Empty Shell 2 Debuts Eerie Free Demo on Steam

Following the release of CC ARTS’ 2023 top-down shooter game Empty Shell, a complete sequel is now in the works. While no official release date for Empty Shell 2 has been confirmed, a free demo version is now available on Steam. According to the creator, the second chapter is currently in the developmental phase. 

Those looking for a refresh and those interested in checking out the original before the sequel’s release can find Empty Shell on Steam as well as PS4 and PS5.

The Mission Begins

Players step into the shoes of expendable volunteers who’ve been sent to an isolated Japanese island. These volunteers are deployed from an old coastal building to investigate a massive, abandoned facility teeming with monstrous enemies and secrets just waiting to be uncovered. After their arrival, their mission quickly shifts to scavenging for minimal resources, recovering lost data, and surviving horrors unlike any other.

Empty Shell 2 features a plethora of unsettling locations for players to explore, including (but not limited to) run-down complexes, eerie corridors, hundreds of different rooms, and decrepit power plants. With its procedurally generated zones and missions, the game’s replayability is a main component of its charm. Players must navigate the disturbing island crawling with terrifying creatures to decipher the secrets hidden in the ruins.

A War’s Aftermath from Above

Shown from a unique top-down drone perspective, Empty Shell 2 explores the fallout of World War II experiments and the catastrophic consequences they left in their wake. Players can customize their loadouts with melee weapons, firearms, and other gadgets and upgrade their abilities at various Upgrade Stations placed around the world. The game also features Crafting Stations that players can use to alter or craft weaponry with assorted discoverable blueprints.

To progress, players must complete quests given by a mysterious overseeing organization. Recovering gear and returning it to the central shelter offers a massive benefit for future runs. Empty Shell 2 features a permadeath system with meta-progression in which each volunteer’s death advances the overall game progression.

New Features Coming in Empty Shell 2

Players can now upgrade the K-Link Satellite System, and the game’s perspective is shown through this. Those who prefer using the long-standing greyscale view can still do so, but the system now also transmits in color. There’s also been a revision in the gameplay loop in which volunteers live at a stationed shelter on the island in a shared space and can return from missions via various extraction zones. 

Resources and gear can now be stored for future runs, and secondary objectives are now available for players to earn extra rewards. 

What the Free Demo has to Offer

The free demo of Empty Shell 2 allows players to explore the south wing of the Facility, a major location for the game’s final release. It teases one of its most prominent areas, promising even more scares in the chapters to come. Those who play the free demo can get a head start by completing early tasks, gathering gear for the main station, and getting a taste of the game’s overall story. 

Progress from the demo will carry over into the full game upon release.