In Mortal Shell 2, Gloom is the white currency you obtain by defeating enemies, and it is essential for leveling up the Harbinger character at the lighthouses. However, the game is unforgiving: if you die, you lose all accumulated Gloom. Your only hope is to return to the exact spot of your fall, marked on the map, to recover it before it disappears.
The risk and reward system behind Gloom 🎲
From a design perspective, Gloom functions as a calculated risk mechanic. The game saves the location of your death on the map, but it does not freeze the timer. If you die again before collecting it, you lose it forever. This forces the player to evaluate every combat encounter, as accumulating Gloom without spending it at the lighthouses is a gamble. The system is reminiscent of other titles in the genre, but with the particularity that the currency cannot be stored in any chest or bank. Only the lighthouse serves as a safe point to invest it.
Gloom: when your money is left lying on the ground 💀
The funniest (or most tragic, depending on the day) part is seeing your precious Gloom shining on the ground, like a beacon of hope telling you come get me, if you dare. And of course, you arrive with the confidence of a hero, but a simple minion kills you with one slap and goodbye savings. It's as if the game is telling you: Money? How funny, now it's enemy property. In the end, you learn to spend quickly or cry at the lighthouses.