Carrion is a pixelated, 2D Metroidvania horror game released on July 23, 2020, for Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, and the Xbox One. It was finally released almost a year later for the PlayStation 4 and Luna on October 22 and November 4, 2021, respectively. Carrion was developed by Polish studio Phobia Game Studio, originally only an impressive two-person team when Carrion was first released. It was published by Devolver Digital, an American indie publisher based in Texas.
The game’s biggest inspiration was FromSoftware games, like the Dark Souls series and Bloodborne. Its other influences were Metroid, obviously, and the Alien vs. Predator games. Carrion received generally favorable reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players. It won several awards, including both Community Vote and Best Indie Game in Digital Dragons’ 2018 Indie Showcase. Digital Dragons Awards are the oldest and most prestigious awards in the Polish games industry.
Carrion Premise
An amorphous entity known as “The Monster” is held in a containment unit within a Seattle-owned research facility. The Monster breaks out and progresses through the facility in hopes of escaping into the partially quarantined city of Seattle. As it traverses through the facility, it fights and devours the staff and security. The Monster evolves as it encounters its stolen genetic code.
Carrion Main Character
What makes Carrion a reverse-horror game is that the player controls a red, amorphous, tentacled monster of unknown origin. Unlike many platformer games, the player is the danger to society in this sci-fi story. Players must make their way through the facility, crawl through vents, and kill the scientists and soldiers that stand in their way. As the game progresses, players can obtain new abilities for The Monster, grow in size, and piece together The Monster’s history through a series of flashbacks. Where did The Monster come from? Why is it here? And where will it go next?
Carrion Series
At this time, Carrion does not have any sequels or prequels. It also doesn’t have any DLC content, outside of the Deluxe Edition Content that adds the comic book and art book.
But if you are interested in more pixelated platformer games, check out these titles from Transhuman Design, the studio the developers at Phobia Game Studio came from.
- Soldat (2002)
- King Arthur’s Gold (2011)
- Trench Run (2015)
- Transmigration (2016)
- BUTCHER (2016)
Carrion Cheat Codes
Players who have the PC version of Carrion can access various cheats through console commands. To utilize these cheat codes, the console can be opened by pressing the tilde (~) key.
PC Commands
Gameplay Commands
| Syntax | Description |
|---|---|
set_hud [is_on](0/1) | Toggles HUD visibility. |
set_cursor [is_on](0/1) | Displays your mouse cursor in the middle of the screen. |
set_time_scale [mode](float) | Multiplies the game’s speed by the value specified (0.5 would be half speed, 1 is default). |
set_setting [setting](string) [value](string) | Changes the setting to the value specified (Table of settings below). |
set_mouse_mode [capture_mode] | Sets whether the cursor:0 | REAL_POSITION – Can leave the screen (Real mouse position, useful for drawing tablets).1 | CAPTURED – Can’t leave the screen (Stuck in the middle of the screen) (default). |
load_level [file_name](string) | Loads the specified level. |
edit_level [file_name](string) | Enters “editor”/Free float mode (hot-reloads the level upon detecting any change in the level file). |
next_level [next_level](string) | Starts a transition to the specified level. |
load_menu | Loads the main menu. |
gc | Garbage collects (frees unused objects and data) and displays memory freed. |
exit | Quits the game. |
Info Commands
| Syntax | Description |
|---|---|
help [command](string) | Displays information about the specified command. If [command] is left empty, shows command list instead. |
list_mouse | Displays mouse key list. |
list_keyboard | Displays keyboard key list. |
list_gamepad | Displays gamepad key list. |
list_analog2d | Displays analog2d key list (Mouse/DPad/Stick movement). |
list_settings [search](string) | Lists all settings that include the search term. |
get_setting [setting](string) | Displays the setting’s current value. |
get_cache_size | Displays the “Estimated level generator’s cache size” in bytes. |
get_local_dir | Displays the path to Carrion’s LocalLow folder, containing game saves, settings and gamelogs. |
get_version | Displays the game’s version. |
print_objects | Displays the level’s Object Systems and how many of each object there are. |
print_overworld | Displays your progress (Skills unlocked, Max. class, Completed Levels, Progress in each area). |
Video Commands
