I know this is an old video but i like how Hadern is the only shell with a moderately positive quote on the shell screen. "Perseverance is the cure for nihilism."
Solomon's can absolutely be positive. Utmost conviction in oneself over a fabric is empowering if you have the courage to accept that that's all religion is; a fabric to console you like a child is consoled. But Hadern's is without a doubt the most unanimously positive.
I really like the freedom to "choose" the third ending with bag head. You don't chase glands, like the Chained One tells you. You don't gather shells and glimpse into what makes them human like the Sister wants you. Just eat, drink and have a good time while you are alive.
canon ending for me is realizing you’re doomed to repeat things, saying “well, shit” and going to the guy in the woods to drink, eat and play the lute for all eternity
I think the best ending is to sit down in front of a fire have fun, drink, eat. You'll live an eternity and can enjoy for eternity. Especially if you're with a good friend. That's really nice. I have a friend sometimes go to his place, eat drink talk for the whole day. Suddenly it's 3 am and i better get home, would be nice if it lasted forever.
47 seconds in.... It took several play throughs and I finally realized what is going on. We are introduced to this world by crawling out of the pelvic region of a giant horned being. At this being's feet are worshippers enshrined in stone. A few carrying tablets with words chiseled into them. The next step is meeting Sester Genessa who literally calls us a new born and makes several references to just being born.
@@mdbattlefrog1913 are you really telling me you didn’t know the tutorial area was supposed to be a womb? What about when you walk up to that giant suspiciously vaginal looking crevice leading to Majula? There’s even a coffin that switches your character’s sex inside the tutorial area
@@thecalifornian6014 If you where Solomon and talk to Old Prisoner after spending that initial 500 Tar to get Solomon's name the Old Prisoner has unique dialog. Similarly, everyone's favorite Baghead bro will react angrily if you are wearing Tiel, thinking that Tiel is there to steal Tar from him again.
I got that dialogue where the old prisoner says he met Solomon before and so on. How can I get the dialogue he says they are brothers? I never thought he could be human, since we see a small similar dead body in a coffin in the ice caves...
@@TheRafaeloctavio go talk to him using the solomon shell, that's how i got the dialogue at least... I won't spoiled what he says but it's pretty explicit that they're brothers
I finally beat Mortal Shell this weekend-I went through a period where I just wasn't feeling Soulslikes, so I hadn't played it for months-and I have to say, it has the most elegant in story justification for New Game+ ever. You're immortal, but the cost of immortality is re-living the same experience over and over. That's amazing.
Love that, canon ending for me is realizing you’re doomed to repeat things, saying “well, shit” then instead going to the guy in the woods to drink, eat and play the lute for all eternity
I don't think the bosses are the revered. They are merely the guardians. You don't take the glands from the bosses but the weird creatures after the bosses.
Yeah, thats the vibe I got. In one of the shells dialogue upon unlocking a skill, they describe The Revered as a 'her' and that they couldn't look away. Leading me to assume they're beautiful. I think it's one of Eredrims memories?
Yeah, in the Harros' story you hear how he called Revered "a writhing mass of sinew, as if it constantly splitted apart and reformed". None of the bosses (except Old Papa Chicken) fits that.
@@YeOldeMachine different shells were adepts of different cults (except Harros, he was a knight sent to kill one of the Revered). Eredrim was a member of frozen cult, and the Revered he describes is a frozen one (whom you get after defeating Tarsus). She really has woman's face.
I feel like Hadern is an older version of the foundling, like in Dragons Dogma where the dragon chooses you to eventually replace the god of life and then continue on until you send the dragon to choose someone in your stead and so and so forth. Hadern might've been the foundling before you, teaching you these things and setting you up for success so that you can replace him. Idk that's what it seems like to me
The bosses aren’t the revered they’re just powerful devout. The revered are the creepy fleshy immobile creatures we tear the glands out of. I’m sure they’re so powerful because they have drank a lot of nectar.
I think Eredrim might’ve also gone to kill the brothers and sisters to prove his worthiness when you talk to brother Corvus as Eredrim he basically tells you to finish what you started and kill him It would also explain why he died outside the seat of infinity
He went about killing the "unworthy" as well as the sick and feeble. You aren't necessarily wrong because he doesn't specify who exactly is "unworthy" beyond the thralls that grovel at the feet of the revered, so he could very well be referring to the brothers and sisters.
Almost seems like an allegory for video games generally. The player is always the foundling-bouncing from one protagonist’s shell to the next in a cycle of endless toil. In the end tho, it’s we who ascend. Never the characters we play. Or not 🤷♂️
@@WhiteKing45 I like the enemy designs, and the shell armours. The crypts and dim gate were pretty memorable, too. The bosses and the ending are a let down though.
You literally posted this video as soon as I had beaten the game and was wondering if other people got what I got out of it. Great video. Very thorough. I'm pretty sure you're on the right track.
Perhaps I didn't understand correctly but the guy with the bells that brings the fog back does mention being unable to tell which memories are his anymore and that it doesn't matter since they now belong to him. That makes it sound like the glimpses allow you to "glimpse" into someone else's memories.
As I was talking to her I remembered in DS3 if you use emotes in front of the Firekeeper she responds, so I tried the lute and had a good time rocking out with the Sester. I also tried it on the giant frog in the little cave, was kinda disappointed he doesn't react. I even tried using the that super lute with maxed familiarity, but I got nothin :(
@@BababooeyGooey the only purpose of gorf is to turn on and off the music in the game, pretty weird I know, but if you turn down all your volumes and keep only the music one, and then talk to frog, he will deactivate the music ( or activate if it's deactivated) it's not a big change but you can definitely perceive
Haven't finished the video yet, but as I was fighting the last boss (before the unchained boss) I realized that unborn are the ones that you pull the gland out of, And their guardians are the bosses we fight. Like the first martyr is that ice lady's guardian. the one we pull the gland out of
I believe that Hadern is/was the player, just at a different point in time/new universe after FULLY transcending. I believe after you have gained immortality and start again you continue on your adventure over and over, absorbing the full combined power of the glands after harvesting them from the ascended Prisoner, ascending further and further each time. Each time you gain more and more power and are able to stray further outside the cycle as you ascend more. Eventually you gain enough power to go outside the universe/cycle, given your new form. This new, blank place of fog seems so empty so you add a few obsidian pillars and water, inspired by a place you can barely remember; from this place you create a new world, you fill it with towns and cities and people. And to those you deem worthy you raise up and grant certain abilities, as to better guide/assist the people of your world, maintain it and preserve its order. Over time those you have raised up become less and less concerned with their duties and more concerned with amassing a following to the point where cities sink into the earth and become swamps, others start immolating or freezing eachother in rituals to gain favour from those they believe to be "Gods" Everytime you create a place, they "squander their gifts", this, the cycle of their corruption, begins again and again and ruins the world you made. Growing tired of this you bring back a creature, one that had been discarded for so long it was forgotten, like you once were. And just as you had, you breathe life into it, train it and fill it with its new purpose. And so they set out on their quest and the cycle begins again
Yeah, and I thought it was very clever, given it's also an anagram of "harden", and he is pretty much the only enemy in the game that has that ability. I don't know if it really means anything, but it seems like a really clever choice of name.
@@monkeybusiness673 yo what if hadern is like you ancestor who transfered into another body or he created you in his own image to ascend or something maybe?
Bro, I was expecting a dollar store dark souls, but this game really forged its own identity. The "shell" mechanic is a really cool and unique idea, along with the harden system making the combat a distinctly different experience than its inspiration. Its nice to see a souls clone that has an original vibe.
I don't think it will be as I haven't seen a lot of craze or talk about it even by people who enjoy it. If it does become a franchise, I definitely would be excited
Dark Souls 2 isn't that hard to top imo. Plot was everywhere and it just wasn't all that satisfying. Though the DLC's did redeem the game quite a bit for me. Mortal Shell is a lovely game, hard without actually _trying_ to fuck over the player like DS3 while having lore that is actually interesting and worth investing your time into.
