{"rewrite":{"id":"r_f8046b2c46bca1db4c30b249","clusterId":"c_7d1e03d2f80c2f4d7215db32","slug":"mortal-shell-ii-gets-august-20-release-date-demo-now-on-steam","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Mortal Shell II Release Date Set for August 20","summary":"Publisher Playstack and developer Cold Symmetry have announced that Mortal Shell II, the sequel to the 2020 souls-like dark action RPG, will launch on August 20, 2026. The game is coming to PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-orders are now open for the standard edition and the Devout Edition, which includes 72-hour early access and a set of eight shell skins. A limited-time PC demo is available on Steam, allowing players to carry over some progress to the full game. The demo covers the prologue and the early open-world area, offering about three hours of content. The game features a compact open world with over 60 dungeons, a combat system that removes stamina in favor of step dodges and perfect guards, and the ability to don the remains of fallen warriors to gain their abilities and stats. The open beta, which ran in June, earned a \"Very Positive\" rating on Steam, with 92% of approximately 4,600 user reviews positive and a peak of about 8,000 concurrent players. Mortal Shell II is the studio's first major sequel after the original game sold 500,000 copies worldwide.","whyItMatters":"The strong positive feedback from the open beta, combined with a polished combat system that abandons the series' original stamina mechanic, suggests Cold Symmetry has refined the formula to address the mixed reception of the first game while keeping the core identity intact.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe player character is named Harbinger, and the story tasks them with retrieving the stolen egg of Undermether. Enemies are described as having insane ideologies. The combat system removes stamina but introduces a guard gauge that depletes with each block, encouraging perfect guards and parries that do not consume the gauge. Dodging is a step dodge with little recovery, enabling fast-paced fights.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeveloper Cold Symmetry is a small studio made up of developers who previously worked on AAA titles. The game supports in-game Japanese display. Leveling is automatic rather than a parameter-selection system; build variety comes from choosing shells and equipping Tarstones, accessories that grant passive skills. Weapons and shells can be switched freely, allowing players to change builds mid-game.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe limited-time PC demo is an open beta build that covers the prologue and the early open-world area, offering about three hours of content. Playing the demo unlocks the \u0026#34;Flayed Pioneer\u0026#34; skin for the full game and allows skipping the prologue on a subsequent playthrough. However, currency, weapons, shells, collectibles, and items earned in the demo are not carried over. Pre-order bonuses include the \u0026#34;Skeletal Pioneer\u0026#34; and \u0026#34;Obsidian Pioneer\u0026#34; skins. The Devout Edition includes an \u0026#34;Obsidian\u0026#34; skin set for eight playable shells and 72-hour early access.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Mortal Shell II ditches the stamina bar, leans into step dodges and perfect guards. Swap entire builds by equipping warrior corpses (shells). Comes August 20 on PC, PS5, Xbox.","twitterPost":"Mortal Shell II's open beta was 'Very Positive' on Steam (92% of 4.6k reviews). A limited-time demo with partial save transfer is out now. Full game launches August 20.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Cold Symmetry's Mortal Shell II has a firm release date of August 20, 2026, and pre-orders are live. A PC demo with limited save transfer is available now. The open beta was well-received, with 92% positive user reviews.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"4Gamer.net\",\"url\":\"https://www.4gamer.net/games/917/G091735/20260709023/\",\"title\":\"Souls-like dark action RPG 'Mortal Shell II' release date set for August 20; latest trailer released\"},{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260709-454019/\",\"title\":\"Merciless Souls-like ARPG 'Mortal Shell II' to Release on August 20: The Game Where You Don Warriors' Remains and Freely Switch Builds, the Greatly Expanded Sequel Finally Arrives\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/07/09/169020.html\",\"title\":\"高難度アクションRPG『Mortal Shell II』8月20日発売決定＆予約購入受付開始。一部進捗引継ぎ可能なPC体験版が期間限定で配信中\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":12485,"outputTokens":3605,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783526437,"createdAt":"2026-07-08T15:55:09.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-08T15:58:32.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-09T06:05:33.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_7d1e03d2f80c2f4d7215db32","canonicalTitle":"高難度アクションRPG『Mortal Shell II』8月20日発売決定＆予約購入受付開始。一部進捗引継ぎ可能なPC体験版が期間限定で配信中","representativeArticleId":"a_e9c1c5aa1a3550138496da9a","sourceCount":3,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Mortal Shell II\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"written","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-08T15:18:23.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-09T05:50:30.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-09T06:05:33.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"4Gamer.net","url":"https://www.4gamer.net/games/917/G091735/20260709023/","title":"ソウルライクなダークアクションRPG「Mortal Shell II」の発売日が8月20日に決定。最新トレイラーを公開"},{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20260709-454019/","title":"無慈悲ソウルライクARPG『Mortal Shell 2』8月20日発売へ。戦士の遺骸まとう“ビルド切り換え放題”ゲーム、大幅拡張の続編がついに来る"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/07/09/169020.html","title":"高難度アクションRPG『Mortal Shell II』8月20日発売決定＆予約購入受付開始。一部進捗引継ぎ可能なPC体験版が期間限定で配信中"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Mortal Shell II"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Mortal Shell II will be released on August 20, 2026, for PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.","The open beta on Steam recorded a 92% positive rating from approximately 4,600 user reviews.","The Devout Edition includes 72-hour early access and eight shell skins.","Pre-orders of any edition grant the exclusive skins 'Skeletal Pioneer' and 'Obsidian Pioneer'.","The original Mortal Shell sold 500,000 copies worldwide."]}