Mortal Shell II

Cold Symmetry's tar-soaked Soulslike returns — bigger, stranger and more open. Our full review, complete platinum roadmap, and every one of the 53 trophies explained.

8.4 PixelForge Score

Developer: Cold Symmetry  ·  Genre: Soulslike Action-RPG

Platinum: 6/10 · 40–60h · 3 playthroughs · 0 online

Trophies: 1 · 1 · 10 · 41

Sharper, weirder, and hungrier than the original

The first Mortal Shell was a lean, brilliant Soulslike that punched far above its budget. Mortal Shell II keeps everything that made it distinct — possessing hollow "Shells" with their own stats and memories, the panic-button Hardening mechanic that freezes you mid-swing to shrug off a blow — and pours it into a far larger, more interconnected world. Where the original funnelled you through a hub and four tar-black tendrils, the sequel opens up: eight Shells to find and bond with, sixteen weapons and sidearms to hunt down, and a map riddled with Beacons, dungeons and secrets.

Combat is still the star. Every weapon feels heavy and deliberate, Hardening remains one of the best "oh no" buttons in the genre, and the new sidearms — from the absurd Ballistazooka to the Lute you can literally play songs on — give the moment-to-moment fighting real personality. The ten major bosses range from grotesque set-pieces (the Hexapod lurking in the Withered Shoals) to pure skill checks (The Nameless Captive and its headspins), and the difficulty curve is fairer than the original's spiky start.

It isn't flawless. The bigger world occasionally dilutes the tension the first game held so tightly, the tar-on-tar art direction can make navigation a chore before you find the Map Fragments, and a couple of collectible and Bond trophies are gated behind glitches and a three-run Glimpse grind that will test completionists. But as a sequel it does exactly what a sequel should: more of a great thing, executed with confidence.

The road to No Lifer

Do almost everything on run one, then treat NG+ and NG++ as Glimpse farms for the last Shell Bonds. Here's the clean order:

Detailed trophy pages

All 53 trophies

Verified against the official list. Tap a deep-dive above for full strategies.