When the player interacts with the empty weapon slots in Fallgrim Tower for the first time a short cutscene plays that gives the player a hint at where they can find the weapons, just like with the Shells. It is Hadren that is seen carrying all the weapons and traveling around Falgrim in these short cutscenes. Did he leave them there for you? Did he take the same journey as the Foundling? Could the Foundling be Hadren's offspring? Hadren is the only other character that hardens. He basically teaches you how to use the weapons and harden ability by using them on you.
I bet Hadern was the brother of Solomon, became the Old Prisoner from the rite of Transfiguration, and is the foundlings `Dark Father´. When you defeat him in his Unchained form you free him from that curse and he can become Hadern again. Which if you have the DLC(I don't) you can then obtain his body as another shell from what I understand.
A few corrections: The bosses aren't the revered, but their guardians. The revered are the corpse-like beings we take the glands from. Next, glimpses are definitely memories of the person the glimpse comes from. This is made most clear by the questline between Thestus and Brether Corvid. Depending on how the quest goes, you get glimpses relating to what THEY do and what THEY feel. What's more, glimpses don't just appear when someone dies. This is implied by the dialogue you receive when unlocking your shells' abilities. You become closer to your shells by consuming the glimpses that THEY have left behind throughout the lands. Additionally: We actually seem to be a (reborn) revered from an old temple of stone worshipers, though our cult seems to have died out, some of them now petrified.
Has anyone done a Shell-less(where you never pick up a shell) run or a run where you sever your connection to mortal realm at that bone-looking altar yet? I am wondering if the ending is different if you do that.
Nothing changes, but I still recommend giving it a shot. I did a no-shell/Obsidian form run a while ago, and despite the pain of getting one-shot by archers, it was damn fun.
Great video! I was hoping someone would put together an in-depth lore presentation. One question, though: Are the bosses we face actually the Revered/Unborn? I was under the impression that they were the chosen champions of the Revered, but not the Revered, themselves.
I think Hadren is a failed shell, To me it looked as if he went to search for his purpose but failed at every corner, so when he went to the otherside he killed his fish so that hed not suffer anymore. Cause if you hadnt noticed everytime you beat him for a new weapon, he looks at it as if realizing that he needs to realize the we are still fighting. But thats just a theory, A GAME THEORY!
Coming to this after Cold Symmetry announced the new DLC Virtuous Cycle. I wanted to dig deeper into the story to see how this new content will fit into the overall lore. Your in depth analysis and theory are fantastic and a wonderful watch. Thank you!
Very good video, and I'm glad to think that I came to almost the same conclusions. There are some things I thought of however : - The Fog might just be the future, at least one of the possible futures. That would explain why, if the Foundling decides to stop fighting and just watch life pass on by, the creatures of the fog are seen attacking the bandits and taking over, possibly leading to the state of the world we witness in the Fog. - I am not sure that Sister Genessa is talking about the Old Prisoner, it might just be Teal, as she recognises us when we wear his shell and Teal also went too far in his consumption of nektar. - As for the ending, I do think indeed that as we ascend, we become just like sister Genessa and re-live this story again and again. It would be very "Souls-esque" to have this idea of a cycle and of a false belief : the whole world seeks to ascend in order to be free, but the truth is that once you ascend and become immortal, you are still a prisoner, albeit in a different cell.
My theory: Rough story: Haderns gift was the true nectar. He gave it to the revered, they mutated, went apeshit, and started trying to take control of the mortal world. After seeing that hadern stopped giving it out. Salomon, managed to make some himself. His brother, the prisoner, drank it, went crazy and mutated like all the others and was imprisoned by salomon because he was to dangerous. Hes not a full revered though, his vision incomplete, he needs more nectar. He even has his own little cult like the others, just look at the masks some of the brigands are wearing. Hadern then sends you down to clean up the shitfest he caused, probably knowing the prisoner would ask you to do just what he wanted you to, and that youd get rid of him as well after he goes crazy. You do just that, ascend yourself and return to your home plane, thus removing any of haderns damaging influence from the mortal world. How ascension works: Like the nectar from the revered connects their followers to them, the true nectar connects people to hadern. But the revered are mortals, bound to their bodys, so they can never truly ascend to his plane. Only you can, because youre from there. That realisation is why the prisoner gets so mad at the end. You get what he and all the other revered wanted so badly.
I think the bit with ending is just additional dialogue for NG+. I think the foundling legit ascends into something beyond comprehension in the ending, which the unchained failed to do.This is the reason he fights you in the end(because he scornfully realized that true ascenscion was meant for the foundling and hot the prisoner) I don't think ascension is just a return to fallgrim and a repeat of things.
At the start of the game, when you first get to Fallgrim, you crawl out of a hole in the ground that is inside the skeleton of a bird-like creature with horns. There are also statues that might have once been people in front of it that look like they’re praying to it. Much like in the temples of the revered.
Also, apparently Old Prisoner is related to Solomon the scholar. And at first glance I thought that heretic sister Genesa mentioned was Tiel, he went mad from injesting copious ammounts of that tar nectar
I feel like Hadern is the "ascended form" of the Foundling, who through time makes sure the foundling ascends by giving him weapons and teaching him combat, after the ascension the foundling physical body stays in the cycle forever, Hadern could be his non physical body in the "ascended" realm like the other guardians have their realms
What a great video. Love games like this that have so much lore that people such as you are able to grab it all and make one hell of a video from it. Great stuff!
Good explanation! Very nihilistic, which I love. There's still more to it, I wonder if we'll ever find out the other mysteries. The Foundling for instance, where did they come from? Who TF is Hadern, what's with the Fog? I think we're just beginning to understand and piece everything together. It's exciting.
Very good summary of the game. I got the basic idea of what the player was doing throughout the game, but I was lost on what was going on at each Shrine, so this was very helpful.
thanks for the analysis! after reviewing the game, i had to come to youtube to give myself insight on wtf this game was on about, as it’s pretty confusing sometimes. great work :)
Very nicely done. As many have no doubt mentioned this video was made with a quality and thoroughness one would expect from Vaati. That is an accolade that even the Scholar Solomon would be envious of. I look forward to seeing more insightful videos from you in the future as much as I look forward to seeing more titles from Cold Symmetry!
2:03 he apears in the ruins next to the weapons. I dont think the secret ending is a joke, you can even see the ghouls invading becasue the player character did nothing to stop them.
Great explained video! I’m half way through the game and I’m losing patience since the game mechanic is repeated. I’m here to understand the story of the game. You did a great job explaining it.
What you mean the game mechanic is repeated? It's an action RPG soulslike, and that's pretty much what the mechanics offer. What did you expect from it? It's called a gameplay loop. Look it up, it's actually pretty interesting. And EVERY game has it. Every game repeats its mechanic, over and over. The scenery shifts, and the scenario varies, maybe we level up and gain new tools... but were basically playing the same exact couple minutes of gameplay mechanics over and over in any game.
