CARRION Reviews
Carrion is a special thing in many ways, but its actual meat and potatoes structure is as formulaic as the genre gets. Thankfully, its core gameplay of tearing room after room of people into wet chunks of corpse never, ever gets old, and sustains the experience throughout. It looks superb, sounds great and is plenty of fun to play, despite some minor issues which just hold Carrion back from the upper echelons of the Switch library.
Carrion abounds with the thrills of being the monster, then, but, less common and more cosy, with the kick of being in a monster movie—of slithering in celebration over the tropes of the genre. The good news is that, for a while, it works.
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.
Carrion is a bloody, intricate experience with a consistency problem that breaks the momentum that's central to a game like Carrion.
There just isn't a reason to play Carrion. There is little narrative, repetitive combat, limited puzzles, and almost zero horror elements. The atmosphere is okay and it reminds me of Alien but that's about as far as it goes with horror. Just leave this monster stuck in the vent.
Inspired by a 1950s sci-fi horror movie, Carrion turns you into a malign marauding blob, swallowing scientists whole
This is a tough yet fun creepy crawler with decent replay value you will want to tuck back into. This game includes a maze of levels, an evolving tentacle-beast, and a whole lot of people to consume. Play as the villain and eat like a king.
Carrion presents you with an opportunity to take the reigns of an invading monster, and it delivers on all fronts with visceral gore and effects that translate vividly even through its pixelated style. The lack of a map combined with navigational and interaction clumsiness make for a more cumbersome Metroidvania formula, but the payoffs of gameplay and exploration outweigh the issues that Carrion presents.
Despite the gameplay and level design being pretty middling, we still think this game is worth a spin. It’s all about the atmosphere, and the organism itself, both of which are rousing successes and worth the price of entry alone.
Carrion is a fascinating reversal of the typical Metroidvania. Playing as a hungry, tentacle abomination is fast, fluid and unnerving. My only complaint is that there is no mapping function, which can make progression a chore.
Carrion has all the potential to become really interesting, but right now it feels like a technical demonstration of an incomplete concept.
Review in Russian | Read full review
In our current market oversaturated media, there is something invaluable in a game that doesn’t waste your time.
Although Carrion is a relatively short game with little replayability, its quirky theme and ravenous flesh monster make for a fun feeding frenzy.
Inspired by Carpenter and the 80s body horror, Carrion reverses the roles and puts us in the shoes of a formless and lethal creature, in a fluid, fast and extremely choreographic metroidvania. Some AI problems and a not always inspired artistic direction do not compromise the result of one of the surprises of this 2020.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Easy to pick up and play, CARRION is original, absorbing and entertaining.It also has an excellent soundtrack – it’s cinematic horror vibe is the perfect accompaniment for the bloodbath that ensues.
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.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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.
As it stands, Carrion is an impressive, creative, and inventive game on paper. In practice, it ends up being a rather middle-of-the-road experience, with unfulfilled promised of potential greatness. If you’re looking for an inventive new take on the Metroidvania genre, Carrion might be what you’re looking for –but don’t go into it expecting it to be Super Meat-troid.
Regardless of the few gripes I have with Carrion, the title is such an original idea that it's very easy to recommend.
Carrion is a superb actioner staring an alien mass.