Share. Samus would be so proud... and horrified. Samus would be so proud... and horrified.

When we first saw Carrion back in 2018 (and again at E3 2019), it introduced us to Phobia Game Studio’s visceral “reverse horror game” and immediately became a disgusting novelty that I couldn’t wait to see more of.

I got to sit down with it at Gamescom 2019, and was glad to find that Carrion isn’t just a disgustingly delightful upending of the horror game, but a uniquely clever action-platformer.

Carrion’s monster - it doesn’t have a name, because according to the dev team, they want players to “fill in their own blanks” for the world’s story - starts as a small, sentient coil of tendrils that breaks free of the lab in which human scientists had imprisoned it. You’ll initially survive by scuttling through air ducts and vents, ambushing unfortunate scientists and security guards, but as you feed you’ll gain mass, which makes you a far more formidable monster.

As you harvest more of this “biomass,” you’ll also come across other lab specimens that you can absorb, which will grant you new abilities. You’ll evolve to spray a natural webbing that can trap enemies or activate levers to open doors, or with a larger creature, you can shift your weight rapidly to dash across rooms and break through barriers.

Exit Theatre Mode

As you spread your infection throughout the laboratory complex in which you’ve been imprisoned, you’ll be able to travel freely back and forth between areas that you’ve explored, unlocking new areas as you develop new powers. Of course, to match your evolving skills, the humans will attempt to defend themselves in kind. Armored enemies with assault rifles, or hazmat-suit clad commandos armed with flamethrowers will arrive, attempting to hunt you down to burn away your alien menace. And fire works - these flamethrower rooms” became something of a puzzle, strategically figuring out how I could avoid or incapacitate these Ripley wannabes - or at least dive into a well-hidden pool of water before the roasted me alive.

I only explored a few stages out of Carrion’s multi-level complex, but I’m all too eager to get back in the nebulous, tentacled body and explore more of its powers. I only saw one other in action, the ability to bend light and become invisible (it felt especially fitting that this skill was unlocked in a jungle-themed area) so I could bypass security systems and stealth my way past guards, but the team told us there were more to unlock. One, the "impersonation" skill, apparently allows you to overtake and mimic a human host like in The Thing by wriggling a tendril into their... well, I'm sure you can figure it out for yourself.

Carrion's gameplay feels like a simple blend of classic mechanical progression and brutally guilty pleasures, all tied together with the fabric of all the 80's horror monsters from which it draws inspiration. It's not due out until sometime in 2020, so while I had great fun playing through this Gamescom demo, it makes the wait all the more excruciating - the good news is that means there's plenty of time to rewatch all the classics to get ready.

For more on Carrion, check out the reveal trailer or the original pre-alpha gameplay demo, and our Gamescom 2019 info hub for all your other news and updates..

JR is a Senior Editor at IGN, and normally too squeamish for actual horror stuff (unless it's got Kurt Russell in it). He's more into sci-fi/fantasy adventure, which he posts about incessantly on Twitter. He's also sorry to Sam Claiborn and Jared Petty for using that "MV" word they hate.