Nice video... this game is interesting in terms of Concept & Understanding , However haven't you noticed something about the 4 Weapons ? They do seem have a purpose aswell , as if they were Remnants of the revereds themselfs ( The Martyr's blade signifies Tarsus the 1st Martyr , the Smouldering Mace looks exactly like Emrod's mace but abit smaller , The Hammer & Chisle is a Dual Wield weapon which sync's together as one weapon , The Hammer is the Crucix big spear dude & the Chisle is the smaller Twice Born being with the Cross Bow )... As for the Hollowed Sword it could simply imply it's our character ( A being with no purpose at first , Hence why the Sword is Hollow from the inside grip ) 🤔 Let me know what you think about this.... As for Hadern he could be a Guardian Boss on that other Plane from where we got summoned from at the Start of the Game. ( *As for explanation the Book that we tear off a Page from to get summoned to the Hadren Plane with the different weapons , it's actually tied to the Story and those 3 Books from all the 3 Locations could be the Religious Book Religions you talked about earlier atleast to what the Revered is about or some kind of Remnant to the revereds Past in some sorts* ) .... This does makes sense , as at first i thought the Weapons were tied to Shells which is not 😅
Nice video, enjoyed watching it, but there's definitely some things missing and some other things which don't make sense. *Glimpses:* For example, we know glimpses give you back the memories of the shell you reside in, so we - the Foundling - can channel glimpses to gain memories of others. This seems to go directly against what you said in the video about the glimpses giving us back our own memories, because we don't use them for this. ALso your argument for the mutated humans hunting for glimpses to relive their own memories doesn't really seem to make much sense to me. They're told to care about the emotion contained within the glimpses. It could be anyone's glimpse, anyone's memory, they only care about the high living that emotion/memory brings. Doesn't need to be theirs. *The old Prisoner:* We know he exactly who he was, since one of the shells we find is his brother. He's indeed who you suspect him to be, but not including this seems like you forgot. Not ideal fo a lore video. *The Foundling and Hadren:* I know we don't have much info on them, but that makes me feel like we missed something. Feels strange to have near-nothing. Also, you seem to imply Hadern is the fish that swallows us? I disagree. While fighting him, you can see he's got his own fish behind him - much much larger and dead. Hadern is like us. He had his own fish, but it's no longer alive. Does this mean they're dead? Probably. It does bring up a new question, though: What are these fish?
I'm not not that knowledgeable on the lore so I'm just speculating, what if the harden was once helping the old prisoner just like how we are and is unable continue, or he helped the old prisoner till he wasn't needed anymore and now he is sending us as a mean to get revenge (first teaching us on basic combat, then giving us weapons after testing us), he could be stuck in his shell for some reason tho
@meaturama if a fish is just a fish, how can it transport the body to a different place? it's not just a fish, it's a transport, portal, call it as you wish, but definitely not a simple fish
You get the glimpse of reverie for beating Hadern in tutorial/ng+ and I feel like there is some lore to be gained there but I'm too lazy to connect the dots lol
The Foundling sort of becomes the shell it possesses and glimpses gained only applied to the current shell, keeping in line with the idea of glimpses giving back the user's memories. Hadern and The Foundling both seem to be spirits. Hadern must have been someone who once lived but The Foundling could be be a spirit that never lived be before giving it unique abilities and making it a blank slate.
Very nice point about Hadern and his fish being dead. Maybe if the fish are, in some sort, connected to the nectar,either it being their nutrition or a production of them... Maybe the massive consumption of nectar by the Chained One resulted in his death?
This is my very first experience playing a dark souls type game the only reason why I downloaded it was because it reminded me of old school Diablo from the PC days in modern form but I got to say the learning curve definitely took me a while and it was definitely challenging enough where I had to take the game seriously for a while which I finally found myself feeling like a kid again and if this is the experience I got then I think I’m gonna dive deep into the dark souls in Elden ring type games
The Soulsborne / Soulslike games are such a strange genre. I bought all of the Dark Souls games and Bloodborne despite barely getting halfway through any of them. But there was always something there, something that I wanted to love but something wasn't quite clicking. Then I played Elden Ring with a friend who's a massive Souls fan and eventually it just clicked. I can't tell you WHAT clicked exactly, but everything just did. Now I'm working my way through Bloodborne solo and am absolutely loving it. Can't wait to try Dark Souls properly
What makes you think that Tiel's disfiguration was case by consuming Tar? Sounds very random. I thought it was clear it was some sort of sickness that why he went to the Shrine of Ash where the fire purified ill people.
Just got the game for free on PSN. This is great, I really like to understand the world of a game while playing it to appreciate it. You're like the Vaati/Ashen Hollow for Mortal Shell. If only the game was more popular but I hope theres a sequel with a bigger dev team.
I didn't buy the DLC, but in vanilla, I like to think that Hadern was the previous ascended. He wields the same weapons as us and trains us to take over for the next foundling. In NG+ the sester says that it's happening again. It's like a never ending loop.
I feel like an important thing to look into is that shrine, the one that gives you the option to forsake all mortal shells I can't help but wonder who made this shrine, or the significance of it
I actually have a theory I’d like to share I think the foundling is actually Hadern. Mainly with a few bits of evidence. The first being that Sester Genessa tells you that you’re a spirit who’s unwilling to cross the threshold because of a past obligation, then in the tutorial it tells you that you’ve inherited the ability to harden, with Hadern being the only other individual with this ability. Lastly, what you said in the video about Hadern giving gifts to people falls in line with you, the foundling, being unable to pass on because deep down the soul of Hadern still wants to help the people of fallgrim. That’s what I think at least. Sorry for the long post.
Oh, and this explains why we know how to use the weapons In the game, because they were Hadern’s, so the boss fight was like Hadern’s glimpses. I think.
I wish that they would have made all the areas as abstract as the seat of infinity instead of just basic hot and basic cold with the green area for easy enemies and progression Points. They especially spoil you if you go to seat of infinity before any other area. Its just so breathtaking the first time you see it leaving you with so many questions about the environment.
Great video for a great game. Canon ending for me is realizing you’re doomed to repeat things, saying “well, shit” and instead go to the guy in the woods to drink, eat and play the lute for all eternity
Hi, you really got me thinking on how amazing the story line to this game is. What are my your thoughts on the virtuous cycle? I would love to see you break it down.
Well, "Hadern" is an anagram of "Harden". Clearly, it is canon that one of Hadern's many gifts is the petrification mechanic ingame. Confirmed, indisputable proof. 🙃
With the release of the DLC, we now have answers regarding Hadern, he found the Foundling and his Twin Sister back when they were just larvae and became attached to them, going as far as to protect them from his "Hateful kin". He tried to cage them for reasons unknown, perhaps to protect them just as much as to keep them in check, however the twins outgrew their cages quicker than he expected, soon developing human form. Hadern enlisted the help of a Forgemaster to build a labyrinth that could keep the twins trapped and his "kin" at bay. To this same purpose, he captured an "architect" whom he forced to enter in contact with the twins. Upon doing so, the architect fell to his knees in adoration, and understood what had to be done. At some point, Solomon became part of the small cult that was formed around the Twins. however, he obsessed with the female sibling, he had hope in or for her in some way, leading Hadern to consider him lost, for the sister was malformed, without arms or legs of her own, she was worthless to him, and so was Solomon now. The relationship of the two however, revealed, or, at least, confirmed to Hadern, that the Twins were shaped by the figures around them, and reshaped them in turn. He could see Solomon´s effect on her, probably her growing personality and intellect compared to her brother. At this point, in the timeline, the faith on the 3 revered appears to have grown to dominate Fallgrim, much to the despair of Hadern, who sees the misuse of the Sacred Glands as sacrilege or at least foolishness. He speaks of nektar and how the people drink of it ´til they forget themselves, giving themselves fully to lies. He seems powerless to stop this madness however, and places his hope in the foundling, saying he is all that´s left and that he will test him. (We can presume that he decided to imprint his warrior skills on the Foundling, just like Solomon imprinted his easygoing and sassy personality on the Twin Sister. He succeeds judging by the careful wording of the game saying we inherited the power of Hardening and we can use each of the weapons we find masterfully the moment we grab them.) Hadern found a priestess and made her a proposal, claiming to be a messenger of her godess, she scoffed at him until she saw the Foundling, believing him a divine being, she agreed to Hadern´s proposal she borrowed deep into the earth, awaiting for Deliverance. It´s unclear who he is talking about. It could be Sester Genessa, but she doesn´t seem to know the Foundling when they first meet.It could also be the corrupt Sester, but she isn´t exactly deep below ground... Finally, the architect succeeded and supplicants gathered around begging to be allowed into the impenetrable, impossible temple. Of course it was meant to be safe haven for the twins not some place of worship, but by the time Hadern reached the architect he had already drank himself silly with nektar. The Foundling was nonetheless introduced into the safety of the temple, beyond the reach of the revered, their, slaves, their thugs or any other hateful individuals that might come seeking to destroy the divine. And Hadern kept making preparations, gathering magical artifacts or wonder of engineering, anything that could help the Foundling, until they met once more in his dreams. They fought time and time again and it learned from him. All the while Hadern felt it had all happened before, and would happen again. If you have the DLC, you are able to find Hadern at the tower upon completing his other tests, with the end of his life near, he challenges the Foundling one last time, a last duel on which Hadern wields his predilect weapon and doesn´t hold back. If the Foundling is victorius Hadern will finally be able to rest in peace, knowing his protege is ready to face whatever awaits him. As parting gift, Hadern gifts the Foundling his weapon, a piece of artisanal work of mysterious origin, known only as the axatana, twin blades that coukd be conjoined into a powerfull two handed axe. And, with his body now lifeless, the foundling may also choose to take the shell of his mentor as his own, their shared story coming full circle.
