Carrion

Sometimes it's good the be the bad guy. At least that's the premise behind Carrion, the self-described "reverse horror" game that flips the script by dropping players into the role of the bloodthirsty monster lurking in the shadows, instead of the victims running from it. There's no denying that it's a lot of fun to give in to some darker impulses and leaving a path of slaughter and carnage in your wake. But once the initial thrill wears off, it quickly becomes apparent that a lot of hard work goes into being a gelatinous harbinger of death. In fact, if you look past the role-reversal gimmick, Carrion plays almost like any other side-scrolling action adventure game … just with a lot more blood and pixelated chunks of gore.

One immediate surprise is just how fragile your blob monster can be. Although you're a shapeless mass of goo, bullets can rip you to shreds relatively quickly. Fire is an even bigger threat, as your mass is apparently combustible and will continue to burn unless you find some convenient pool of water to douse the flames. This usually means players have to sneak up on their prey by taking out lights, keeping to the shadows, crawling through vents, and other textbook stealth mechanics. Although your creature gets bigger and meaner as the game progresses, the moments of feeling truly powerful are few and far between. Even the rooms in the base start to get repetitive after a while. That's not to say Carrion isn't fun to play, but the game leans more into its shock value and misses out on some more unique gameplay opportunities.