Roarrr…people…food…escape…facility…Okay, okay, maybe I'm too eloquent to be a monster, but Carrion makes you feel like one (and like it). We've played a lot of games where we had to escape a snarling monster that gave us the creeps. But Carrion takes the concept and gives it a twist – it makes you the monster. You're a gooey, amorphous, multi-tentacled creature, and you have to escape an underground facility, destroying everything and everyone that stands in your way. It's reverse horror, as rightly described by the developers. I absolutely loved my experience playing Carrion on PC, and here's why.
Carrion Review – Reverse Horror Done Right
It’s unsettling and… satisfying. I mean, are you a good monster if you don’t chew on people? When you encounter them, your heart skips a beat because you’re excited to throw them around and consume them (not a sentence I ever thought I’d write, but here we are). Their screams are very realistic, so if you’re playing with speakers: fair warning. People around you will look at you strangely and question your gameplay choices. It’s pretty extreme and impactful even in its pixel art style. In fact, the art style makes it even better.
The most striking thing about this game is the creature’s movement – it’s fluid, well done and, honestly, quite beautiful. The way the blob navigates the environment, clinging to walls, sliding and bending in different directions is worth experiencing. With all those tentacles, the monster you control can open gates, pull levers and whatnot.
You are the enemy that everyone fears, and that makes you feel invincible. There are even people with advanced devices (like electric shields) that can actually hurt you, and you will be furious if they manage to kill you. How dare they hurt me, a glorious being with multiple tentacles? Is this what the Alien felt the whole time?! I managed to pull a guy aside with my tentacles while his back was turned to me. Didn't see that coming, did I? Hehe. Then I waited until I decided to give the other guy the same fate. Sorry, not sorry. Call me a monster, and I don't care.
