Carrion

 PC
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

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  1. 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.
  2. CharlePL
    Aug 26, 2020
    5
    This comment is made just so I can check the score in my profile because metacritic doesnt allow this functionality without a comment (very smart).
  3. 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 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    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. :(    … Expand
  4. HighFive2512
    Jul 26, 2020
    7
    The game play is decent, you're going back to the past to see what happened and how it happened, and has some nice puzzles, but not more than that, i feel like it could have been far better if more content was added. Not worth the 19.99 euro imho, better wait for sale.
  5. Tomplifier
    Feb 17, 2021
    5
    Disappointing. I like pixel-art, but this art-design is not for me. The gameplay wasn't either. I was bored.
  6. Mandulum
    Aug 25, 2020
    7
    Decent little platformer. More of an exploration game than anything else. Movement looks really cool and, hilariously, controlling the humans is terrible. Suffers from not having a map of some sort, getting lost and back-tracking is not fun at all.

    Date Completed: 2020-07-28 Playtime: 5h Enjoyment: 7/10 Recommendation: It doesn't outstay its welcome, thankfully. How much do you like    Decent little platformer. More of an exploration game than anything else. Movement looks really cool and, hilariously, controlling the humans is terrible. Suffers from not having a map of some sort, getting lost and back-tracking is not fun at all.

    Date Completed: 2020-07-28
    Playtime: 5h
    Enjoyment: 7/10
    Recommendation: It doesn't outstay its welcome, thankfully. How much do you like the genre? Give it a go, or not.    … Expand
  7. MrChickster
    Jul 28, 2020
    7
    Gets pretty repetitive after a while. The monster design is cool. Story and world-building are almost non-existent.
  8. Umadbro
    Jul 28, 2020
    7
    It's good but short, you will get about 5 hours out of it. Majority of the game is a series of puzzles so it's not as fast paced as it could be.
  9. Luttz
    Aug 4, 2020
    6
    [0 - Unplayable game / 5 - Average / 10 - Awesome game]
    Carrion is a weird mix of a metroidvania with many unique things that will set it apart.
    The gameplay is fun and the looks of it are very well done. CARRION is a good game, however, it has a very powerful drawback. -No map- Yes, get ready to get lost and wander aimlessly for minutes upon end. This would not be a problem if the    [0 - Unplayable game / 5 - Average / 10 - Awesome game]
    Carrion is a weird mix of a metroidvania with many unique things that will set it apart.
    The gameplay is fun and the looks of it are very well done.
    CARRION is a good game, however, it has a very powerful drawback.

    -No map-
    Yes, get ready to get lost and wander aimlessly for minutes upon end. This would not be a problem if the levels were:
    1 - Easily recognizable
    2 - Had a map
    3 - You did not had a teleport function that drops you in a very unfamiliar yet similar place.

    Unfortunately for me, I could not finish the game because I felt like it was a chore. It was pretty fun at first when you have to explore and do the puzzles but it gets frustrating when you think you have done all the puzzles yet you cannot find a way out of that place to a new area.

    Final Score: 6
    Above average game, it will be fun but it has serious problems that will affect you possibly in a negative way.    … Expand
  10. Rtheom
    Aug 16, 2020
    5
    An interesting concept, but lacks in execution. Like other's aid, it really needs a map system of some sort. The vast majority of my game was spent circling through the same rooms again and again.

    Combat is... eh... it's kinda fun initially, but you quickly learn just flailing wildly works most of the time and it's not super exciting. Finally, I feel like the concept is a bit wasted    An interesting concept, but lacks in execution. Like other's aid, it really needs a map system of some sort. The vast majority of my game was spent circling through the same rooms again and again.

    Combat is... eh... it's kinda fun initially, but you quickly learn just flailing wildly works most of the time and it's not super exciting.

