Carrion (video game)

Players control a red, amorphous, tentacled monster of unknown origin. The monster must make its way through a facility, crawling through vents and killing scientists and soldiers. As the game progresses, players can obtain upgrades such as the ability to dash—which can be used to break through wooden barricades and access otherwise unreachable areas—and to grow in size.[1]

The organism is held in a containment unit within a research facility owned by a company called Relith Science. The creature breaks out and progresses through the facility in order to find an exit. As the organism progresses through the facility, it fights and devours its way through the facility's staff and security forces. Along the way, the creature discovers pieces of its genetic code removed by the scientists for study and containment, which allow it to evolve, allowing for greater size and more means of both defense and offense.

The creature also encounters material analyzers which, upon entering, trigger flashbacks revealing its origins. The carrion was originally found in a dormant state of biomass by three scientists, and upon awakening, killed two and possessed the third. However, Relith security forces arrive and execute the remaining scientist, forcing the creature out. Eventually, the creature returns to its initial containment area and absorbs the last piece of its stolen genetics, allowing it to totally reconstitute a human form as the scientist it originally infected. The disguised creature then escapes the facility into what appears to be a partially quarantined Seattle.

Carrion was developed by Phobia Game Studio, an indie game developer based in Warsaw, Poland.[5] According to tweets by developer Sebastian Krośkiewicz, development on Carrion began at least as early as October 2017.[5] Gameplay from Carrion was first shown publicly at the 2018 Game Developers Conference.[6][7] An official reveal trailer for the game was uploaded to YouTube by Devolver Digital on June 9, 2019.[8] Devolver Digital promoted the game during their press conference at E3 2019.[9][10]

The soundtrack by Cris Velasco was released by video game label Materia Collective on July 23, 2020.[11] The official vinyl pressing, done in collaboration with Devolver Digital, featured an injection of red hygroscopic liquid to resemble blood splatters.[12]

Phobia Game Studio released a demo version of the game on Steam in October 2019.[13]

The game was released on desktop platforms (Windows, Linux and MacOS), Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on July 23, 2020.[2][4] Prior to the announcement of the July 23 release date, the game was reported to have a PlayStation 4 release planned,[2] but no PlayStation 4 release date has been announced.[14]

Carrion received generally favourable reviews on Nintendo Switch, PC and Xbox One according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[15][16][17] It was nominated for Best Debut Game and Best Indie at The Game Awards 2020.[25]