Carrion

 Xbox One
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. EGM
    Jul 22, 2020
    100
    Carrion doesn’t just flip the horror script—it’s the ultimate power fantasy, packed into a tight, uncompromising space. It might utilize some video game tropes, but it doesn’t seem too concerned with accepted video game values. It’s a 2D side-scroller without platforming, an action game where you dictate the action. The Doom Slayer might talk a big game about ripping and tearing, but Carrion’s meatball monster puts its money where its many mouths are.
  2. GameGrin
    Jul 29, 2020
    95
    This a super fun immersive game that is a must play for not only horror fans but anyone looking for a unique gaming experience!
  3. TheXboxHub
    Jul 29, 2020
    90
    Carrion on Xbox One is a very well-designed and crafted game. Whilst it can be frustrating to backtrack and redo levels when you’ve got a new power, the backtracking is part of the design rather than a flaw in the design. The combat is nicely weighted and the stealth elements are light and don’t require too much patience. Whilst it’s a short, punchy game, it doesn’t outstay its welcome or become repetitive.
  5. SomosXbox
    Aug 11, 2020
    83
    Carrion offers an interesting and careful proposal for Metroidvania in which we will control that monster that we should normally face. The evolution of its gameplay, the well captured scenario and its visual crudeness make Carrion a game totally recommended for horror movie lovers of the 80s.
  6. Washington Post
    Jul 31, 2020
    80
    Perhaps the finest compliment I can pay Carrion is that I was reluctant to play it before going to sleep. Truly, the last thing I wanted to see was that infernal creature in my dreams.
  7. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jul 23, 2020
    80
    Yes, the game lacks readability when there are too many enemies. Yes, its level design sometimes loses the player. But Carrion is a successful game that takes being a monster to the extreme.
  8. Generación Xbox
    Nov 13, 2020
    79
    In Carrion we will revive with a retro pixel aesthetic the fear of a horror movie from the 80's, only in this case we will be in the place of the monster. A very fun game to enjoy from start to finish.
  9. GameCrate
    Jul 23, 2020
    78
    Carrion is a fun but flawed 2D horror game with a fun hook. It doesn’t play perfectly, and the controls are particularly hit-or-miss, but overall, there’s a lot of fun to be had when you get to be the monster and leave a path of destruction in your wake.
  10. Everyeye.it
    Jul 23, 2020
    77
    What is missing, however, is perhaps that special twist, that extra momentum of creativity capable of giving a truly memorable body and structure to the title: who knows what paradox, considering the total absence of the creepy protagonist's backbone.
  11. CGMagazine
    Aug 12, 2020
    70
    Carrion is a very cool concept held back by frustrating map design and repetitive combat.
  12. Xbox Achievements
    Jul 29, 2020
    70
    Carrion is an excellent power fantasy that casts you as the monstrous villain in your own horror film. The wonderfully gloopy animation and conception of Carrion’s meaty monster makes it enjoyable to play, especially when tearing through the unfortunate humans that stand in your way. But dull exploration, a lack of memorable environments and disparate gameplay ideas that never really come together, mean that Carrion never truly reaches its full potential.
  13. IGN
    Jul 27, 2020
    70
    Carrion nails the power fantasy of being a horror movie monster, but makes exploration a chore that pads the adventure.
  14. Xbox Tavern
    Jul 27, 2020
    70
    Carrion is one of the best pixel made horrors I’ve ever seen and deserves praise from horror and gaming fans alike. With impressive controls and visuals for a game of this nature, this title is a must for any horror or gaming fan with a thirst for blood and anyone who loved the movie “The Thing”.
  15. GameSpot
    Jul 24, 2020
    70
    When it's letting you live out its proposed reverse-horror fantasy, Carrion is at its best. It excels at making you feel empowered as an evolving lab experiment gone wrong, giving you ample opportunities to flex your death-dealing tentacles and tear enemies limb from limb. While giving you numerous tools to wreak havoc, it also uses them in smart ways to find a good balance between its gory combat and problem-solving. Carrion falters when it requires too much fine precision from you with a control scheme that doesn't allow for it, and is at its lowest when you're not playing as its headlining monster at all. These are disappointing distractions, but Carrion's main event is still a bloody great time.
  16. USgamer
    Jul 23, 2020
    70
    Carrion is an energetic and taut game that flips the tables on The Thing, putting you in command of the alien creature and tasking you with simply going to town on the hapless humans surrounding you. The loose physics-based gameplay is satisfying to play, and the enigmatic creature's bloodlust is crucially never too powerful to render the armed humans that challenge you entirely helpless. Although Carrion's story falls largely flat, it's a very satisfying slaughterhouse of gnashing teeth and tentacles.
  17. Gamer.nl
    Sep 6, 2020
    65
    Carrion is at its best when you slide smoothly through the puzzles and when the visual storytelling gives you little bits of plot. The game has some nice ideas, of which the fact that you play as a human-devouring monster is the most unique, but it certainly does not end in Devolver's best game.
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  18. XBLA Fans
    Jul 29, 2020
    60
    What it does, it does well. But what it doesn’t do is what really drags it down to not feeling like an exceptional game. I love the idea; the movement feels great; but the lack of content really made it slip to just being average. No one likes to get stuck, and shame on me for not looking up maps or guides. I know they are out there, but I was very frustrated to be getting lost all the time. I wanted something in-game to at least give me a simple hint. Even if it let me know the area that I needed to go, it would have been helpful. It’s really a pretty good game otherwise. I might try it one more time, but if I get lost for an hour I’m hanging up the tentacles for good. And sadly, I’m quite certain this will be the case.

