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. SKP23en
    Dec 12, 2020
    9
    Very entertaining "metroidvania" with a lot of gore and psychological horror. Simple and unique, has its own charm. I think it benefits from its short duration, completing it at 100% doesn't take more than 6-7 hours well spent. For a low price, it's a enjoyable experience.
  3. 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).
  4. 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
  5. 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 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.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 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.… Expand
  6. majrouge
    Jul 29, 2020
    8
    Carrion is a rather peculiar kind of metroidvania. It puts us in the skin of a creature we know almost nothing about except that it is held prisoner in a laboratory from which it is trying to escape.

    The story of the game, in the background, is never explained to us through language but very soberly through the integration of flashbacks, suggestions, as well as through the action    Carrion is a rather peculiar kind of metroidvania. It puts us in the skin of a creature we know almost nothing about except that it is held prisoner in a laboratory from which it is trying to escape.

    The story of the game, in the background, is never explained to us through language but very soberly through the integration of flashbacks, suggestions, as well as through the action itself.

    The pixel art graphics are meticulous, especially the environments and lighting, without forgetting the creature we embody. Special mention to the main menu screen, which is beautiful.

    The music and sound design are immersive and reflect the mood of the situation: mystery and tension in the background or danger depending on the moment.

    As far as the gameplay is concerned, it's roughly divided in two parts: simple but efficient puzzles balance the action phases that usually leave us the choice between different strategies, these strategies get bigger as we recover power-ups and unlocked zones.

    The game brings a bit of diversity by regularly presenting new mechanics to exploit. The movements of our monster are very fluid, although slightly laborious once we reach the final form.

    Carrion doesn't have a great replayability and would have benefited from integrating a tracking system more advanced than echolocation - without going through a map, which would not make sense from the point of view of game design coherence - because you can easily get lost in this maze of environments that are not very distinct.

    In the end, Carrion is a solid game with an atmosphere worthy of a John Carpenter movie, which it reminds very often, both in the music, the story and its main character (hello The Thing).    … Expand
  7. Donkey_cock
    Jul 26, 2020
    10
    Игра отличная оригинальная но за этим следует недочеты в виде запутанной карты ,нехватка сюжета хотя для него было готова почва , игра отличная но могла быть и лучше хочется продолжения !
  8. 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.
  9. Gabe7494
    Jul 28, 2020
    9
    Movement and navigation was a little frustrating at times. Maybe a map or something would be nice but other than that, loved gameplay and sound effects. You can really hear the fear in your victims.
  10. 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.
  11. 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
  12. Trylobot
    Aug 24, 2020
    10
    Close to perfection. Literally the only neg is the length of the game (I completed it in a single day). However, I have seen information on their official discord that leads me to believe modding is possible, and being actively developed; steam workshop support is apparently forthcoming, and I very much look forward to that.
  13. Olas
    Aug 3, 2020
    8
    Хочу отметить что игра в первую очередь логическая и заставит вас напрячь извилины при решении головоломок и особенно испытает вашу способность ориентирования на местности, так как в игре огромное количество бектрекинга без какой либо навигации. Если вам понравился только визуал и думаете расслабиться разрывая людишек на части ради фана - забудьте, далеко вы не зайдете. Игра из категорииХочу отметить что игра в первую очередь логическая и заставит вас напрячь извилины при решении головоломок и особенно испытает вашу способность ориентирования на местности, так как в игре огромное количество бектрекинга без какой либо навигации. Если вам понравился только визуал и думаете расслабиться разрывая людишек на части ради фана - забудьте, далеко вы не зайдете. Игра из категории не для всех, не нужно писать негативные отзывы тем самым показывая уровень вашего недоразвитого интеллекта, просто она не для вас - проходите мимо. Игра в первую очередь для думающих людей способных логически мыслить.… Expand
  14. TheMoil
    Aug 9, 2020
    8
    Lots of fun. Game is a no brainer, can’t wait to see what the studio does next.
  15. pokegod11
    Jul 28, 2020
    10
    Great game with a unique concept, I enjoy the exploration unlike most people and it's everything that I wanted it to be
  16. Dante77
    Sep 6, 2020
    9
    Pros:
    + the gameplay is AWESOME. Very entertaining and unique.
    + good audio
    + nice artstyle

