If you're a fan of the Soulslike genre, you'll know this feeling all too well. You're neck-deep in a boss battle against an opponent you've already died to five times. Your health is low, your opponent is winding up a strike, you're waiting for the exact right moment to parry it, and your phone rings. Or your food starts burning. Or someone calls you from another room. Maybe nature itself calls. Your focus gets broken, and boom. That's your sixth death.
In Mortal Shell 2, however, you can just pause. Go and answer the door, pick up your phone, put out any kitchen fires that may have started, and return to your game when you're ready. Something as simple as a pause button seems like a tiny detail, but it can be a controversial one, especially for a game like Mortal Shell 2.
Why Pausing Feels Different in a Soulslike
Soulslike games have many tell-tale features that allow them to fit snuggly into the genre. While you don't need to forgo a pause button to be a Soulslike game, many of them do. That's why Cold Symmetry's decision to add a pause button is a little controversial, especially to the Soulslike purists out there. But while some are offended by the mere suggestion of a Soulslike having a pause button, others are loving the flexibility of being able to pause your game to tend to real-life matters.
A post from Reddit user CreepyTeddyBear praises Mortal Shell 2's pause button as he is a father in the midst of potty training. Having to decide whether to sacrifice your Gloom or face cleaning up an unfortunate accident can be a tough choice, depending on how much Gloom you're risking!
The pause button can be a lifesaver in other ways. It's not uncommon in a game like Mortal Shell 2 to accidentally stumble across a boss you're not quite ready for and lose all your Gloom in one hit. The pause button allows you to run in and snatch up your Gloom, pause and exit to the menu screen, and start back at your last beacon with all your Gloom and some of your dignity still intact.
Don't forget to check out the Mortal Shell II Wiki if you ever get stuck!
The issue that can come up here is that the pause button can make the experience a little easier. Soulslikes are known for their grueling difficulty. A pause button gives you some reprieve and even allows you to perform tricks like the one mentioned earlier. Since the pause button can be exploited like that, some think it's a bit of a cop out. But let's be honest. There is no real checklist of features that make a game a Soulslike, and Mortal Shell 2 isn't the first one to introduce a pause button by any means. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Nioh also have pause buttons, and those games are excellent examples of their genre.
Mortal Shell 2 breaks the Soulslike mold in other ways, too. There is no stamina bar to be found in Mortal Shell 2, and the game is still seeing incredible reviews and has a score of 83 on Metacritic at the time of writing. People are still loving the experience, pause button included.
Not everyone is looking for a pause button just to make the game easier or to exploit it. Gamers are real people, with real-life responsibilities like jobs and kids. Life doesn't stop for your game. A pause button just makes games more accessible for those who don't have endless undivided attention to give. It allows players to take a breath or take care of business, and in a game built around surviving one relentless encounter after another, sometimes that's all you really need.
Mortal Shell II
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85/100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- August 20, 2026
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Cold Symmetry
- Publisher(s)
- Playstack
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike, Action RPG, Fantasy