    Finally, I feel like the concept is a bit wasted on pixel art. I get the idea that you're a hideous flesh mass that consumes and absorbs other living creatures like The Thing, but there's no real shock to any of it because it is just red pixels on pink pixels with some white pixels for teeth. I feel like if this was redone in a highly detailed, third person format with a bit of effort put into level design, you could have a really solid horror game.    … Expand
  11. Steyraus
    Jul 31, 2020
    5
    Like every side scroller indie game these day , in has that fun but short lived hook that gets you interested. Then in no time at all this fun hook just turns into a catalyst for making puzzles. So you get about an hour of the game you want and 4 hours figuring out boring puzzles you didnt even think was in the game.
    Get Valfaris, a bit challenging but brutal fun from beginning to end    Like every side scroller indie game these day , in has that fun but short lived hook that gets you interested. Then in no time at all this fun hook just turns into a catalyst for making puzzles. So you get about an hour of the game you want and 4 hours figuring out boring puzzles you didnt even think was in the game.
    Get Valfaris, a bit challenging but brutal fun from beginning to end and visually its stunning, not another old looking game.    … Expand
  12. nitorita
    Jan 4, 2022
    7
    Despite what you may have been led to believe, Carrion is not a Metroidvania but a 2D adventure game where you traverse through a maze of different facilities as a monstrous human-devouring symbiote.

    Although the game features unique gameplay and is buttery smooth to play, its greatest weakness is its lack of a map, which is ironically the quintessential feature of a Metroidvania. It is    Despite what you may have been led to believe, Carrion is not a Metroidvania but a 2D adventure game where you traverse through a maze of different facilities as a monstrous human-devouring symbiote.

    Although the game features unique gameplay and is buttery smooth to play, its greatest weakness is its lack of a map, which is ironically the quintessential feature of a Metroidvania. It is easy to get lost and waste time backtracking through areas to try to find where to go next. This can wear your patience thin as it is unrealistic to memorize the map to know where to head back to and travel next. This can force you to spoil yourself with walkthroughs in order to figure out the path onwards.

    The game itself is not particularly difficult and is forgiving with its abundant save rooms. The game has plenty of potential, which was unfortunately misused. There isn't much of a story to keep you interested either, making it hard to play for longer sessions. Overall, Carrion is an interesting experience, but not one to go through twice. It is also rather short.

    GREATEST TIME OF THE YEAR DLC
    I'm not really sure what to rate this DLC, as it was completely optional and had no story to it. It's meant to be played after the main game, and I did not really need to try all that hard in order to beat it in about 20 minutes. I suppose it's worth playing if you enjoy the original game, want more to play, and can get this DLC for free, but otherwise, I wouldn't recommend bothering with it. 6.5/10    … Expand
  13. ChumaGG
    Sep 4, 2021
    7
    Es divertido.

    Los unicos puntos negativos que tiene es que dura muy poco, se vuelve un poco repetitivo (pese a durar poco) y los controles se sienten raros.

    si necesitas divertirte un rato (y no tienes mucho tiempo para jugar) este juego bastara.
  14. vitin
    Dec 4, 2020
    5
    Ele iria funcionar bem se fosse mais curto, mas apesar da ideia interessante e mecânica no começo divertida, uma hora ele só cansa e a falta de história te deixa sem motivos pra continuar nele.
  15. Meeleepit
    Sep 1, 2020
    5
    Good Pixelated graphics,nice gore but gets repetitive real fast. Overpriced currently
  16. Prometheus1241
    Aug 22, 2020
    5
    Quite a mediocre metroidvania. You don't have a map and you will have to walk aimless around the map to find where you should go next. Gameplay itself is quite boring: you need to clear location, killing people or, sometimes, robots. In case of fighting robots gameplay becomes quite intriguing, but hunting people down is fun only for the first 15 minutes.

    Overally, i can recommend it    Quite a mediocre metroidvania. You don't have a map and you will have to walk aimless around the map to find where you should go next. Gameplay itself is quite boring: you need to clear location, killing people or, sometimes, robots. In case of fighting robots gameplay becomes quite intriguing, but hunting people down is fun only for the first 15 minutes.

