Mortal Shell II

Six years on, this is the game the first one was reaching for. Combat is faster and has dropped the stamina bar entirely, the Harden ability retains the first game's identity, and the eight shells now run deep enough to build around rather than just wear. The art direction is terrific: oppressive, filthy, utterly committed to its own miserable world. It does buckle slightly occasionally under the sheer number of systems it's juggling, and it's a bit rough 'round the edges, but a super cool game.