One of the big releases of this week on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is Mortal Shell 2, and for those who are willing to pay for the more expensive "Devout Edition", they can actually start playing the game right now with early access ahead of the full launch on Thursday, August 20th.

That also means we've got some reviews! The first reviews have started trickling in for this one over the past hour, and early impressions suggest we're looking at a quite significantly better game than the first entry.

Let's take a look at what some of those reviews are saying so far:

COGConnected (9/10)

"Mortal Shell 2 is such an immensely impressive upgrade from the original that I wanted it to be flawless. Of course, it isn’t. However, issues with pacing, opacity, occasional difficulty spikes, and bugs are dwarfed by Cold Symmetry’s overall achievement. If Mortal Shell was a short story, Mortal Shell 2 is a richly textured epic novel."

Giant Bomb (9/10)

"Cold Symmetry has built a game that is extraordinarily close to a perfect center of difficulty for me with a clear north star of “make it fun, first.”"

ShackNews (9/10)

"Mortal Shell 2 is one of the best follow-up sequels to a game in a long time. It expands upon every single aspect of the first game, twists deeper into its metal roots, and hammers out the dents of the original title while retaining the same brutal, unforgiving gameplay Soulslike fanatics have come to masochistically enjoy. Mortal Shell 2 slays."

CGM (8.5/10)

"Mortal Shell II has, in the last few weeks, become one of my favourite souls-likes, with great kinetic gameplay, a great soundscape and gorgeous visuals that really sell the despair that Cold Symmetry set up to sell."

IGN (8/10)

"Mortal Shell 2’s expansion into a large scale action-RPG is mostly successful, and all of its new ideas are great ones."

GamesRadar (4/5)

"Mortal Shell 2 is the most pleasant gaming surprise of the year. A more ambitious, accessible sequel that speeds things up and stuffs secrets and ideas in every corner of its beautiful open world. It doesn’t challenge the almighty Elden Ring’s throne – what does? – but it’s a terrific tribute act with plenty of its own merits, and the best Soulslike I've played since FromSoftware's latest."

GameSpot (8/10)

"It stumbles at times and could use some fine-tuning to really hone its balance issues, but even if it can be irritating or too simplistic at times, these moments are overshadowed by its unmistakable strengths."

Console Creatures (7/10)

"Some will say not enough is different here, since it is still a single soulslike that leans heavily into its defining feature: Shells. Time has been spent balancing fairness and challenge—making for a game that is fairer and more punishing. This dedication to being playable by more people is what makes Mortal Shell 2 stand out."

As things stand, Mortal Shell 2 is sitting on a very impressive Metacritic rating of 84 for PC and 88 for PS5, while the Xbox version only has one review (9/10) on the platform. These averages will likely shift a little bit over the coming days, but it seems we're looking at a mid-80s finish which is a big improvement over the 76 rating for Mortal Shell 1.

If you're happy waiting until Thursday for the full release, Mortal Shell 2 will cost you £39.99 / $49.99 on the Xbox Store, or you can pay £47.99 / $59.99 to get access today. Do let us know in the comments if you're planning to buy it!

Any interest in Mortal Shell 2? Come and tell us in the comments section.