    Overally, i can recommend it only to big fans of metroidvania and reversed horrors. For other i assume skipping it.    … Expand
  17. Kyurene
    Jul 29, 2020
    5
    Graphic is 10/10 as for pixel art, sadly creators didn't put as much work into overall as into graphic, In this game you won't be able to feel as something that is hunting people. Enemy Ai is not only stupid, but also look artificial. Or they have gun, or they just scream, every time in same way, no matter what you are doing. Instead of AI using environment to stop you (in realistic wayGraphic is 10/10 as for pixel art, sadly creators didn't put as much work into overall as into graphic, In this game you won't be able to feel as something that is hunting people. Enemy Ai is not only stupid, but also look artificial. Or they have gun, or they just scream, every time in same way, no matter what you are doing. Instead of AI using environment to stop you (in realistic way like people do in horrors), Devs made creature that eats entire peoples like snacks, and is vulnerable to small gun fire, in first levels 5 bullets and you are gone. I played it only for hour, but game didn't made any promises that gameplay will change. You expect horror like monster, and you get fragille something, that can make biomass which destroy half map, but can't take 5 bullets, while "humans" scream, because when in danger everyone scream, and act in same way. I wouldn't complain about it if I wouldn't see how much effort someone put into graphic while ignoring rest of experience.… Expand
  18. tommydlbass
    Sep 19, 2021
    7
    Short game that is super fun to play. Not much to say. A map would have been good.
  19. LisaCroft
    Jan 4, 2021
    7
    Reverse Horror in charmanter Pixeloptik angelehnt an das Metroidvania-Genre. Lohnt sich!
  20. Legacykon
    Jul 30, 2020
    6
    Carrion is a fun and interesting concept with spectacular execution. Love the simplicity of the controls and the movement.

    That said, I find Carrion seriously lacking in atmosphere. The encounters are lethal, fast and brutal, but without any kind of satisfying pay off and meaning. There is some story and it's great that it is never served via a boring exposition, but still, to me, the    Carrion is a fun and interesting concept with spectacular execution. Love the simplicity of the controls and the movement.

    That said, I find Carrion seriously lacking in atmosphere. The encounters are lethal, fast and brutal, but without any kind of satisfying pay off and meaning. There is some story and it's great that it is never served via a boring exposition, but still, to me, the game feels overall quite shallow.

    I keep constantly wishing for the kind of NPC dynamics as in This War of Mine and more meaningful interactions, making the game a bit of a disappointment for me.    … Expand
  21. Oshiri_Maeda
    Nov 11, 2020
    7
    Fresh take on reverse horror, feels cool :D
    However, the game gets repetitive after first couple hours, and ends within 3-4 hours. Quite short for $20-30, buy it only on sale.
  22. PapaGamer
    Aug 10, 2020
    7
    Fun game, listening people scream while they are eaten, lot of blood and terror. Sometimes you will feel lost on this game because there is no map. If it would, you would end the game in less than 2 hours. It's a good and addictive game, but it is short and the end a let down. Hopefully the developers will do a free expansion with more action.
  23. Thanatos909
    May 7, 2021
    6
    ХОРОШАЯ ИНДИ ИГРА НА "РАЗОК".
    Прошёл игру в один заход часа за четыре, получив приятные эмоции. Вопреки классическому хоррор сценарию, разработчики CARRION дают ИГРОКУ роль "нечто"-подобного существа, готового рвать и метать всё вокруг, получилось, довольно оригинально и забавно =). Сюжет так же присутствует, но к сожалению его куда меньше чем ожидалось и хотелось бы, что для меня, один    ХОРОШАЯ ИНДИ ИГРА НА "РАЗОК".
    Прошёл игру в один заход часа за четыре, получив приятные эмоции. Вопреки классическому хоррор сценарию, разработчики CARRION дают ИГРОКУ роль "нечто"-подобного существа, готового рвать и метать всё вокруг, получилось, довольно оригинально и забавно =). Сюжет так же присутствует, но к сожалению его куда меньше чем ожидалось и хотелось бы, что для меня, один из главных минусов. Помимо этого в игре присутствуют и другие недостатки, например в игре очень неудобно ориентироваться в пространстве, а так же к концу игры, когда прокачка существа подходит к концу, становится чуток скучновато, но да ладно, пустяки, это не помешало мне получить приятные эмоции от данной игры.
    Итог - 6 тентаклей из 10    … Expand
  24. Resonator
    Oct 20, 2020
    7
    Fun game with simple mechanics, the puzzles are simple but the core gameplay was fun.
    Is satisfying to play as the blob with tentacles, but boring when you play as a human.
  25. EmirhanSahin
    Jan 2, 2022
    6
    Sometimes it feels like a Metroidvania but Nah it is a linear adventure puzzle game. Did ı say puzzle? Nah. If you have a specific skill you can move on. But if you haven't sorry pal.
  26. SwipySwapy
    Mar 17, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bought Carrion about a week or so ago, and have played it enough since then to last me a lifetime. You won't spend more than around 6ish hours on your first playthrough, but that's only because you don't know where to go, and haven't realized how linear the game is. Once you know where entrances to areas are, the game's about 2-3 hours.

