. But here’s the kicker: you’re just an empty vessel, so what good are you really? Fortunately, the dead are there to give you a hand, as you’ll be able to take over their remains and gain the abilities they once possessed. These are the Mortal Shells.

The more you connect to a Mortal Shell, the more upgrades you get, such as an acidic blade or some dark magic to clear your path. Don’t get too full of yourself, though. You are strongly recommended to only strike when an opportunity presents itself. If you’re a fan of the Soulslike genre, you’re probably familiar with this concept. Still, forewarned is forearmed, so to speak.

Mortal Shell will feature a non-linear campaign and will allow you to progress through “marsh-infested lowlands” and “gargantuan cathedrals of obsidian rock” at your own leisure.

Made by AAA veterans

Cold Symmetry was formed two years ago by Andrew McLennen-Murray, Anton Gonzalez, and Vitaly Bulgarov. The latter two worked as artists on smaller games you may know, such as Call of Duty and the upcoming Sony exclusive Ghost of Tsushima, as well as movies such as Alita: Battle Angel. It looks like Mortal Shell is in good hands. 15 pairs of hands, in fact, as the team is really quite small.

“For a small team like ours, developing this title in many ways felt like crossing an ocean on a paddleboard,” the three aforementioned co-founders say in a joint statement. “To finally announce Mortal Shell is one of the most exciting and terrifying experiences we’ve had in our lifetimes. The last two years have been a time of non-stop growth, full of shocking revelations of sheer complexity that goes into creating a video game that you, yourself, would really enjoy playing.”

Mortal Shell is slated for a Q3 2020 release on all platforms. The official website is now live, where you can also sign up for the closed beta.