Carrion

 PC
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 57
  3. Negative: 1 out of 57
  1. Ars Technica
    Jul 23, 2020
    Honestly, if you've ever wanted to fake like a xenomorph in a video game, Carrion offers a better facsimile than any officially licensed Alien game. [Ars Technica Approved]
  2. Eurogamer
    Jul 23, 2020
    A squirming body horror labyrinth whose mix of ability-gating and backtracking slightly cramps its matchless creature design. [Eurogamer Recommended]
  3. Kotaku
    Jul 23, 2020
    Most importantly, Carrion’s smart. It’s an extremely finely crafted game, so much so that you’re essentially playing a meat-smeared Metroidvania without a map, and you won’t even miss it. That’s quite something. Add in the excellent puzzles, ever-growing cast of enemies, and constant sense of progress, and Carrion is much more than just the gore. But ho boy, the gore.
  5. Mashable
    Jul 24, 2020
    In the end, I found Carrion to be an enormously frustrating experience. The pieces are there for an amazing game. I had some incredible moments while playing, and would even go as far as recommending this as a worthwhile use of a more patient player's time, despite the issues.
  6. Polygon
    Jul 23, 2020
    Other recent games have tried to show the world through the eyes of someone you thought was an enemy, making the point that what we consider monstrous is extremely relative. The difference is that Carrion dives into this idea with all its power and weight, finding joy in a theme that might have been maudlin in different hands. I exist only to destroy, and escape, and I have done both. [Polygon Recommends]
  7. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jul 28, 2020
    The result, for me, was anxiety. A low background hum of “did I miss something”, combined with the high notes of being unable to find the next new area. It was enough to shade my entire experience with Carrion, turning a pleasant enough Metroidvania with a one-of-a-kind protagonist into something I felt like I was struggling to escape from. Your mileage may vary. But for me, I was happier with the GIFs.
  8. Vice
    Jul 27, 2020
    Anger, like the biomass of Carrion, can only be steered. It can’t be controlled. Carrion lets me hold on to my anger and gives me the illusion of control of it. The dual sense of becoming that which is feared and riding rage make it the perfect game for the moment.

Awards & Rankings

47
#47 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 283 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 182 out of 283
  2. Mixed: 88 out of 283
  3. Negative: 13 out of 283
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Jul 26, 2020
    8
    Carrion : For a game put straight into game pass I was worried it would be boring or poor. But this game instantly became a favorite. The goreCarrion : For a game put straight into game pass I was worried it would be boring or poor. But this game instantly became a favorite. The gore and carnage you are able to unleash captivated me quickly plus the puzzle like atmosphere helped entice me further. The movement is relatively fluid and the aim and attack isnt what I hoped for per say but still didnt take away from the game itself. Now it is a great game but does have a few drawbacks. For instance there are certain secrets you can unlock that let you play as a human and unlock the past to find out what started this. But it kinda was a bore compared to the fast pace nature of the game. So I do wish they would have left this out but it was alright. The game isnt relatively long I was able to complete it within about 2 hrs but it was a fun time the whole way and I didn’t want to set it down the entire time. It was challenging dont get me wrong, i zoned in thats why I was able to get it done in one sitting. All in all for price and being free atm on game pass I super recommend this game for those with Gamepass on Xbox One.… Full Review »
  2. ElementalSoldie
    Jul 27, 2020
    5
    In regards to gameplay depth and variety, Carrion is far more simplistic and shallow than I was hoping for.

    There's a lot of aimless    In regards to gameplay depth and variety, Carrion is far more simplistic and shallow than I was hoping for.

    There's a lot of aimless wandering around due to the lack of any sort of map system. I understand that you're this grotesque creature that shouldn't necessarily be holding a paper map in it's meaty folds, but to me this is a missed opportunity to come up with a really innovative way to display some sort of map system based off of "marking your territory" with creature ooze or slime and being able to pick up your own scent or pheromones...essentially creating the map as you go.

    You're going to be fighting the same human and robot enemies time and time again. The same goes for the puzzles. Gain some creature mass to use an ability, drop some creature mass to use another. Pull a lever, chomp on human snacks, sneak around [or don't]. Rinse, wash, repeat.

    I like the horror theme, and the fluid control that can come with blasting through areas after they've been cleared out, but that's usually because you're trying to figure out where the heck you need to go and just want to move on. If there were perhaps some intense moments that required speed and fancy foot work to navigate through a labyrinth with flames, acid, or some other hazard, maybe that could have broken up the monotony and added to the tension. However, most of the tension comes from facing elite troops with flamethrowers or sentry robots with machine guns.

    There's also a really cool animated trailer, but it doesn't appear to be in the game - another missed opportunity to round out the game and provide the user with a little more meaty goodness.

    I can only recommend this if you're a fan of gore and horror films like John Carpenter's The Thing, Deep Rising, Alien, etc.

    EDIT: Went back to play a few more hours - thinking I might have overlooked some really cool key component, but unfortunately not. It was just more of the same. :(    … Full Review »
  3. Patol
    Sep 6, 2020
    6
    Good vibe, physics, sounds and music, but after a while the game became more of a maze with no storyline.
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