    The combat is... interesting. It's either sit around and wait for an enemy to come close enough to you to grab or just bum rush and hope you don't die.

    Your offensive abilities are mediocre, each one you get making you larger. The first one you get is a bloody web that can trap human enemies and those weird drones for a little bit making them unable to do much except for scream and flail. The second one is a dash, which's only good for breaking stuff, as all of the enemies it's worth using on have shields that damage you on contact. The third one is the most useful, making you shoot out a bunch of tentacles with spikes that deal massive damage and rip things towards you violently. You get a handful of defensive and passive abilities as well, such as Hyrdophilia that turns you into a mass of worms when you go underwater. The first defensive ability allows you to turn invisible provided there's light around. The second covers you in a mass of keratin spikes that deal damage to enemies when you ram them, ignoring shields, and is best for bum rushes. Third gives you incredibly strong armor that resists all damage. All of these defensive abilities require energy to function, which can be restored with electrical boxes found all over the map.

    There are 5 enemies, being human with a gun, a human with a gun and armor that you can't eat, human with a flamethrower and armor that you also can't eat, a square drone that shoots you, and a weird boxy mech that shoots at you real fast. These get repetitive very quickly and soon become boring and gimmicky once you figure out how to easily kill them. Bullets deal a lot of damage to you uncomfortably quickly, and the only way to regenerate health is by eating humans or going to one of your hives, but as you get later in the game edible humans become less common.

    The puzzles are fun the first time, sometimes frustrating. Most of them revolve around you going back and forth between areas, dropping off bits of biomass to use abilities from previous levels.

    I give it a 5, it's fun at first but becomes gimmicky and boring. It's too short for $20, and there's just not enough content to warrant the price.    … Expand
  27. Burzyk
    Jul 17, 2021
    7
    Too many mazes looking almost exactly the same! Cool idea on the other hand.
  28. Sydorek
    Aug 18, 2021
    7
    Very good atmosphere, physics, music and sounds. The only downside is that the last 10 minutes of gameplay are a real maze
  29. ibanegas
    Mar 20, 2023
    7
    I have to text something without another option if I want to rate the game: 75/100 is fair for me. Enough? Haha.
  30. TomKing13
    Jul 17, 2022
    7
    c: ........................................................................
  31. EVIL_UJIN
    Oct 15, 2022
    7
    Игра представляет собой аркаду в стиле реверс-хоррор. В хорроре МЫ прячемся и боимся монстров, а здесь все боятся НАС! Мы - непонятная, аморфная инопланетная тварь, которая вырвалась из лаборатории и хочет на свободу! Бегаем, поедаем людишек, наращиваем массу, мутируем, создаем гнезда-сохранения по всему комплексу. Время от времени нужно решать логические задачки в стиле "как же достатьИгра представляет собой аркаду в стиле реверс-хоррор. В хорроре МЫ прячемся и боимся монстров, а здесь все боятся НАС! Мы - непонятная, аморфная инопланетная тварь, которая вырвалась из лаборатории и хочет на свободу! Бегаем, поедаем людишек, наращиваем массу, мутируем, создаем гнезда-сохранения по всему комплексу. Время от времени нужно решать логические задачки в стиле "как же достать тот рычаг и открыть ту дверь".