Dude! Awesome Re-tell of the #Story 👑✨👌 Yeah it's Dark Souls-like but... it feels (the vibes) of the lore is completely different. This is THE first legit Western #DarkSouls-like 👑 game. 👍🤓
the ending kinda makes me think that maybe at this world we have already achieved immortality but re-incarnating back to earth after we died. Our spirit will live on forever but we will forever live in our mortal shell for every life we have.
I think all enemies, NPCs and shells are aspects of your character in life and you are in the afterlife putting yourself back together/fighting or overcoming your ugly or weaker aspects to ascend to a higher plain of existence.
I doubt this is the answer you want, but I'm fairly certain it's a gameplay concession. I mean sure, they might have a in universe explanation. But let's be honest... The reason why is because it's a game. If you could just float into any body, that'd be a different game altogether. And tbh, all the shells are is this games way of doing classes... which is cool! I dig it. But, that's the real explanation for why you can only go in 5 shells... because the game has 5 classes.
I never heard of this game. Then I saw on Steam. As a huge soulslike fan, I bought it. It surprised me!! Amazing!!! It's not a ds copy but a entire different and innovative game with the same atmosphere (imo). I finished the game but didn't understand anything lol So thanks for this!! I'm looking into the lore now and wow!!!
Great analysis. I remember playing this when it came out. I thought the game was late apart from the last area with the confusing teleporting maze nonsense. But I honestly had no idea what was going on with the lore, not even a tiny fragment of it made any sense at the time haha.
About Glimpses, when you give Thestus a glimpse he says something along the lines of "I can't remember which memories are mine and which aren't anymore" (I don't remember exactly because I only used his services once a little while ago) so I'm pretty sure that you see the memories of people that you got the glimpse from so to speak, as for the Nocteserpers, I think they are looking for the glimpses for the reasons you mentioned, except they dont relive their own memories, but of other people like Thestus implied.
Mk. 5 Eradrim is very op, his health gets super long when you upgrade him, and also he has a skill you can unlock that will stack his damage everytime you kill someone also. Stamina isn’t his thing, but health and sticking in the game for a while you got it with him. I beat the last boss with him btw.
Now this game could teach future game developers a thing or two about balance. I cant stand games that your character dies in two or three hits. Artificial difficulty that is.
I always thought Imrod was some kind of heretic champion to the Acolytes Of Ash, he’s large and obese which is against the asceticism of the Acolytes of Ash, and wanted the Nektar though he wasn’t deserving. The Acolytes attempted to make him repent, but he refused and killed his way to the Nektar the Acolytes held, he then ascended and became its guardian, when he wasn’t worthy of it. So the Acolytes still attempt to kill him, but due to his newfound power they constantly fail. The Acolytes of Ash are cool
I hope the creator of the video sees this even though this is a long time ago I believe that the gifts that hadern has given the people are the weapons that you can acquire in a game and they were quote "wasted on them because they are creatures now" which is true about the bosses imrod uses a weapon similar to the smoldering mace the ice dude's weapon is similar to the martyr blade ect but hey that's just a theory a game theory thanks for reading
I think Hadern is one of the coolest characters. The theories about him in this video also turn out to be true. When you look at his upgrade tree you can see in the Recollection of knowledge that he apparently knew Solomon because his quote is about him. In the upgrade Recollection of strength he talks about an unborn and that he will test him when times comes which clearly is a reference to the foundling and the times when the player has to fight against Hadern to obtain the different weapons.
It’s funny watching this video and learning about NPC‘s being in the game that I had no idea where there. Actually quit this game and uninstalled it for a few days about only about an hour in because I wasn’t having fun glad I came back to it.
![[[OFFICIAL MV]] เอิ้นขวัญให้อ้าย- อ๊ะอาย สกุณาพร | ค่ายเพลงเป็นหนึ่ง](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/83x6L3X3qh0/mqdefault.jpg)
I know this is an old video but i like how Hadern is the only shell with a moderately positive quote on the shell screen. "Perseverance is the cure for nihilism."
While all the others are fairly dark or morbid lmao, Eredrim’s is literally “life is suffering”
@@nesquiknick1295 Dark and morbid and also true
@@nesquiknick1295 I think Solomon’s was the most hardcore lmao. I was like damn first time I ever role played as an atheist.
Solomon's can absolutely be positive. Utmost conviction in oneself over a fabric is empowering if you have the courage to accept that that's all religion is; a fabric to console you like a child is consoled. But Hadern's is without a doubt the most unanimously positive.
Good quotes are timeless
I really like the freedom to "choose" the third ending with bag head. You don't chase glands, like the Chained One tells you. You don't gather shells and glimpse into what makes them human like the Sister wants you.
Just eat, drink and have a good time while you are alive.
canon ending for me is realizing you’re doomed to repeat things, saying “well, shit” and going to the guy in the woods to drink, eat and play the lute for all eternity
I think the best ending is to sit down in front of a fire have fun, drink, eat. You'll live an eternity and can enjoy for eternity. Especially if you're with a good friend. That's really nice. I have a friend sometimes go to his place, eat drink talk for the whole day. Suddenly it's 3 am and i better get home, would be nice if it lasted forever.
Except soon the grishas and nocterserper will come to kill you xd.
@@danielveralazo2731 please I’ll fuck them up and then drink some moonshine
"Alternate ending music starts to play"
Like all things, everything will come to an end, including what you find fun - meaning you'll get bored. One of you will.
Same
47 seconds in....
It took several play throughs and I finally realized what is going on. We are introduced to this world by crawling out of the pelvic region of a giant horned being. At this being's feet are worshippers enshrined in stone. A few carrying tablets with words chiseled into them. The next step is meeting Sester Genessa who literally calls us a new born and makes several references to just being born.
Hell, before you crawl out if you look at the ceiling there is a cocoon.
I mean thats literally just ds 2 beginning thought its very obvious
@@miceatah9359 the fuck DS2 did you play where the beginning is about being birthed lol
@@mdbattlefrog1913 are you really telling me you didn’t know the tutorial area was supposed to be a womb? What about when you walk up to that giant suspiciously vaginal looking crevice leading to Majula? There’s even a coffin that switches your character’s sex inside the tutorial area
@@mdbattlefrog1913 honestly ds2 has the most of that imagery even more than the other dark souls games
You forgot to mention how the Dark Father was Solomon's brother, which might point to him being human before.
yes completely forgot to add this point.
WHAT
@@thecalifornian6014 If you where Solomon and talk to Old Prisoner after spending that initial 500 Tar to get Solomon's name the Old Prisoner has unique dialog.
Similarly, everyone's favorite Baghead bro will react angrily if you are wearing Tiel, thinking that Tiel is there to steal Tar from him again.
I got that dialogue where the old prisoner says he met Solomon before and so on. How can I get the dialogue he says they are brothers? I never thought he could be human, since we see a small similar dead body in a coffin in the ice caves...
@@TheRafaeloctavio go talk to him using the solomon shell, that's how i got the dialogue at least... I won't spoiled what he says but it's pretty explicit that they're brothers
I finally beat Mortal Shell this weekend-I went through a period where I just wasn't feeling Soulslikes, so I hadn't played it for months-and I have to say, it has the most elegant in story justification for New Game+ ever. You're immortal, but the cost of immortality is re-living the same experience over and over. That's amazing.
