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Soulsborne Sequel Gets Very Metal Trailer Full Of E3 2008 Energy

Mortal Shell 2's action-packed and grim gameplay trailer felt like a blast from the past

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Screenshot: PlayStack / Kotaku

Today, during Summer Game Fest, Mortal Shell 2 was announced with a trailer that made me miss the days of E3 circa 2008 or 2010. The dark and twisted souls-like is coming to PC and consoles in 2026.

Here’s the first trailer for the upcoming action RPG, which kicked off the whole Summer Game Fest event, from publisher Playstack and developer Cold Symmetry:

Mortal Shell II - Official Announcement Trailer

And here’s how the publisher describes the standalone third-person RPG sequel to the first Mortal Shell, which launched to positive reviews in 2020.

“Mortal Shell II is a standalone sequel to Mortal Shell that significantly expands on the original with unrestricted, adrenaline-charged combat, deeper weapon design with extensive upgrade options, and an emphasis on free exploration.

This action RPG offers an immersive, interconnected open world, expansive yet deliberately compact, designed to unfold its twisted landscapes and hidden structures while respecting the player’s time.

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This metal-infused Mortal Shell II trailer really reminded many of us at Kotaku of the kind of over-the-top but fun trailers we’d seen back in the mid-00s. The screaming metal, the angry executions, and the mention of what the song is at the start. Very 2010 or so energy. And I’m here for it.

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The devs have removed any kind of stamina system from Mortal Shell II, according to a press release shared by Gematsu. “Mortal Shell II‘s combat system is agile yet grounded,” say the devs. “Unrestricted by stamina, players exploit multiple tactics to shatter enemy posture and strike critically.”

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Mortal Shell II is set to launch on consoles and PC in 2026. No specific console was shared, but I expect it will arrive on PS5 and Xbox sometime next year.

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