    Cons:
    - the story is very basic, to say the least
    - no map

    Score: 8.8/10.
  17. bayg
    Aug 20, 2020
    10
    i really like this game since it's so different from the rest of the indie games i have played,sure some may say there inst much reason to keep going but it's a good time killer,and a enjoyable one.
    the soundtrack is amazing and it feels like an actual si-fi horror movie,and the game play dose too.
    over all this game is really unique and fun.
  18. GabFire
    Aug 9, 2020
    8
    Esse jogo seria perfeito se tivesse para Switch. Apesar de seus problemas decorrentes durante minha jogatina, consegui curtir esse jogo, me surpreendeu, porque antes de lançar eu achei que iria ser um lixo, e acabou me gerando boas noites de sono (só que não, que jogo mais horripilante). XD
  19. MrChickster
    Jul 28, 2020
    7
    Gets pretty repetitive after a while. The monster design is cool. Story and world-building are almost non-existent.
  20. SpaceHeroGuide
    Sep 6, 2020
    8
    Refreshing new gameplay. Some hard puzzles. Could have been a bit longer. I have earned 52% of the achievements after 1 hour and 20min gameplay. However very cool. Hope for another one.
  21. vROBOCOPv
    Jul 29, 2020
    10
    Extremely fun game, with intuitive controls and rewarding moment to moment gameplay. Overall Carrion is very polished and gorgeous to look at too. The ending was incredible also.
  22. EnigmaXtreme
    Aug 5, 2020
    8
    I first saw what would eventually become the game Carrion, several years ago as a GIF post on r/gaming and was immediately hooked. What looked like a Metroidvania but playing as an unstoppable tentacled beast eating and destroying everything in sight. I knew I had to play this title, if or when it ever showed up. Thankfully, the amazing folks over at Devolver Digital also believed the sameI first saw what would eventually become the game Carrion, several years ago as a GIF post on r/gaming and was immediately hooked. What looked like a Metroidvania but playing as an unstoppable tentacled beast eating and destroying everything in sight. I knew I had to play this title, if or when it ever showed up. Thankfully, the amazing folks over at Devolver Digital also believed the same and brought the game on, promoting during its last two Devolver Directs and promoting it as a reverse horror game.

    It begins off simple enough with “the creature” emerging from a containment pod in a research facility, and from there the carnage begins. First of all, the design of the creature is absolutely grotesque, looking like a giant pile of spaghetti and meatballs with teeth (yeah try and get that out of your head during dinner), you have free range over the facility, being able to slither and crawl anywhere you want.

    The game utilises a twin stick setup that has you move with the left stick and control your tentacles with the right, this is required to pull levers and more importantly grab onto your many victims. However, the aiming of the left stick can prove unpredictable at times in the heat of devouring numerous hapless victims. This can definitely prove troublesome with enemies carrying electrical shields and flamethrowers

    Accompanying the game is an absolutely stellar soundtrack that captures the atmosphere of a giant research facility perfectly, reminiscing of similar tensions in movies such as Alien. The cries and whimpering of terrified scientists cowering in a corner before making a satisfying leap from the shadows and throwing them around like an absolute ragdoll. Graphically, the game is a great retro-styled environment, with the creature continuously corrupting the area with pixelated blood spraying everywhere for good measure as well.

    While you have unlockable moves and numerous areas to explore, it would be charitable to compare this game to a Metroidvania. There isn’t much in the way of exploration with the only diverts to unlock different doors and a few optional containment units. There is really no need to backtrack with the game playing out fairly linear almost in a level like structure. However, there were times I found myself getting lost with no real idea of where to go next and found myself wandering before I found that one little area I needed to go. While there aren’t boss battles per se, you do get harder and tougher resistance including ED-209 robots which are quite satisfying to take down, and razor-sharp security drones which are just as annoying as in real life.