Love that, canon ending for me is realizing you’re doomed to repeat things, saying “well, shit” then instead going to the guy in the woods to drink, eat and play the lute for all eternity
I don't think the bosses are the revered. They are merely the guardians. You don't take the glands from the bosses but the weird creatures after the bosses.
Yea this was pretty obvious I thought
They also look a lot like our character (without a shell), except we're white and they're mostly bloody red. It's as if we were one of them, but dead.
Yeah, thats the vibe I got. In one of the shells dialogue upon unlocking a skill, they describe The Revered as a 'her' and that they couldn't look away. Leading me to assume they're beautiful. I think it's one of Eredrims memories?
Yeah, in the Harros' story you hear how he called Revered "a writhing mass of sinew, as if it constantly splitted apart and reformed". None of the bosses (except Old Papa Chicken) fits that.
@@YeOldeMachine different shells were adepts of different cults (except Harros, he was a knight sent to kill one of the Revered). Eredrim was a member of frozen cult, and the Revered he describes is a frozen one (whom you get after defeating Tarsus). She really has woman's face.
I feel like Hadern is an older version of the foundling, like in Dragons Dogma where the dragon chooses you to eventually replace the god of life and then continue on until you send the dragon to choose someone in your stead and so and so forth. Hadern might've been the foundling before you, teaching you these things and setting you up for success so that you can replace him. Idk that's what it seems like to me
Hadren is the only other character that hardens. That's enough to suggest that the Foundling is related to Hadren in some way.
@@toaolisi761 hadren = *h a r d e n*
@@toaolisi761 Yeah, hadren can absolutely harden *sorry
And I just got another idea for my Mortal Shell story on Wattpad, thanks, guys. Maybe my ending will come sooner than I believed.
i think this theory is true especially after you look at hadern's skill tree where he can use the abilities of the other 4 shells
The bosses aren’t the revered they’re just powerful devout. The revered are the creepy fleshy immobile creatures we tear the glands out of. I’m sure they’re so powerful because they have drank a lot of nectar.
I think Eredrim might’ve also gone to kill the brothers and sisters to prove his worthiness
when you talk to brother Corvus as Eredrim he basically tells you to finish what you started and kill him
It would also explain why he died outside the seat of infinity
He went about killing the "unworthy" as well as the sick and feeble. You aren't necessarily wrong because he doesn't specify who exactly is "unworthy" beyond the thralls that grovel at the feet of the revered, so he could very well be referring to the brothers and sisters.
Almost seems like an allegory for video games generally. The player is always the foundling-bouncing from one protagonist’s shell to the next in a cycle of endless toil. In the end tho, it’s we who ascend. Never the characters we play. Or not 🤷♂️
I'm surprised no one commented on this, but this was deep and absolutely makes sense. Good job and interpretation.
Chose not to ascend to be best friends with bag head forever
@F E ye I sat with him first just chose not to go ng+ yet
Why not both like just go to him and be a good chap
@@wilmerreinholdsson1181 I mean I got my fun out the game and bagheads ending leaves the game on a really satisfying note.
What an excellent summarization of the game’s lore.
mortal shell is awesome
Too bad it's so short and has little replay value
It's good that it's at least getting attention. It was fun for me at least
It's just a Soul like game. It's not a particularly great game.
You mean hent@i shell because of your pfp
@@WhiteKing45 I like the enemy designs, and the shell armours. The crypts and dim gate were pretty memorable, too.
The bosses and the ending are a let down though.
You literally posted this video as soon as I had beaten the game and was wondering if other people got what I got out of it. Great video. Very thorough. I'm pretty sure you're on the right track.
Sadistic appreciate it! It’s definitely a complex story.
Perhaps I didn't understand correctly but the guy with the bells that brings the fog back does mention being unable to tell which memories are his anymore and that it doesn't matter since they now belong to him. That makes it sound like the glimpses allow you to "glimpse" into someone else's memories.
Well, doesn't the sister say something like "bring glimpse to peek into what makes the shells special"?
I know I'm quite late, but yeah, they very literally are memories.
Random i know but sester genessa head bangs if you play a lute in front of her lol she likes to rock out
Haha I did not know that, imma try it right now lol
I am curious as to why they added that aha. I saw your comment and did it and was supprised she bobs along to the music
so dope right??? I was just building familiarity with the lute and when i turn the camera she was vibing to the music, I laughed really hard
As I was talking to her I remembered in DS3 if you use emotes in front of the Firekeeper she responds, so I tried the lute and had a good time rocking out with the Sester. I also tried it on the giant frog in the little cave, was kinda disappointed he doesn't react. I even tried using the that super lute with maxed familiarity, but I got nothin :(
@@BababooeyGooey the only purpose of gorf is to turn on and off the music in the game, pretty weird I know, but if you turn down all your volumes and keep only the music one, and then talk to frog, he will deactivate the music ( or activate if it's deactivated) it's not a big change but you can definitely perceive
Haven't finished the video yet, but as I was fighting the last boss (before the unchained boss) I realized that unborn are the ones that you pull the gland out of,
And their guardians are the bosses we fight.
Like the first martyr is that ice lady's guardian. the one we pull the gland out of
I really hope they are developing a sequel to Mortal Shell.
I believe that Hadern is/was the player, just at a different point in time/new universe after FULLY transcending. I believe after you have gained immortality and start again you continue on your adventure over and over, absorbing the full combined power of the glands after harvesting them from the ascended Prisoner, ascending further and further each time.
Each time you gain more and more power and are able to stray further outside the cycle as you ascend more. Eventually you gain enough power to go outside the universe/cycle, given your new form.
This new, blank place of fog seems so empty so you add a few obsidian pillars and water, inspired by a place you can barely remember; from this place you create a new world, you fill it with towns and cities and people. And to those you deem worthy you raise up and grant certain abilities, as to better guide/assist the people of your world, maintain it and preserve its order. Over time those you have raised up become less and less concerned with their duties and more concerned with amassing a following to the point where cities sink into the earth and become swamps, others start immolating or freezing eachother in rituals to gain favour from those they believe to be "Gods"
Everytime you create a place, they "squander their gifts", this, the cycle of their corruption, begins again and again and ruins the world you made.
Growing tired of this you bring back a creature, one that had been discarded for so long it was forgotten, like you once were. And just as you had, you breathe life into it, train it and fill it with its new purpose.
And so they set out on their quest and the cycle begins again
I like this idea .
That ending reminds me of Dragon's Dogma with how meta it is.
That's what I was thinking, Hadern might be the person you replace and you await for another foundling to teach to eventually replace you
Maybe this means something or not but "hadern" means "to argue with someone" or "to be unsatisfied with something" in german.
Yeah, and I thought it was very clever, given it's also an anagram of "harden", and he is pretty much the only enemy in the game that has that ability. I don't know if it really means anything, but it seems like a really clever choice of name.
I just assumed it was a simple name from the word harden, the more you know!
@@monkeybusiness673 yo what if hadern is like you ancestor who transfered into another body or he created you in his own image to ascend or something maybe?
Bro, I was expecting a dollar store dark souls, but this game really forged its own identity.
The "shell" mechanic is a really cool and unique idea, along with the harden system making the combat a distinctly different experience than its inspiration.
Its nice to see a souls clone that has an original vibe.
Souls-Like, not clone
Clone implies it's just Bargain Bin DS
@@logicalwren8061
I mean, it's a good gamepass game. I'm glad I played it. But compared to ds.. it is kinda bargain bin.
The fact i liked Mortal Shell more than Dark Souls 2 means that this probaly will be a franchise... I need Mortal Shell 2 in my life right now
I don't think it will be as I haven't seen a lot of craze or talk about it even by people who enjoy it. If it does become a franchise, I definitely would be excited
Dark Souls 2 isn't that hard to top imo. Plot was everywhere and it just wasn't all that satisfying. Though the DLC's did redeem the game quite a bit for me.
