Brutal new soulslike is the next best thing to Bloodborne 2, and you can sign up

There are so many games created with direct influence from FromSoftware's action RPGs that a new genre has been created from projects similar to Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Sekiro, Demon's Souls, and Bloodborne. What sets the most worthwhile of these soulslike games apart, though, isn't their ability to replicate the unforgiving combat design of From's catalog, but their approach to making absorbing, often foreboding settings. It's in this kind of world design that 2020's Mortal Shell excelled. Now that we've just seen a first glimpse of its sequel, Mortal Shell 2, it looks like creator Cold Symmetry is offering an increasingly detailed nightmare world to explore that continues this effort.

Mortal Shell 2 looks to build on the first soulslike game aside from just its hellish environments. Per its Steam page, the sequel will include more complex weapons and combat design, with the player upgrading their roster of moves and abilities by finding and possessing the exoskeletal 'shells' of dead warriors.

It also seems to channel Bloodborne's fast-paced fights. Mortal Shell 2 doesn't include a stamina system in an effort to encourage frenetic combat. Alongside the look of its abyssal levels and inventively grotesque enemies, this decision seems like it could make for a soulslike that sets itself apart from the rest of the genre.

Mortal Shell 2 is set to launch sometime in 2026, with beta sign-ups coming soon. Sign up for beta registration here and find more details or wishlist the game on Steam right here.

While you're waiting for news, you can also find other options like Mortal Shell 2 to play with our lists of the best action-adventure games and best horror games already out on PC.

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