Weirdly the only 'Metroidvania' (If you can call it that) that I've actually managed to complete and I think it's because it barely counts as a Metroidvania.

Carrion is a lot shorter than I expected it to be, I was expecting around 10/12 hours and ended up completing it in 4. Is that a bad thing? No, not really - short games can sometimes be very good in not outstaying their welcome and enjoyment. However, I really wish there'd been just a bit more to it.

It was fun to play as some kind of alien creature escaping a governmental lab that increases its mass by consuming people before then burrowing part of itself within walls to 'expand' and take over the facility (which, non surprisingly act as checkpoints).

Controls did get a bit annoying the larger you got though, with the final tier having me confused as to what end of the creature I was moving and ending up with annoying deaths as I'd have part of me within the room full of enemies that had flamethrowers etc etc.

The scattering of lore thrown about the game - mostly in the form of controllable "cutscenes" - were nice, however, I still have not a single clue as to the actual story (if there is one) besides alien escaped and at some point (past or future) a scientist walked around the facility? - Maybe I just didn't pay attention enough but that's what I got from it.

It’s okay. The premise of the game is interesting. You play as a monster and then have to break out and kill those in your way. The idea is cool, but in execution I wasn’t a fan. I got really annoyed at how often the game would force you to change forms and solve puzzles. I thought the game would be a power fantasy type of game where you just run through and kill everything. That’s probably my mistake for placing that expectation on the game.

Without the puzzles, the game would be shorter than it already is. So is that bad? No. But for me it was. I have enough stress in my life as is. Being able to relax can be stressful in and of itself. It always feels like I have other things to do and relaxing can get in the way of that.

When I play a game, I used to do it to relax and have fun. But nowadays I would rather read a book or something else. When I find myself dying often, getting lost, unsure of what to do, or reading obstacles in games I don’t like that. I just want an easy ride with minimal pushback. Carrion had many points where I was lost, I died often, and found myself getting frustrated. Never enough to rage, but frustrated enough to wonder why I’m still playing.

I do think this is a good game and people will enjoy it. But this game was not for me. I clearly have different priorities and this game was not one that I enjoyed all the way.

Carrion absolutely delivers on its premise reversing the classic horror paradigm by becoming the hunting monster. It's bloody, gory, with cool and flashy dark and red-dominating pixel art. Yet it lacks of impact and originality, becoming boring after a few hours in. From my point of view, the gameplay does not explore its possibilities enough, most times, you are simply to powerful and in the last third, I noticed myself rushing through the levels with no want to produce more blood-imploding corpses.

Pretty cool concept for the first hour but the level design is so tedious, even for a metroidvania.

Annoying shield enemies are a real issue with the aim targeting as well.

Shelved this one but probably won't pick it back up.

Very interesting premise of a game that you control the monster instead of the hero. There are some interesting ideas here. For example losing and gaining mass to change abilities is really interesting. You can also take control of humans to do various actions although it doesn't fully explored.
The game is also a metroidvania game with no map which sounds bizarre, but the game is pretty straightforward and linear to not pose a problem.
The best thing about the game is definitely the monster itself. The way they animated it is insane. Definitely one of the most unique characters in gaming. The way it moves and crawls is creepy as hell. The music is also fantastic and the minimal story is interesting.
Having said that the game could be better. On one hand the game is pretty short and doesn't overstay its welcome, but on the other it feels a bit repetitive. The various abilities you gain don't feel that impactful in the game.
I would still recommend it.

Imported from my Backloggery:

Carrion was a great time, the way that it truly made you think and feel like a horror monster was rather impressive. The movement and combat are immensely satisfying, and the pacing is near perfect. My only issues are with the navigation and checkpointing. There are certain difficult moments that aren't properly checkpointed, and the roar that shows you where to go is useless. I loved the ending and the way the characters react. Fun, breezy, and easily puts you in flow state.

This is a very unique and enjoyable metroidvania. Being able to play as a big tentacle monster and reek havoc on a facility is just so enjoyable, all of the abilities you unlock and being able to use those to solve all the different puzzles is just so fun. The game is quite short, I completely perfected the game in under 7 hours, which isn't a bad thing, but it just leaves me wanting more of this gameplay.

Overall this game is just such a fun game, it has its small issues here and there but it all just comes together into a fantastic experience. It really makes me excited for the possibility of a sequel and all of the improvements that could be made.

This is a Metroidvania at its heart, and for the most part it does it well. There are some design decisions that I personally wouldn't have made had I been the one to make the game, but overall, it was a nice, fun, fairly short Metroidvania with a cool twist.

I'd say that the best part of this game is actually just moving around and using your tendrils to grab and eat people. I actually wish the game got out of my way to let me do it a bit more throughout. But there is a section at the end where they really let you go wild, and I had a lot of fun with that.

Overall, it delivers on the premise pretty well, but I have some personal gripes with it that knock it down slightly.