| Syntax | Description |
|---|---|
set_filtering [mode] | Changes which filtering mode is being applied.0 | CRISPY_PIXELS – No filtering (Integer scaling; introduces black borders on some resolutions).1 | STRETCHED_PIXELS – Filtering applied on some resolutions (default).2 | CRT_EFFECT – Applies a filter that replicates old CRT monitors. |
set_resolution [width](integer) [height](integer) [is_fullscreen](0/1) [is_vsync](0/1) | Defines the game’s resolution and toggles fullscreen and VSync on or off. |
set_native_res [is_vsync](0/1) | Toggles VSync. |
Debug Commands
| Syntax | Description |
|---|---|
debug | Displays debug information and graphs, like render time, logic time, FPS, etc. |
set_debug_info [is_on](0/1) | Toggles debug information. |
set_graph [is_on](0/1) | Toggles render time, logic time and sound update graphs. |
set_music_debug [is_on](0/1) | Displays music state. (kills, player_hurt, enemies, alert, upgrade, progress) |
Settings Commands (used with set_setting)
Interface Commands
| Setting | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
language | EN, PL, GER, SP, FR, PTBR, RU, JP, KO, TCH, SCH | Change the game’s language. |
show_credits | 0/1 | Display Credits and Demo on Main Menu. |
gameplay_is_hud_enabled | 0/1 | Toggles HUD visibility. |
system_alt_enter_fullscreen_toggle | 0/1 | Toggles Alt + Enter hotkey for Fullscreen |
system_windowed_on_focus_lost | 0/1 | Game set to windowed on focus lost. |
Video Commands
| Setting | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
video_resolution | WIDTHxHEIGHT | Changes the game’s resolution (Requires restart). |
video_fullscreen | 0/1 | Toggles Fullscreen. |
video_is_fullscreen_hw | 0/1 | Toggles Exclusive Fullscreen. |
video_vsync | 0/1 | Toggles VSync. |
Audio Commands
| Setting | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
audio_decompress_on_load | 0/1 | Decompress samples on startup (Requires restart). |
audio_music_volume | integer | Set music volume. |
audio_sound_volume | integer | Set sound effects volume. |
Debug Commands
| Setting | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
debug_tentacle_range | 0/1 | Displays Prehensile Tentacle grab range. |
debug_active_shooter | 0/1 | Highlights hostile humans shooting/attempting to shoot. |
debug_hotkeys_enabled | 0/1 | Toggles Debug Hotkeys.F2 – Play ModeF4 – Free Float ModeF5 – Quick SaveF6 – Crispy Pixels (No filtering)F7 – Stretched Pixels (Filtering)F8 – CRT Effect (Filtering)F9 – Quick LoadPageUp – Increase biomassPageDn – Decrease biomass |
debug_lights_enabled | 0/1 | Toggles Lights Layer. |
debug_light_layer_enabled | 0/1 | Toggles all lighting. |
debug_parallax_enabled | 0/1 | Toggles Parallax Layer. |
debug_eternal_fog_enabled | 0/1 | Toggles Eternal Fog Layer. |
debug_fog_enabled | 0/1 | Toggles Fog Layer. |
debug_level_layers_enabled | 0/1 | Toggles Tile Layers. |
General Settings Commands
| Setting | Hotkey |
|---|---|
controller_vibration | Controller Vibration intensity (0-4). |
controller_smoothing | Smoothes the motion of crosshairs/prehensile tentacle with analog sticks (0-100). |
controller_vendor | Changes gamepad brand/compatibility.-1 – Auto0 – Xbox 360/Xbox One1 – PSX/PS2/PS3/PS42 – NES/SNES/Wii3 – Nintendo Switch4 – Pro Controller |
Unfortunately for players on the console version, no cheat codes are available at this time.
Carrion Cheat Code FAQ
Does Carrion have any cheat codes?
Yes! While it may not have your traditional cheat codes, Carrion has a wide variety of console commands that can give players a range of game customization. They can use the commands to progress to the next level, alter the game’s speed, and more.
How can I use the console commands?
To use the console commands in Carrion, first open the console by pressing the tilde (~) key. Then type in whichever console command you want to use. If the tilde key does not work for you, you can try to edit which key opens the console in your settings.json file located in :
| %AppData%/../LocalLow/Phobia/Carrion/_steam_[your_steam_id]/settings.json |
The following line binds the console key:
| “console_hotkey”: “OemTilde” |
Set the key to anything you like, e.g.
“console_hotkey”: “F1”,
What are cheat codes for?
Cheat codes are exploits that can change the game’s behavior and give players an unearned advantage. They may teleport players, make the player immune to damage, or some other action that wouldn’t take place without them. They can also make the game more accessible and appealing to casual gamers or those who find the game’s current state inaccessible.
Similar to cheat codes, console commands allow you to tweak settings that aren’t accessible otherwise, like modifying the game’s speed, applying custom resolutions, or even using hotkeys to give yourself more health.