	Trophy	Grade	How to unlock
	No Lifer	Platinum	Earn every other Mortal Shell II trophy to unlock the platinum.
	You're More Than a Weapon	Bronze	Claim your first Shell, Weapon and Sidearm — it happens naturally in the opening hours as the game hands you the basics.
	Mid Summer?	Bronze	Reach and enter the Festival area on the main story path.
	Home at Last	Bronze	Reach Marrowkeep, the game's hub. Story-unmissable — it's where the merchant Merrick sells weapon-location maps and NPCs settle in.
	Haunting Times	Bronze	Watch your first Shell Memory — raise a Shell's Bond Level by spending Glimpses at the Shellkeeper to unlock its memory cutscene.
	Deep Cuts	Bronze	Unlock the Axe and Dagger in the Shrine of Trials dungeon northwest of Mushroom Village (you'll need the Chapel Key from the burning-pyre area).
	Big Boi	Bronze	Unlock the Great Martyr's Blade in the Martyr's Prison dungeon northeast of Gloomshade Grove — clear the four enemies in the locked room to reach it.
	Just the Tip	Bronze	Unlock the Black Needle at Sester's Gate Beacon by defeating the Twin Sesters & Stray Sesters boss pair.
	Like Clockwork	Bronze	Unlock the Clockwork Scythe in the Chamber of Becoming (southeast of The Silent Steps Beacon) — beat Sariel the Endless and smash the four tombstones in the final room.
	Stop - Hammer Time	Bronze	Unlock the Obsidian Hammer in the Obsidianite Mines (Deserted Slums, southwest) by defeating the Prophet of Profane Infinities miniboss.
	Dual Wielding	Bronze	Unlock the Axatana in the tower northeast of The Silent Steps Beacon, reached through the Bone Gate — it's tucked behind an enemy.
	Cut You Down to Size	Bronze	Unlock the Veteran's Battle Axe in The King's Crypt dungeon northwest of Shattered Beacon — on a body after you drop down a long hole.
	Spiked	Bronze	Unlock the Caged Hystrix sidearm in the Chamber of Becoming, after beating Sariel the Endless twice and breaking his tombstones.
	Old Painless	Bronze	Unlock the Triarch Repeater in Blackwell Cavern — on the ground in the first lit-up area partway through.
	Beautiful Baby	Bronze	Unlock the Cursed Child in the Revered Beacon dungeon — attack the central pillar to kill the golden light beam, then grab it.
	Speared	Bronze	Unlock the Ballistazooka in Sentry's Grave after defeating the Subjugated Guardian miniboss.
	Chop Chop	Bronze	Unlock the Salvaged Trebuchaxe in the Ravaged Hideout (opens after you beat the Bloodcursed Lithopod) — on a body in the final room.
	Old School	Bronze	Unlock the Forgotten Crossbow in the Flooded Village (arc-opened doorway northwest of Blackridge Pass) — grab the Damp Key underground, then unlock the building holding it.
	Bring My Ova Back to Me	Silver	Collect all Ova — you earn them by cleansing Beacons across the world (196 in total).
	Heavy Metal	Silver	Play all five Lute tracks. Equip the Lute, hold L2, press Square, and cycle songs with the Down button.
	Ultimate Karen	Bronze	Defeat Magdalena, the Lady of the Woods in the Glutted Mire. Parry her strikes for healing ripostes and Harden through the heavy swings; roll the unblockables.
	Meat's Back on the Menu, Boys!	Bronze	Defeat The Lost Child in the Sanguine Caverns. Punish after its lunges and Harden to tank the surprise hits.
	Headcase	Bronze	Defeat The Nameless Captive in the Prisoner's Domain — parry its normal strings and dodge the spinning headspin attacks.
	Nightmare Fuel	Bronze	Defeat Sir Isaac, the Scholar-Prince in the Faded Citadel. Bait his combos, Harden mid-string, and riposte the recovery.
	Something in the deep...	Bronze	Defeat the Hexapod in the Withered Shoals — dodge its multi-limb sweeps and punish between flurries.
	Praise him!	Bronze	Defeat The Monolith. Read its slow wind-ups, Harden the hits you can't avoid, and chip it down safely.
	It burnssssssssss	Bronze	Defeat Droeg, the Conquerer in the Conquered Temple — stay out of the fire/AoE and punish after his big swings.
	Giga Chad	Bronze	Defeat the Malborn Offspring. Play patient: parry the normals, dodge the unblockables, punish the openings.
	Lost Your Head	Bronze	Defeat Orrem, the Reclaimed — punish the long recovery on its heavy attacks and Harden when you're caught out.
	It's over now?	Bronze	Defeat Zmey, the Unbidden — the final boss, which only unlocks after you've beaten five of the six main bosses. Manage stamina, Harden the unblockables, riposte every gap.
	Sester	Bronze	Unlock the Sester Genessa Shell: beat Sester Secundus in Revenant Graves for Sester's Censer, then trade it to Sester Genessa in Marrowkeep.
	Forever Alone?	Bronze	Unlock the Tiel Shell southeast of Widow's Overlook Beacon — interact with the grave in the marked search area.
	Down with the Thickness	Bronze	Unlock the Lazlo Shell by beating Vellen, High Lord of Mammon (underground, west of High Lords Courtyard Beacon), then interacting with the body.
	Vengeance is Mine	Bronze	Unlock the Eredrim Shell by defeating The Warden miniboss at the Citadel of Penance, then interacting with the body.
	The Alchemist	Bronze	Unlock the Sariel Shell by beating the Sariel miniboss twice — once on the stone platform, then in the Chamber of Becoming (destroy the four tombstones so he can't revive).
	Arrival	Bronze	Unlock the Proxima Shell in the Shattered Beacon dungeon northeast of Blackridge Pass — interact with the body at the back.
	My Brether	Bronze	Unlock the Smert Shell southwest of Outskirts of Nochte Beacon — make three blood offerings in the stone circles, then interact with the body by the statue.
	Heartless	Bronze	Unlock the Gragu Shell: get the Heart of Vatra from the Temple of Vatra, then give it to Gragu at the One-Legged Wolf Tavern.
	Peter's Perfect Parry	Bronze	Perfect-Guard every one of The Nameless Captive's headspin attacks in a single fight while wearing the Untarnished Seal.
	Stoned	Silver	Find all Tarstones — pickups scattered across the regions. Buy Merrick's maps in Marrowkeep to help track the stragglers.
	Decked Out	Silver	Reach the maximum bonding tier (Tier 4) for any one Shell by spending Glimpses at the Shellkeeper.
	Over 9000	Silver	Max out any single Weapon at the Tarforge using upgrade materials.
	Feed Me	Bronze	Cause the NPC Egon to pass away — the lethal outcome of his side questline, so follow his story to its grim end rather than helping him.
	So Fresh, So Clean	Bronze	Cleanse every Beacon in the game — this also feeds the Ova count for Bring My Ova Back to Me, so the two finish together.
	No, You Still Can't Win	Bronze	Take the Tar Golem (the tutorial boss) down to minimum health. Parry its normal attacks and dodge the unblockable ground smashes — it's a scripted 'loss', but chunk it down for the trophy.
	Sat Nav	Silver	Find all 11 Map Fragments — each is marked by a crow symbol; look for the crow (Ruk) perched on a nearby statue.
	Seeking the Past	Silver	Watch all 40 Shell Memories (8 Shells × 5 each) — unlock them by raising each Shell's Bond Level with Glimpses at the Shellkeeper.
	Shell Seeker	Silver	Unlock all 8 Shells (playable bodies). Most are boss/miniboss rewards or hidden bodies — none are missable, so mop up in free-roam.
	Guns. Lots of Guns	Silver	Unlock all 8 Sidearms. They're collectible-style pickups and miniboss rewards across the world — none missable.
	Lord of War	Silver	Unlock all 8 melee Weapons. None are missable — you can gather them in free-roam after the final boss; Merrick's maps in Marrowkeep mark each one.
	Ascension	Bronze	Discover the secret of the Mango: in the Sanguine Caverns grab Mether's Flesh from the Pulsing Caves, use it at the cup by the large fish near Outskirts of Nochte Beacon, then enter the Mango Sanctuary and interact with the giant mango.
	This is Not an Achievement	Gold	Complete Mortal Shell II by beating the final boss, Zmey. Story-unmissable.
	Bag Holder	Bronze	A tongue-in-cheek secret trophy — the reward for a specific hidden, deliberately-pointless interaction rather than any feat of skill.

Mortal Shell II platinum — quick answers