Awards & Rankings

60
#60 Best Xbox One Game of 2020
45
#45 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2020

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 61 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 61
  3. Negative: 4 out of 61
  1. Thundergamer
    Jul 29, 2020
    10
    A very good indie game, better than many AAA games. Decent gameplay, great controls and a fantastic environment. I feel like in the 80sA very good indie game, better than many AAA games. Decent gameplay, great controls and a fantastic environment. I feel like in the 80s fiction movies.… Full Review »
  2. Joellemm
    Aug 11, 2020
    8
    Its a pretty solid game. I really liked how little information it affords the player and how the story manages to be told neatly through onlyIts a pretty solid game. I really liked how little information it affords the player and how the story manages to be told neatly through only visuals. It resulted in a surprisingly immersive game. The visuals themselves and sound design are really good. The progression and increasing difficulty feels well balanced. There is a great deal of variety to the puzzles and enemies and this aligns well with the accomplished level design.

    Slightly overstays its welcome, over-complicating the fun late on, and the latest evolution in the monster's growth can by a burden to control. Other than this (and maybe the mild confusion early because i likely wasn't paying attention) there were very few moments i wasn't enjoying the unique power fantasy the game offers.    … Full Review »
  3. Xplocion
    Oct 24, 2020
    8
    The good:
    Horror and gore "Metroidvania" where you control a creature that must escape from a secret facility by sneaking through ducts and    The good:
    Horror and gore "Metroidvania" where you control a creature that must escape from a secret facility by sneaking through ducts and the air system. It has interesting stealth mechanics. Great way to show the different progressive abilities of the creature by levels. 650G just doing the story (the rest is evolving the creature to the maximum). It's on the Xbox Game Pass. Less than 400Mb of space of pure fun and pixelated gore. You just have to endure the initial shock and disgust and you will find a very fun game.

    The bad:
    Very short. To be “a Metroidvania” (actually, it's Backtracking) without a map, it makes things very difficult for the desperate or those who get lost easily (although having a map could make the game last even less). After seeing the end credits and getting the achievements there are no more (it is not very replayable). More powerful or complicated enemies are needed. There are no fast travel points.

    What Meh:
    If you don't like gore, you are easily grossed out by shellfish, misshapen things and slimes this is not your game. An Indie game that many are missing just for not having a reputation and would go unnoticed in the Store if it were not on Xbox Game Pass. When the creature is about to reach its maximum level, it feels the sensation of power. The closest thing to a map is the monitoring board of the facilities before going to the final mission which marks your progress in the game by zone and indicates that you have not found how to get there?, No that does not say .    … Full Review »
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