Gori: Cuddly Carnage

Gori: Cuddly Carnage is an amazing character action game that will make you eager for its sequel. It’s cute, creepy, and full of carnage, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I had no idea what I was in for with Gori: Cuddly Carnage, and I certainly didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Its crassness is kind of a take-it-or-leave-it for me, but it fits a ridiculous world taken over by crazed toys that are in desperate need of murder by a sentient cat friend and his blade hoverboard. And that feels like a good way to look at most of Gori. It sets out do all sorts of things gameplay-wise and it does all of them pretty well to make a ridiculously graphic world and narrative pretty dang fun. Mind the tykes in the room when you’re playing this one.

The cat on the hoverboard is an unusual hero, able to move around the terrain with obstacles and, despite his cute looks and comic book style, is quite tough in battle. Once you're hooked, there's no turning back.

Overall, I’m very pleased with how Gori: Cuddly Carnage is on Steam Deck, and expect it to get Verified very soon. The game itself surprised me with its quality, and it is one I won’t forget for a while. It excels with its fun gameplay, good writing, and great combat and feels right at home on Steam Deck from start to finish. It is just held back by a few annoyances.

Gori: Cuddly Carnage is a reminder that games don’t have to be realistic or serious to be an awesome joyride of violence or chaos. The visuals are wonderful, the combat is sensationally stylish and the gore delivers on this ginger-haired cat’s name with aplomb. Despite the odd issue with the camera and navigation frustration, Gori is a thrill ride from start to end, and I’m desperate to see more of him in future.