Mortal Shell is a lovely game, hard without actually _trying_ to fuck over the player like DS3 while having lore that is actually interesting and worth investing your time into.
Ngl Dark Souls 2 was ass imo
When the player interacts with the empty weapon slots in Fallgrim Tower for the first time a short cutscene plays that gives the player a hint at where they can find the weapons, just like with the Shells. It is Hadren that is seen carrying all the weapons and traveling around Falgrim in these short cutscenes. Did he leave them there for you? Did he take the same journey as the Foundling? Could the Foundling be Hadren's offspring? Hadren is the only other character that hardens. He basically teaches you how to use the weapons and harden ability by using them on you.
I bet Hadern was the brother of Solomon, became the Old Prisoner from the rite of Transfiguration, and is the foundlings `Dark Father´. When you defeat him in his Unchained form you free him from that curse and he can become Hadern again. Which if you have the DLC(I don't) you can then obtain his body as another shell from what I understand.
A few corrections: The bosses aren't the revered, but their guardians. The revered are the corpse-like beings we take the glands from.
Next, glimpses are definitely memories of the person the glimpse comes from. This is made most clear by the questline between Thestus and Brether Corvid. Depending on how the quest goes, you get glimpses relating to what THEY do and what THEY feel. What's more, glimpses don't just appear when someone dies. This is implied by the dialogue you receive when unlocking your shells' abilities. You become closer to your shells by consuming the glimpses that THEY have left behind throughout the lands.
Additionally: We actually seem to be a (reborn) revered from an old temple of stone worshipers, though our cult seems to have died out, some of them now petrified.
The glimpses definitely give you back you're own memories; you give glimpses to genessa, unlock a talent and get a glimpse (lol) of the shell's past.
Of the shells. Not yours
Has anyone done a Shell-less(where you never pick up a shell) run or a run where you sever your connection to mortal realm at that bone-looking altar yet? I am wondering if the ending is different if you do that.
Pretty sure it wasnt any different
Shell-less runs give nothing new to see, even with the obsidian version. Woulda been cool if there was though.
The shell-less run is kinda buggy tho... As if you have no shell when you ascend you still toss away the body
Nothing changes, but I still recommend giving it a shot. I did a no-shell/Obsidian form run a while ago, and despite the pain of getting one-shot by archers, it was damn fun.
@@tahraki4918 archers AND frogs...
Great video! I was hoping someone would put together an in-depth lore presentation.
One question, though: Are the bosses we face actually the Revered/Unborn? I was under the impression that they were the chosen champions of the Revered, but not the Revered, themselves.
They are, it's not explained that well i n the video
I thought the revered were the Foundling-like creatures housing two of the three glands.
I think Hadren is a failed shell,
To me it looked as if he went to search for his purpose but failed at every corner, so when he went to the otherside he killed his fish so that hed not suffer anymore.
Cause if you hadnt noticed everytime you beat him for a new weapon, he looks at it as if realizing that he needs to realize the we are still fighting.
But thats just a theory, A GAME THEORY!
Now that I've beaten the game, I thought it was about time I learned what the story was about.
Coming to this after Cold Symmetry announced the new DLC Virtuous Cycle. I wanted to dig deeper into the story to see how this new content will fit into the overall lore. Your in depth analysis and theory are fantastic and a wonderful watch. Thank you!
I've never heard of nor seen this game before, but it's freaking dope looking and the lore hooked me.
Very good video, and I'm glad to think that I came to almost the same conclusions. There are some things I thought of however :
- The Fog might just be the future, at least one of the possible futures. That would explain why, if the Foundling decides to stop fighting and just watch life pass on by, the creatures of the fog are seen attacking the bandits and taking over, possibly leading to the state of the world we witness in the Fog.
- I am not sure that Sister Genessa is talking about the Old Prisoner, it might just be Teal, as she recognises us when we wear his shell and Teal also went too far in his consumption of nektar.
- As for the ending, I do think indeed that as we ascend, we become just like sister Genessa and re-live this story again and again. It would be very "Souls-esque" to have this idea of a cycle and of a false belief : the whole world seeks to ascend in order to be free, but the truth is that once you ascend and become immortal, you are still a prisoner, albeit in a different cell.
My theory:
Rough story:
Haderns gift was the true nectar.
He gave it to the revered, they mutated, went apeshit, and started trying to take control of the mortal world.
After seeing that hadern stopped giving it out.
Salomon, managed to make some himself.
His brother, the prisoner, drank it, went crazy and mutated like all the others and was imprisoned by salomon because he was to dangerous.
Hes not a full revered though, his vision incomplete, he needs more nectar.
He even has his own little cult like the others, just look at the masks some of the brigands are wearing.
Hadern then sends you down to clean up the shitfest he caused, probably knowing the prisoner would ask you to do just what he wanted you to, and that youd get rid of him as well after he goes crazy.
You do just that, ascend yourself and return to your home plane, thus removing any of haderns damaging influence from the mortal world.
How ascension works:
Like the nectar from the revered connects their followers to them, the true nectar connects people to hadern.
But the revered are mortals, bound to their bodys, so they can never truly ascend to his plane.
Only you can, because youre from there.
That realisation is why the prisoner gets so mad at the end.
You get what he and all the other revered wanted so badly.
I think the bit with ending is just additional dialogue for NG+. I think the foundling legit ascends into something beyond comprehension in the ending, which the unchained failed to do.This is the reason he fights you in the end(because he scornfully realized that true ascenscion was meant for the foundling and hot the prisoner)
I don't think ascension is just a return to fallgrim and a repeat of things.
At the start of the game, when you first get to Fallgrim, you crawl out of a hole in the ground that is inside the skeleton of a bird-like creature with horns. There are also statues that might have once been people in front of it that look like they’re praying to it. Much like in the temples of the revered.
21:43 alright jump into the void and become a bdsm sunburnt lady with rapiers? Count me in
Also, apparently Old Prisoner is related to Solomon the scholar.
And at first glance I thought that heretic sister Genesa mentioned was Tiel, he went mad from injesting copious ammounts of that tar nectar
Hadren is the Foundling. Its pretty obvious because they both Harden and both Foundling only seems to sense Him... like an old memory.
I feel like he is also an immortal being with a task, which is to test and bestow gifts.
I feel like Hadern is the "ascended form" of the Foundling, who through time makes sure the foundling ascends by giving him weapons and teaching him combat, after the ascension the foundling physical body stays in the cycle forever, Hadern could be his non physical body in the "ascended" realm like the other guardians have their realms
@@lyh3815 You do realized Your spelling his name wrong and further more who I am right?
@@Toe2Toe1191 are you high? i definetly did not spell it wrong
@@Toe2Toe1191 You do realise it's "you're" not "your" right?
If this game gets sequels the Baghead ending should be available in all of them
did you notice the LORE on the Beavers? ??
yes, yes.... Fallgrim is DAMMED!
What a great video. Love games like this that have so much lore that people such as you are able to grab it all and make one hell of a video from it. Great stuff!
I absolutely loved this dive into the lore and your take on the ideals left by the developers for us to piece together. Just amazing. 👍👍
Good explanation! Very nihilistic, which I love.
There's still more to it, I wonder if we'll ever find out the other mysteries. The Foundling for instance, where did they come from? Who TF is Hadern, what's with the Fog? I think we're just beginning to understand and piece everything together. It's exciting.
Very good summary of the game. I got the basic idea of what the player was doing throughout the game, but I was lost on what was going on at each Shrine, so this was very helpful.
thanks for the analysis! after reviewing the game, i had to come to youtube to give myself insight on wtf this game was on about, as it’s pretty confusing sometimes. great work :)
Very nicely done. As many have no doubt mentioned this video was made with a quality and thoroughness one would expect from Vaati. That is an accolade that even the Scholar Solomon would be envious of. I look forward to seeing more insightful videos from you in the future as much as I look forward to seeing more titles from Cold Symmetry!
2:03 he apears in the ruins next to the weapons. I dont think the secret ending is a joke, you can even see the ghouls invading becasue the player character did nothing to stop them.
