A Worthy Encore Performance, With A Few Sour Notes: Thoughts on Mortal Shell’s “The Virtuous Cycle” DLC
Born from the void and still pristine Tranquil, vast, and cold See the orb of blue and green When he spake, the light shone gold . . . . Joy and delight forever ceased Sufferings abloom Eaten alive by the cauldron beast Let the drones ring to the sound of doom - Apocalypse Orchestra, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” (2017) This essay offers a detailed look at the downloadable “Virtuous Cycle” expansion released back in August 2021 for the action-adventure “Soulslike” game Mortal Shell , coming out about a year after the base game’s original release. Fittingly, perhaps, this piece is going up about a year after that , though it wasn’t my intention and I’ll get into the reasons for what ended up being an especially protracted writing process a bit below. This finished piece is partly a review of the Mortal Shell DLC but will also contain a blend of “thoughts” on the mechanics and design of both the base game and its expa...