There are two types of people when it comes to the horror genre. The people happy for the hero and the person that would have rather watched the monster or villain win. Luckily for the latter, Carrion by Phobia Game Studio and published by Devolver Digital, have released a game to scratch that itch for the villain lovers out there.
Imagine being a monster somewhere in a quarantined part of Seattle and the objective is to hunt and stalk through a facility and then kill the humans in the way. This is Carrion, the anti-horror game. The concept is easy and there are multiple targets such as attacking scientists, staff and soldiers. This game is like being the organism that was accidentally created in the lab and wants revenge. As a red tentacle monster, you are able to have flashbacks about your origins and it’s really no surprise that you had some type of genetic mishaps. You might even be a shape shifter!
Carrion almost looks retro as a side scrolling plat former. But for being different as part of the horror genre, this was probably the best setting. For a single-player game, seeing yourself as the mass of tentacles is already creepy and makes you feel like you are controlling a ball of goo. I’ve never has more than two arms so I can’t say how a creature such as this should move. The environment of the game as a whole looks really nice and the backgrounds complement the plot really well.
Some players have complained that the game is a little short. While it is fun that you wish there was more, it works with the story. You don’t want a ten hour story where the creature learns of some greater evil it must help the humans overcome. You want to be the villain, smashing stuff and biting faces. the runtime is good because it tells it’s story and does not overstay it’s welcome.
As someone that doesn’t care to play many horror games, the thought of being the big bad monster is uplifting in a way. I don’t have to worry about finding the monster and dying, the little humans have to find me. Somehow this seems like the upper hand. If Carrion was a multi-player game then the challenge would increase dramatically. I could see this as a game that could evolve into an open world setting that lets you really open up multiplayer abilities.
8/10
Available on PC, Switch and Xbox.