    Про геймплей: Динамичный, сочный геймплей с отрыванием голов и прочих выступающих частей тела. До смерти напуганные работники компании, которая так неосторожно пленила вас - неизвестный организм - бегают по комнатам с пистолетом в трясущихся руках и визжат от ужаса, когда видят, как очередного напарника разорвало на части прямо у них над головой). Позже офисных работников сменят охранники с огнеметами, боевые роботы и автоматические турели, но это не убавляет веселья, и дает какой-то челлендж. Ведь мы не стоим на месте, а тоже эволюционируем, и через несколько уровней мы сможем становиться невидимыми, стрелять шипами во все стороны, а потом и вовсе с помощью тонкого щупальца брать под контроль охранников. Ммм.. А если рядом окажется пустой шагающий робот с пулеметами.. Собственно, наша задача - не уничтожение противников, а открытие различных заслонов на пути к свободе. Нужно нажимать разные рычаги, протискиваться в узкие проходы, обманывать лазерные датчики и т.д. В игре присутствуют элементы метроидвании - в некоторых местах вы не можете пройти дальше, пока не обретете нужную способность. Особенно это относится к секретным апгрейдам.

    Про сюжет: его нет. Вы - аморфная тварь, которая ищет путь к свободе, а жалкие людишки с помощью всяких хитростей пытаются ей помешать.

    Про музыку: Она есть. Не завораживает , но и не напрягает. Охранники орут почему-то женскими голосами) Но это мелочи. Не звуки слушать мы сюда пришли. У нашей твари и ушей-то нет. Зато много щупалец, глаз и зубастых ртов, *злобный смех*.

    Про графику: все видно на скриншотах) Да, она пиксельная, но расчлененка сделана хорошо и физика достаточно реалистична. Все разлетается, отталкивается от стен и падает на пол, заливая все красной жидкостью вполне красиво. Учитывая,что геймплей, как уже было сказано, весьма динамичен, нам особо некогда любоваться пиксельными красотами.

    Про продолжительность: игра не очень долгая, на пару-тройку вечеров. Ну можно, конечно, упороться и пройти ее за день, но получите ли вы от этого удовольствие? После финала можно загрузить чекпойнт и спокойно побегать по комплексу в поисках недостающих спрятанных банок (всего их 9 , по одной в каждой зоне).

    Итог: неплохая пиксельная аркада без сюжета с оригинальным, но немного монотонным геймплеем.    … Expand
  32. Jerg4n
    Apr 8, 2023
    7
    A short fun burst, one of those games you play through in one sitting. Combat, puzzles and the metroidvania elements are all well executed.
  33. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    7
    Fun take on a metroidvania where youre the alien monster. Not much gameplay variety, but short enough not to outstay its welcome and fun enough while it lasts. Could do more to sell the predator fantasy.

Awards & Rankings

47
#47 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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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. CD-Action
    Oct 15, 2020
    75
    The joy of watching this wild tangle of pixel art tentacles, organs, and flesh (and listening to the sounds of humans being devoured) alone makes this game worthwhile. If, just like me, you always root for the bad guy, Carrion’s gameplay can be immensely satisfying. [10/2020, p.54]
  2. GameMAG
    Sep 12, 2020
    50
    Carrion has all the potential to become really interesting, but right now it feels like a technical demonstration of an incomplete concept.
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Aug 20, 2020
    77
    Carrion has a handful of annoying shortcomings, but it perfectly depicts everyday life of a scary alien creature from a horror movie, and that’s a monumental achievement by itself.
    Read full review
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