Carrion. A Captive's Tale of Escape
Have you ever felt unloved or misunderstood?
Maybe you're just a little bit different?
Maybe you're a trapped, amorphous tentacled meat sack from another world intent on devouring everything and anything in your path?
Carrion is the heartwarming tale of a monsters fight back at the hands of its captures.
Ok heartwarming may be a stretch, but believe me when I say that Carrion is the most fun I have had with a title in some time.
Carrion is developed by Phobia Game Studio and published by Devolver Digital releasing July 23rd 2020 on Xbox. PC & Switch.
Taking control of a meaty, tentacled monster is where the fun begins.
Carrion aims to reverse the usual horror tropes with you being the monster, the objective? Escape. Pretty simple really. You've been captured and you must move throughout levels, open doors, through vents, crack puzzles and most importantly stalk and remove those pesky humans from your path.
Gameplay is a 2D side scrolling platformer with a difference. As the monster your tentacles shoot out in all directions allowing you to grab onto everything and seamlessly make your way throughout the levels. Your tentacles control doors, levers and can reach down and grab those you're stalking. Devouring those in your way helps you to grow in size acting as a health of sorts as you come up against guards with some intense weaponry.
As you progress you unlock upgrades for your monster, such as a charge and spikes to help take down barriers or guards in the proces. One of the features surrounding this that I found really clever was that you could shed mass, this would give you different options for your upgraded ability that you couldn't use if you were too big. You could always go back and pick it up. As you grow in size you do notice it with how the controls feel, you feel the bulk in that it slows you down and makes sharper turns near impossible but given the ease at which the controls work it feels right.
Graphically Carrion is an 8-bit style title, not something I am usually a fan of but for me the game play makes up.
Sound also plays a big part. The sound of the monster moving through out sounds authentic and helps create that atmosphere of fear.
Overall Carrion is a good fun ride. The story is told throughout the levels you play and tied in together with a back story told through flashback levels.
In Australia you're looking around the $30 mark and with the fun I have had it is well worth it.
Keep an eye on our social pages for links to Twitch on when we go live with Carrion and also check out episode 307 of the podcast for our thoughts.
Reviewed: Pat Clifford (Snoogs)
Played: PC
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