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CARRION (XONE)
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Publisher: Devolver Digital.
Developer: Phobia Game Studio. Released: July 2020. Genre: Pixel Horror. Other versions: SWI; PC. Posted 21st December 2020. By Shane Battams © 2020 |
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Carrion will pique your interest through its premise alone: a Metroidvania romp which reverses the roles of a regular horror game, letting players become a mutated monstrosity that grows with every upgrade and leaves hapless scientists at your mercy. Phobia Game Studio put a significant amount of effort into this one. Its concept is no mere gimmick, but the main thrust of the experience, and Carrion is at its best when it lets you live out your monstrous inclinations with few limits. Luckily, but for some mild irritations, this helps the game remain fun.
Taking the role of a tentacled monstrosity, Carrion sees you guiding this amorphous creature through an unknown facility, with a handful of human flashbacks and environmental storytelling feeding you most of the narrative. As you work your way through the complex, you’ll earn upgrades which both increase the size of the monster and gift new abilities. Eventually, you can shoot webbing through smaller gaps, control hapless NPCs and smash through tougher objects. It’s quite a sight, as the creature becomes physically larger as you slink around vents. You’ll visit some areas repeatedly, as new upgrades open hidden paths. These are worth exploring, as special upgrade tubes can be found to increase health and strength of abilities. Though things seem quite familiar on the surface, there’s a key difference between Carrion and other games in this now oversubscribed genre.
Taking the role of a tentacled monstrosity, Carrion sees you guiding this amorphous creature through an unknown facility, with a handful of human flashbacks and environmental storytelling feeding you most of the narrative. As you work your way through the complex, you’ll earn upgrades which both increase the size of the monster and gift new abilities. Eventually, you can shoot webbing through smaller gaps, control hapless NPCs and smash through tougher objects. It’s quite a sight, as the creature becomes physically larger as you slink around vents. You’ll visit some areas repeatedly, as new upgrades open hidden paths. These are worth exploring, as special upgrade tubes can be found to increase health and strength of abilities. Though things seem quite familiar on the surface, there’s a key difference between Carrion and other games in this now oversubscribed genre.
In Carrion, the shoe is firmly on the other foot: the player controls a manevolent, tentacled mass, as it wreaks its revenge on hapless scientists
Being a tentacled creature, physics play a huge role in puzzle-solving. Shooting webbing requires keen guidance to latch onto switches, enemies ragdoll as you grab them and environmental objects fly around the scene in a frenzied panic, letting you feel the power of this monster with giddy glee. Most scientists are hapless cannon fodder, replenishing health as you devour them, but tougher foes test your intellect too. They come bearing shields which repel your attacks, flamethrowers which require water to extinguish and even full-blown mech suits. But these tests always have another devilish side to them, as possessing humans allows you to wield their weaponry against them. Carrion is a hell of a lot of fun when it sticks to this anarchic, violent core, and this keeps the 10-hour game mostly compelling to its climax.
But not everything is flawless, as a handful of annoyances chip away at the fun. Controlling the creature is sometimes easier said than done, especially once you start to grow bigger with upgrades. Puzzles which require precise movement, prove trickier thanks to this rapid movement and can result in deaths. While plentiful opportunities to save and restore health do ease this a bit, it’s still frustrating. Due to the sheer number of abilities you gain, each is given to one of three different-sized forms of the monster. Should you require an ability from the smallest form, but have full health, you’ll need to backtrack and find water sources in order to jettison some of your mass. This feels a bit tedious and takes away from the power-trip high of the action segments, only worsened by the lack of a map which also makes the hub navigation more of a pain than it really needs to. Human flashbacks, while haunting in their quiet nature, feel like forced breaks rather than a narrative necessity. However, these don’t often hinder the game’s fun.
But not everything is flawless, as a handful of annoyances chip away at the fun. Controlling the creature is sometimes easier said than done, especially once you start to grow bigger with upgrades. Puzzles which require precise movement, prove trickier thanks to this rapid movement and can result in deaths. While plentiful opportunities to save and restore health do ease this a bit, it’s still frustrating. Due to the sheer number of abilities you gain, each is given to one of three different-sized forms of the monster. Should you require an ability from the smallest form, but have full health, you’ll need to backtrack and find water sources in order to jettison some of your mass. This feels a bit tedious and takes away from the power-trip high of the action segments, only worsened by the lack of a map which also makes the hub navigation more of a pain than it really needs to. Human flashbacks, while haunting in their quiet nature, feel like forced breaks rather than a narrative necessity. However, these don’t often hinder the game’s fun.
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While this brand of pixel art isn’t exactly unique, it comes with some cool touches nonetheless. The violence stands out, with gushing blood and decapitated bodies adding to the carnal combat. The environments don’t always feel distinctive, though some areas benefit from moody colour palettes and effective lighting. Just as with the gameplay, the monster proves the visual highlight, a disturbing concoction of tentacles, sliding around the environment with breathless efficiency. The sound is a touch sparse, as there’s no voice acting or, in fact, dialogue. But the atmospheric music often leaves you feeling creeped out, despite being the one in the position of power, and the harsh effects add impact to every smashed vent, every crushed human and all your violent actions.
Carrion isn’t perfect, but when it’s allowed, the violent power fantasy proves utterly compelling. Puzzling is pretty consistent, combat is carnage personified and the sense of growth – figuratively and literally – is very satisfying. Despite some issues with controls and level design, these frustrations aren’t enough to spoils things entirely. If you’re looking for a unique take on explorative horror gaming and don’t mind putting a bit of work into it, this is well worth a go, if only to experience what it’s like to be on the other side of a horror story.
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VERDICT
"Despite some quibbles with controls and level design, Carrion’s unique take on horror mixes consistent puzzling, combat carnage and satisfying sense of progression to decent effect.” OVERALL: 7/10 |
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