Mortal Shell 2 Has A Secret Doom Easter Egg, And It's An Entire Level

Custom image created by James Lucas with official assets from Doom and Mortal Shell 2. Published Aug 22, 2026, 5:29 AM EDT James Lucas is an Executive Editor at TheGamer who has worked in professional journalism since 2018. A Newcastle University graduate with a degree in Journalism, Media, and Culture, they have written hundreds of guides, news stories, and original reports, with bylines in IGN, NME, GaymingMag, and VG247, sourcing interviews with studio heads, legendary industry figures, prominent actors, and more. An expert on FPS games, Soulslikes, RPGs, and survival horror, James has intimate knowledge of a wide variety of titles, providing in-depth coverage and exclusive profiles. Some of the games they have extensively covered include: Half-Life 3, Counter-Strike, Elden Ring, and Fallout. They pride themselves on their consistently thorough research, leveraging nearly a decade of industry experience. You can reach them at James.t@thegamer.com Sign in to your TheGamer account You might've stumbled on the Gloomslayer seal in Mortal Shell 2, a fun little nod to the Doom series. The description even muses that its owner once "wielded this seal on a doomed crusade." But that's only the first part of a much more ambitious Easter Egg. As broken down by YouTube channel Graviton Gaming, the seal can be used in the keep to open a secret dungeon that is an almost 1:1 remake of the first-ever Doom level. The seal allows you to break down an illusory wall to reveal a hidden cavern, where you can shatter the chains binding a lantern in the center to be transported to an oddly familiar room, albeit with a soulslike coat of paint. It's the E1M1 Hangar level that started it all in 1993. Even the barrels are placed in the same location, with the secret button (or in Mortal Shell 2's case - lever) located behind the pillar exactly where it was all those years ago. You can see a brilliant side-by-side comparison below from X user @AshenOne_VI. It's a little weird without the '90s techno blaring, but the layout is still instantly recognizable. The hanging red lights return as cages housing smoldering flames, while the raised wall lining the hangar rooms has been recreated with balconies, making every section of that original level feel at home in a fantasy setting. Even the zigzag walkway over the toxic waste is featured, with a ranged enemy up top hurling attacks at you. But perhaps the best detail of this Mortal Shell 2 easter egg is that it also contains the original Doom secrets — a secret in a secret. Interacting with the hidden wall will cause it to raise, revealing the courtyard with a large puddle. There's also the secret lift in the zigzag room, which leads to a rare material, Dorsalite, instead of shotgun rounds. The final room features the same lanterns, barrels, and ornate fences, where you can acquire the dungeon's Gloom and finish the level. It might sound odd taking a Doom-themed detour in the middle of a fantasy title like Mortal Shell 2, but the efforts taken to naturally weave it into the game's aesthetic are breathtaking. The layout is familiar, but all the added detail really makes it feel unique to Cold Symmetry. If only there was an Easter Egg of the Year award. Released August 20, 2026 ESRB Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes Developer(s) Cold Symmetry Publisher(s) Playstack Genre(s) Soulslike, Action RPG, Fantasy