This is well thought explanation and best theory I've heard so far of the game. Good Job
Great explained video! I’m half way through the game and I’m losing patience since the game mechanic is repeated. I’m here to understand the story of the game. You did a great job explaining it.
What you mean the game mechanic is repeated? It's an action RPG soulslike, and that's pretty much what the mechanics offer. What did you expect from it?
It's called a gameplay loop. Look it up, it's actually pretty interesting. And EVERY game has it. Every game repeats its mechanic, over and over. The scenery shifts, and the scenario varies, maybe we level up and gain new tools... but were basically playing the same exact couple minutes of gameplay mechanics over and over in any game.
Nice video... this game is interesting in terms of Concept & Understanding , However haven't you noticed something about the 4 Weapons ? They do seem have a purpose aswell , as if they were Remnants of the revereds themselfs ( The Martyr's blade signifies Tarsus the 1st Martyr , the Smouldering Mace looks exactly like Emrod's mace but abit smaller , The Hammer & Chisle is a Dual Wield weapon which sync's together as one weapon , The Hammer is the Crucix big spear dude & the Chisle is the smaller Twice Born being with the Cross Bow )... As for the Hollowed Sword it could simply imply it's our character ( A being with no purpose at first , Hence why the Sword is Hollow from the inside grip ) 🤔 Let me know what you think about this.... As for Hadern he could be a Guardian Boss on that other Plane from where we got summoned from at the Start of the Game. ( *As for explanation the Book that we tear off a Page from to get summoned to the Hadren Plane with the different weapons , it's actually tied to the Story and those 3 Books from all the 3 Locations could be the Religious Book Religions you talked about earlier atleast to what the Revered is about or some kind of Remnant to the revereds Past in some sorts* ) .... This does makes sense , as at first i thought the Weapons were tied to Shells which is not 😅
Nice video, enjoyed watching it, but there's definitely some things missing and some other things which don't make sense.
*Glimpses:*
For example, we know glimpses give you back the memories of the shell you reside in, so we - the Foundling - can channel glimpses to gain memories of others. This seems to go directly against what you said in the video about the glimpses giving us back our own memories, because we don't use them for this. ALso your argument for the mutated humans hunting for glimpses to relive their own memories doesn't really seem to make much sense to me. They're told to care about the emotion contained within the glimpses. It could be anyone's glimpse, anyone's memory, they only care about the high living that emotion/memory brings. Doesn't need to be theirs.
*The old Prisoner:*
We know he exactly who he was, since one of the shells we find is his brother. He's indeed who you suspect him to be, but not including this seems like you forgot. Not ideal fo a lore video.
*The Foundling and Hadren:*
I know we don't have much info on them, but that makes me feel like we missed something. Feels strange to have near-nothing. Also, you seem to imply Hadern is the fish that swallows us? I disagree. While fighting him, you can see he's got his own fish behind him - much much larger and dead. Hadern is like us. He had his own fish, but it's no longer alive. Does this mean they're dead? Probably. It does bring up a new question, though: What are these fish?
I'm not not that knowledgeable on the lore so I'm just speculating, what if the harden was once helping the old prisoner just like how we are and is unable continue, or he helped the old prisoner till he wasn't needed anymore and now he is sending us as a mean to get revenge (first teaching us on basic combat, then giving us weapons after testing us), he could be stuck in his shell for some reason tho
@meaturama if a fish is just a fish, how can it transport the body to a different place? it's not just a fish, it's a transport, portal, call it as you wish, but definitely not a simple fish
You get the glimpse of reverie for beating Hadern in tutorial/ng+ and I feel like there is some lore to be gained there but I'm too lazy to connect the dots lol
The Foundling sort of becomes the shell it possesses and glimpses gained only applied to the current shell, keeping in line with the idea of glimpses giving back the user's memories. Hadern and The Foundling both seem to be spirits. Hadern must have been someone who once lived but The Foundling could be be a spirit that never lived be before giving it unique abilities and making it a blank slate.
Very nice point about Hadern and his fish being dead. Maybe if the fish are, in some sort, connected to the nectar,either it being their nutrition or a production of them... Maybe the massive consumption of nectar by the Chained One resulted in his death?
Atrium Carceri is an actual master of ambience. And hes been doing this for over a decade. I would gladly learn under his tutelage.
This is my very first experience playing a dark souls type game the only reason why I downloaded it was because it reminded me of old school Diablo from the PC days in modern form but I got to say the learning curve definitely took me a while and it was definitely challenging enough where I had to take the game seriously for a while which I finally found myself feeling like a kid again and if this is the experience I got then I think I’m gonna dive deep into the dark souls in Elden ring type games
The Soulsborne / Soulslike games are such a strange genre. I bought all of the Dark Souls games and Bloodborne despite barely getting halfway through any of them. But there was always something there, something that I wanted to love but something wasn't quite clicking.
Then I played Elden Ring with a friend who's a massive Souls fan and eventually it just clicked. I can't tell you WHAT clicked exactly, but everything just did.
Now I'm working my way through Bloodborne solo and am absolutely loving it. Can't wait to try Dark Souls properly
What makes you think that Tiel's disfiguration was case by consuming Tar? Sounds very random. I thought it was clear it was some sort of sickness that why he went to the Shrine of Ash where the fire purified ill people.
Just got the game for free on PSN. This is great, I really like to understand the world of a game while playing it to appreciate it. You're like the Vaati/Ashen Hollow for Mortal Shell. If only the game was more popular but I hope theres a sequel with a bigger dev team.
I didn't buy the DLC, but in vanilla, I like to think that Hadern was the previous ascended. He wields the same weapons as us and trains us to take over for the next foundling. In NG+ the sester says that it's happening again. It's like a never ending loop.
I feel like an important thing to look into is that shrine, the one that gives you the option to forsake all mortal shells
I can't help but wonder who made this shrine, or the significance of it
I actually have a theory I’d like to share I think the foundling is actually Hadern.
Mainly with a few bits of evidence. The first being that Sester Genessa tells you that you’re a spirit who’s unwilling to cross the threshold because of a past obligation, then in the tutorial it tells you that you’ve inherited the ability to harden, with Hadern being the only other individual with this ability. Lastly, what you said in the video about Hadern giving gifts to people falls in line with you, the foundling, being unable to pass on because deep down the soul of Hadern still wants to help the people of fallgrim. That’s what I think at least. Sorry for the long post.
Oh, and this explains why we know how to use the weapons In the game, because they were Hadern’s, so the boss fight was like Hadern’s glimpses. I think.
Best lore video ever bro well explained
Alright. But why isnt anyone mentioning just how realistic the movesets are? Finally a game who got greatswords right.
I wish that they would have made all the areas as abstract as the seat of infinity instead of just basic hot and basic cold with the green area for easy enemies and progression Points. They especially spoil you if you go to seat of infinity before any other area. Its just so breathtaking the first time you see it leaving you with so many questions about the environment.
Great video for a great game.
Canon ending for me is realizing you’re doomed to repeat things, saying “well, shit” and instead go to the guy in the woods to drink, eat and play the lute for all eternity
Excellent! Thanks for the job! Cold symetry must see this.
Hi, you really got me thinking on how amazing the story line to this game is. What are my your thoughts on the virtuous cycle? I would love to see you break it down.
Well, "Hadern" is an anagram of "Harden". Clearly, it is canon that one of Hadern's many gifts is the petrification mechanic ingame. Confirmed, indisputable proof.
🙃
Best Story Teller Ever and with a summary!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW.
With the release of the DLC, we now have answers regarding Hadern, he found the Foundling and his Twin Sister back when they were just larvae and became attached to them, going as far as to protect them from his "Hateful kin".
He tried to cage them for reasons unknown, perhaps to protect them just as much as to keep them in check, however the twins outgrew their cages quicker than he expected, soon developing human form.
