Cold Symmetry, the studio behind Mortal Shell 2, has clarified that locking players out of achievements while using the game's Slayer Seal item was a technical necessity caused by physical disc deadlines rather than an intentional punishment.
The controversy began after players discovered that equipping the Slayer Seal—an in-game item that significantly boosts combat capabilities by granting powerful attacks and guard-breaking damage—permanently disables achievement progress. The restriction prompted backlash from community members who felt penalized for using tools designed to adjust the game's steep difficulty.
Speaking on the Between Levels Podcast, studio co-founder Andrew McLennan-Murray revealed that the team never intended to strip achievements from Slayer Seal users. Instead, Cold Symmetry originally planned to create two distinct sets of achievements: one for standard playthroughs and another specifically designed around the Seal, which was conceived as a distinct alternate game mode aimed at encouraging multiple playthroughs.
However, development timelines disrupted those plans. Because the physical disc version of the game required achievement lists to be finalized and locked on console platforms months ahead of release, the developers were unable to implement the secondary achievement list in time. Faced with fixed system requirements across platforms, the studio made the late decision to lock standard achievements when the Seal is active to preserve the original challenge structure.
Addressing accessibility concerns, McLennan-Murray indicated that the developer may address the issue down the line. Cold Symmetry is considering introducing new achievement tracks or additional accessibility options in future free updates to ensure players using difficulty-modifying items are not permanently excluded from completing tasks.
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