MORTAL SHELL
MORTAL SHELL OVERVIEW
COLD SYMMETRY • LEAD WRITER, WORLD BUILDING CONSULTANT
Mortal Shell is a deep action-RPG that tests players' sanity, while unravelling the secrets of a shattered world. I was the Lead Writer for this project, working with the founders of Cold Symmetry to develop a tragic and detailed setting full of bizarre and haunting characters. I wrote the dialogue for VO, item descriptions, and world building documents to guide and shape the non-linear narrative of Mortal Shell. The game was a surprise hit that struck a chord with fans of the Soulslike genre and critics alike.
#4 on Twitch at launch
Over 10+ million views on Youtube.
500+ Articles from Gaming and Traditional Media
Critical Praise includes: Polygon Recommends, IGN (80/100), Game Spot (8/10), and PC Gamer (80/100)
This trailer garnered over 1.5 million views and features my dialogue alongside the stunning visuals crafted by the Cold Symmetry team.
Project Goals
Lead IP development alongside Art and Design Stakeholders
Create a Puzzling Non-Linear Narrative
Build and organize the Lore Bible for all player characters, NPCs, bosses, locations, and items
My Role on the Team
As the Lead Writer for Mortal Shell, I closely collaborated with the founders of Cold Symmetry to deliver a shared vision for a dark and thought provoking world. Over the course of development I wrote over 900 lines of dialogue for the VO of 4 player characters and 7 NPCs. In addition, I wrote over 110 item descriptions to litter the game with more hints and secrets. During this process, I met with the team regularly, organizing our notes and goals, while providing a steady stream of deliverables for review.
IP Development
As the narrative lead, I led discussions, organized meetings, and created the underlying documents needed to define and evolve the underlying vision for Mortal Shell. We were all united in exploring spiritual nihilistic themes, imbuing each character with their own struggle with death and meaning. Emphasizing the surreal and horrorifc qualities of this world, I reinforced and expanded on the dangerous combat, haunting art, and maze-like levels, while exploring the ideologies and individual desires at the heart of the Mortal Shell IP.
Non-Linear Narrative
Inspired by our shared love for FromSoftware, we planned to create a puzzling narrative that would require a community of passionate fans to become fictional archaeologists. No one character or item tells a complete story in Mortal Shell. Instead, each element must be analyzed and reconstructed to form a larger picture. This fragmented narrative rewards players who engage deeply with the world, while respecting players who prefer to focus on combat mechanics. This was a huge success, spurring members of the Mortal Shell Discord to share thousands of messages discussing theories and questions, while also inspiring 15+ lore-focused videos with over 150,000 views combined.
Press Quotes
“Narratively, Mortal Shell is enjoyably enigmatic. I liked how each shell has its own backstory you unlock alongside new abilities, as well as existing relationships with the NPCs you occasionally encounter in the world.”
“Mortal Shell takes it a step further and examines why such an existence is a curse… its priorities lie in theming and tone, and that’s the first of many qualities that make Mortal Shell an exemplar of its subgenre.”
“Thanks to the gradual rolling out of Mortal Shell’s deeply compelling narrative, it lies somewhere in between with a mythos that’s just as mystifying but arguably even better told than your typical FromSoftware game.”
Writing Samples
To read a selection of writing samples from Mortal Shell, follow the link below.