There are video games that you actively look forward to because you know they're guaranteed to be memorable, like the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 – Space Marine 2… and let's not even mention GTA VI and Death Stranding 2. However, there are other experiences that are like a train that's sure to derail at the next bend. They catch you off guard and you don't even know what the hell happened.
Among the surprising discoveries that take you ahead are the video games that are here to stay (Remnant 2 and Helldivers 2 in my case) and others that go away as quickly as they appeared after giving you a completely surreal adventure.
Gori the kitten against the hordes of zombie unicorns
Imagine you're a cute orange kitten orbiting the Earth in a spaceship. Your companions are FRANK, the most foul-mouthed and violent cyberpunk skateboarder in history, and CH-P, the depressed, apathetic, and deeply insecure AI that controls the ship's systems.
One day, a giant heart hits the ship and you are forced to escape. FRANK panics because CH-P is dying and the latter expresses his concern as much as his monumental apathy allows. I never thought I would see a less expressive robot than Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2.
Gori and his friends are forced to return to Earth, which has an aesthetic that reminds me of a hybrid of Cyberpunk 2077 and Borderlands. The style is futuristic but extremely colorful. The only way to describe it to a sane person is as rainbow lollipop.
It turns out that humanity has been eradicated by fantasy beings: from a giant rubber duck in the shape of a Kaijū, to zombie unicorns, to other enemies taken from the toy chest of any 90s kindergarten. We, as a humanity-sympathizing kitten, are the enemy and we are soon attacked by hordes of extremely foul-mouthed zombie unicorns.
This is the premise of Gori: Cuddly Carnagea video game developed by Angry Demon Studio for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch. It will be released on August 29, 2024. Its demo is already available for free on all platforms. I have played it and its premise is only the first step in a descent into madness that mixes everything adorable you can imagine with very, very bloody gore.
The first encounter against the zombie unicorns defines very well the experience that it proposes Gori: Cuddly Carnage: A group of zombie unicorns turn a scared unicorn into a runaway. The group then taunts you and charges at you, only to be slaughtered by FRANK's slashing attacks to the tune of Gori's meows. Blood, guts, heads and limbs flying around, and confetti to make it clear where the gooey flesh you just shredded has gone.
The whole scene is adorned with the rainbow and glitter cyberpunk style and a very cheeky humor reminiscent of Claptrap, Tina and Krieg from the saga Borderlands. It doesn't take long to realize that FRANK becomes a Mimir-like companion from God of War, but his only function is to insert a disrespect or insult into every sentence he says, in addition to crushing enemies.
The gameplay structure of the demo is simple and classic, but very addictive: parkour sections with Gori platforming on FRANK, combat areas against dozens of enemies that come in waves and boss arenas. As for progression, the demo allows you to see the skateboard upgrades to be much more lethal in combat and counter new types of enemies, such as zombie unicorns with firearms or those with a protective shield.
I haven't seen any blocking mechanics, but mobility is extremely fluid and frenetic thanks to the fact that we're on a skateboard, so dodging and spinning around the combat arenas like a madman while staining the ground with blood and zombie unicorn guts is the main thing. In addition, the stages are often equipped with rainbow rails that you can grind on to get through sections faster. And you thought Stray was the most fun you can have with a kitten in a video game!
The demo is very short (20-30 mins), but it does an amazing job of presenting the experience. I've completed the experience up to three times and have enjoyed it like a kid each time. I'm convinced that it's not going to change my life or be installed on my PS5 for months, but I do think it's going to provide me with several afternoons of the most absurd and fun madness. And for me that's enough to get it on my Wishlist. In short,Gori: Cuddly Carnage he's so handsome!
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