    It isn’t just slithering and eating though, there is some real strategy in certain areas, like figuring out the best way to take down a room before you get hit with the flame thrower and certain powers are only available when you are certain sizes. You can ram into objects when you are a giant beast, but after using a pond to dispel your mass, you can use the webshot to pull levers out of reach. Later on, you are even able to infect humans and have them do your bidding.

    The narrative is virtually non-existent, you have a few moments where you get to relive some sort of origin story where you are discovered but nothing much beyond that. At the end of the day, the game is a fairly basic affair, your just a monstrous beast running havoc on a giant area and honestly that is really all that is needed. No story, the only motivation being escape and devour everyone that captured me, there is just something cathartic about the amount of carnage and bloodshed you cause through your several hour romp with this game.

    Carrion is bloody, mindless and at time humorous fun and I wouldn’t have it any other way.    … Expand
  23. aeon_g
    Aug 5, 2020
    10
    Play ... the ... monsterrrrrrr!! Your angry, your dangerous and your unstoppable. This game is pure joy. Moving around with this thing makes so much fun alone. But the rest of the game makes everything else also right. If I need to criticize anything, I would say that it is too short and I would have liked to be able to show any stats or Progression page. But they did not intend out thatPlay ... the ... monsterrrrrrr!! Your angry, your dangerous and your unstoppable. This game is pure joy. Moving around with this thing makes so much fun alone. But the rest of the game makes everything else also right. If I need to criticize anything, I would say that it is too short and I would have liked to be able to show any stats or Progression page. But they did not intend out that way and that’s fine for me. One of the best Metroidvania games!… Expand
  24. CoffeeKing
    Sep 2, 2020
    9
    Easily one of the best pixel art I ever seen in my life. Combo with next gen effects and AAA audio design. The game is just sooooo incredibly fun to play. Just lacks two things (which stops me from giving it a perfect score):
    1. Length (you can beat the game under 2h)
    2. Minimap (its very easy to get lost and be forced to backtrack). TL;DR another great game from Devolver. They are    Easily one of the best pixel art I ever seen in my life. Combo with next gen effects and AAA audio design. The game is just sooooo incredibly fun to play. Just lacks two things (which stops me from giving it a perfect score):
    1. Length (you can beat the game under 2h)
    2. Minimap (its very easy to get lost and be forced to backtrack).

    TL;DR another great game from Devolver. They are soooo underappreciated :/    … Expand
  25. sekongur
    Sep 12, 2020
    9
    Genial gameplay para una idea muy bien llevada. El mapeado a veces es confuso, pero nada muy grave. La sensación de ser un monstruo llegado desde la película "La cosa" no tiene precio.
  26. C3realkillah
    Jul 24, 2020
    9
    Carrion review

    Ever wanted to be a monster and strike fear into the hearts of unfortunate human scientists? What about ripping and tearing through an unbelievably large research facility leaving a bloodbath in your wake? Well here is your chance. Carrion is a beautiful pixelated metroidvania gem where you control a ravenous grotesque Eldritch abomination and kill your way to freedom. The    Carrion review

    Ever wanted to be a monster and strike fear into the hearts of unfortunate human scientists? What about ripping and tearing through an unbelievably large research facility leaving a bloodbath in your wake? Well here is your chance. Carrion is a beautiful pixelated metroidvania gem where you control a ravenous grotesque Eldritch abomination and kill your way to freedom. The developers call this a reverse horror game and I can definitely see why. The atmosphere, sound design, and soundtrack are all deeply rooted in horror. Scientists scream, panic, and run away at the site of you, praying they don't end up your meal. Too bad for them. Not everyone is afraid of you. Some will try to kill you with fire arms including flamethrowers as well as drones and even mechs. They put up a bit of a challenge but the game still leans on the easy side for the most part. The monster you control earns different abilities as you'd expect from a metroidvania style game. Some abilities include shields, a bash attack and a few others that I won't spoil. You really do feel like a killing machine in this game and the abilities are fun to use. Now I've mentioned most of the pros but as you'd expect from any game there are some issues. One of my biggest complaints is the fact that there is no map to rely on. You basically have to rely on your memory and even that can get you lost. The game doesn't give you any direction where to go at all so getting lost and going in circles is common. The length of the game is rather short as well it took me about 6 hours or so to complete and that is counting doing all the optional puzzles to get all the abilities. The controls are a tad bit too sensitive but nothing too bad. The creature moves incredibly fast and it's easy to go to the wrong part of the area but it wasn't a big issue. Replay value is pretty low since there is no new game plus or bonus features to unlock ( unless you care about playing the demo) or getting the optional abilities. Overall I really enjoyed the game. It's not perfect but it's not trying to be. It's a fun, gory at times unsettling game we rarely see. I hope developer phobia game studio make this a franchise or make more reverse horror games in the future. This unique title was a blast and I'd love to see more reverse horror style games like this.