Hadern enlisted the help of a Forgemaster to build a labyrinth that could keep the twins trapped and his "kin" at bay. To this same purpose, he captured an "architect" whom he forced to enter in contact with the twins. Upon doing so, the architect fell to his knees in adoration, and understood what had to be done.
At some point, Solomon became part of the small cult that was formed around the Twins. however, he obsessed with the female sibling, he had hope in or for her in some way, leading Hadern to consider him lost, for the sister was malformed, without arms or legs of her own, she was worthless to him, and so was Solomon now. The relationship of the two however, revealed, or, at least, confirmed to Hadern, that the Twins were shaped by the figures around them, and reshaped them in turn. He could see Solomon´s effect on her, probably her growing personality and intellect compared to her brother.
At this point, in the timeline, the faith on the 3 revered appears to have grown to dominate Fallgrim, much to the despair of Hadern, who sees the misuse of the Sacred Glands as sacrilege or at least foolishness. He speaks of nektar and how the people drink of it ´til they forget themselves, giving themselves fully to lies. He seems powerless to stop this madness however, and places his hope in the foundling, saying he is all that´s left and that he will test him.
(We can presume that he decided to imprint his warrior skills on the Foundling, just like Solomon imprinted his easygoing and sassy personality on the Twin Sister. He succeeds judging by the careful wording of the game saying we inherited the power of Hardening and we can use each of the weapons we find masterfully the moment we grab them.)
Hadern found a priestess and made her a proposal, claiming to be a messenger of her godess, she scoffed at him until she saw the Foundling, believing him a divine being, she agreed to Hadern´s proposal she borrowed deep into the earth, awaiting for Deliverance. It´s unclear who he is talking about. It could be Sester Genessa, but she doesn´t seem to know the Foundling when they first meet.It could also be the corrupt Sester, but she isn´t exactly deep below ground...
Finally, the architect succeeded and supplicants gathered around begging to be allowed into the impenetrable, impossible temple. Of course it was meant to be safe haven for the twins not some place of worship, but by the time Hadern reached the architect he had already drank himself silly with nektar. The Foundling was nonetheless introduced into the safety of the temple, beyond the reach of the revered, their, slaves, their thugs or any other hateful individuals that might come seeking to destroy the divine.
And Hadern kept making preparations, gathering magical artifacts or wonder of engineering, anything that could help the Foundling, until they met once more in his dreams. They fought time and time again and it learned from him. All the while Hadern felt it had all happened before, and would happen again.
If you have the DLC, you are able to find Hadern at the tower upon completing his other tests, with the end of his life near, he challenges the Foundling one last time, a last duel on which Hadern wields his predilect weapon and doesn´t hold back. If the Foundling is victorius Hadern will finally be able to rest in peace, knowing his protege is ready to face whatever awaits him.
As parting gift, Hadern gifts the Foundling his weapon, a piece of artisanal work of mysterious origin, known only as the axatana, twin blades that coukd be conjoined into a powerfull two handed axe. And, with his body now lifeless, the foundling may also choose to take the shell of his mentor as his own, their shared story coming full circle.
Just watched this on Reddit! This was really enjoyable and very well explained
They did an awesome job with the atmosphere and lore. I was sucked into it, just like I am w/Fromsoft
Dude! Awesome Re-tell of the #Story 👑✨👌
Yeah it's Dark Souls-like but... it feels (the vibes) of the lore is completely different.
This is THE first legit Western #DarkSouls-like 👑 game. 👍🤓
gonna update haderns lore? since the new DLC kinda explains who he is?
I like how Hadern is an anagram from Harden.
the ending kinda makes me think that maybe at this world we have already achieved immortality but re-incarnating back to earth after we died. Our spirit will live on forever but we will forever live in our mortal shell for every life we have.
I think all enemies, NPCs and shells are aspects of your character in life and you are in the afterlife putting yourself back together/fighting or overcoming your ugly or weaker aspects to ascend to a higher plain of existence.
One thing I’ve been wondering is why can the foundling only inhabit the five shells and not any human that’s dead?
I doubt this is the answer you want, but I'm fairly certain it's a gameplay concession. I mean sure, they might have a in universe explanation. But let's be honest...
The reason why is because it's a game. If you could just float into any body, that'd be a different game altogether. And tbh, all the shells are is this games way of doing classes... which is cool! I dig it. But, that's the real explanation for why you can only go in 5 shells... because the game has 5 classes.
Great job with your summarization of the lore of Mortal Shell! You are Cold Symmetry’s Vaati Vidya!
3:59 lmao I never mentally prepared to hear "regardless of what religion you subscribe to" in such a serious tone 🤣🤣🤣
Picked up this from steam sale recently, Still pretty impressive how small team of developers made such a great looking game 🔥💯.
I never heard of this game. Then I saw on Steam. As a huge soulslike fan, I bought it. It surprised me!! Amazing!!! It's not a ds copy but a entire different and innovative game with the same atmosphere (imo).
I finished the game but didn't understand anything lol
So thanks for this!! I'm looking into the lore now and wow!!!
This came out right as I finished the game
Great analysis. I remember playing this when it came out. I thought the game was late apart from the last area with the confusing teleporting maze nonsense.
But I honestly had no idea what was going on with the lore, not even a tiny fragment of it made any sense at the time haha.
Fantastic. Really enjoyed your video looking forward hearing More.
About Glimpses, when you give Thestus a glimpse he says something along the lines of "I can't remember which memories are mine and which aren't anymore" (I don't remember exactly because I only used his services once a little while ago) so I'm pretty sure that you see the memories of people that you got the glimpse from so to speak, as for the Nocteserpers, I think they are looking for the glimpses for the reasons you mentioned, except they dont relive their own memories, but of other people like Thestus implied.
Playing Eredrim with Martyr's Blade... you must have tons of patience.
Good video btw, thanks.
I smell a prequel in the make explaining how the Dark Father was turned into a beast 🤔
This makes alot more sense to me now. I pretty much was confused through the game lol.
This game is so under rated.
just finished game 15 mins ago playing Tiel
Tiel is the most boring out of the 4 imo.
Mk. 5 Eradrim is very op, his health gets super long when you upgrade him, and also he has a skill you can unlock that will stack his damage everytime you kill someone also. Stamina isn’t his thing, but health and sticking in the game for a while you got it with him. I beat the last boss with him btw.
@@douglasdiggins8296 eradrim is
Now this game could teach future game developers a thing or two about balance. I cant stand games that your character dies in two or three hits. Artificial difficulty that is.
I always thought Imrod was some kind of heretic champion to the Acolytes Of Ash, he’s large and obese which is against the asceticism of the Acolytes of Ash, and wanted the Nektar though he wasn’t deserving. The Acolytes attempted to make him repent, but he refused and killed his way to the Nektar the Acolytes held, he then ascended and became its guardian, when he wasn’t worthy of it. So the Acolytes still attempt to kill him, but due to his newfound power they constantly fail.
The Acolytes of Ash are cool
I hope the creator of the video sees this even though this is a long time ago I believe that the gifts that hadern has given the people are the weapons that you can acquire in a game and they were quote "wasted on them because they are creatures now" which is true about the bosses imrod uses a weapon similar to the smoldering mace the ice dude's weapon is similar to the martyr blade ect but hey that's just a theory a game theory thanks for reading
I think Hadern is one of the coolest characters. The theories about him in this video also turn out to be true. When you look at his upgrade tree you can see in the Recollection of knowledge that he apparently knew Solomon because his quote is about him. In the upgrade Recollection of strength he talks about an unborn and that he will test him when times comes which clearly is a reference to the foundling and the times when the player has to fight against Hadern to obtain the different weapons.
Brethers and Sesters
Sesters and Brethers! Lol great vid as always!
I love the lore of this game. It’s sad that this game is hard just to be hard, and not to be fun like Souls games.
Great vid dude, i like how you see things
Snacking on rats and playing songs with a friend is the best ending
It’s funny watching this video and learning about NPC‘s being in the game that I had no idea where there. Actually quit this game and uninstalled it for a few days about only about an hour in because I wasn’t having fun glad I came back to it.