    Pros: +You really feel like a monster
    +beautiful pixelated Graphics
    +Overall solid, fun metroidvania gameplay
    +Sound design and soundtrack

    Cons:

    -no map or clear direction where to go
    -relatively short with low replayability


    8.5/10    … Expand
  27. Soupchike
    Jul 25, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Игра интересная и геймплейно вывозит разнообразием скилов. Твердая 8, жду вторую часть.… Expand
  28. Unbiased_Critic
    Jul 28, 2020
    10
    10/10 easy, rated after finishing the game, downloaded through game pass. The concept and art style are solid throughout and made me think of reverse Metroid. Playing as the monster never got boring. Terrain traversal is especially quick compared to other games in the genre. The abilities you do have lend themselves well to the concept of the game. The character has 3 different sizes, each10/10 easy, rated after finishing the game, downloaded through game pass. The concept and art style are solid throughout and made me think of reverse Metroid. Playing as the monster never got boring. Terrain traversal is especially quick compared to other games in the genre. The abilities you do have lend themselves well to the concept of the game. The character has 3 different sizes, each with its own set of abilities you can use, and you have to change sizes here and there to take advantage of them. Some areas give you a chance at going in full strength or taking a stealthier approach or even using sabotage. Except for the very last bit of the game I didn’t get lost despite there being no map. Some of the gore was a bit much, but I personally tried to not kill any unarmed personnel so the killing was self defence. Also, The end sequence is a delight. Fingers crossed they’ll make a sequel, or another dev will if these devs move onto something else. Truly a no brainer if you’re already subscribed to game pass.… Expand
  29. NaguNagu
    Jul 28, 2020
    8
    Es un titulo que quiere ir al hueso y no se detiene a contar una historia, poniéndote en la piel de un "biomutante" capaz de destrozar una habitación, un tremendo "Gore Pixelado" con mutilaciones y gritos al puro estilo de La Cosa (The Thing, 1982) de John Carpenter acompañado de una jugabilidad plataformera como la de la saga Metroid. Pero como les comente más arriba, carecer de historiaEs un titulo que quiere ir al hueso y no se detiene a contar una historia, poniéndote en la piel de un "biomutante" capaz de destrozar una habitación, un tremendo "Gore Pixelado" con mutilaciones y gritos al puro estilo de La Cosa (The Thing, 1982) de John Carpenter acompañado de una jugabilidad plataformera como la de la saga Metroid. Pero como les comente más arriba, carecer de historia enriquece su gameplay, que si bien utilizamos 3/4 de la botonera de un joystick actual, CARRION nos regala elementos que evolucionan al personaje (estampida, electricidad, telaraña corrosiva, entre otras) para que su jugabilidad no se torne repetitiva al corto plazo. Un gameplay sumamente aprovechado, sin preámbulos ni tutoriales invasivos que apuesta a la intuición y triunfa totalmente. Otro de sus mayores logros es el sonido, sumergiendonos en una ambientación silenciosa en la que mayormente solo escuchamos los sollozos de nuestras víctimas y los pasos de la masa biomutante; acompañado de unos escenarios similares a Alien³ (1992) de Sega Genesis. En cuanto a su durabilidad no hay mucho que decir, se limita de 3 a 5 horas de juego y es perfecto para pasártelo en una tarde.

    En resumen, CARRION es un tremendo indie con una carga impresionante de gore, tumores, pixels y escenarios claustrofobicos que a pesar de su nula historia y corta duración nos mantiene entretenido cada minuto.    … Expand
  30. 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.
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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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