Ever had the desire to eliminate psychotic unicorns while embodying an adorable skateboarding cat? If you have, I’ll cautiously step back while recommending Gori: Cuddly Carnage. Unlike Annapurna’s Game Award-nominated RPG, Stray, Gori: Cuddly Carnage, developed by Angry Demon Studio, offers a wholly distinct adventure – and I genuinely mean that.
In Gori: Cuddly Carnage, you assume the role of Gori, a feline character. He shares the endearing ginger appearance of Stray’s main cat but exudes a defiant attitude and wields an assortment of bizarre weaponry. Moreover, he possesses the skills of Tony Hawk, but in cat form. Piqued your interest yet?
Despite being labeled as a “skate-and-slash” adventure, Gori instantly evokes thoughts of Stray, Annapurna’s Games Awards-nominated feline quest. In our official Stray review, we awarded the game a stellar 9/10 rating, and numerous other publications also hailed it as one of the finest PC games available. Collecting awards and garnering abundant praise, it’s a tough act to follow. However, Gary Marshall, the product manager at Wired Productions, is convinced that Gori is up for the challenge – describing Gori as “a bit of a troublemaker.”
“We were aware that Stray would inevitably be compared,” Marshall explains in an exclusive interview at WASD. “It can be challenging to compete with that, which is why we decided to embrace it with a touch of humor in our early marketing – Gori is like the cousin who didn’t receive an invitation to Stray’s Thanksgiving dinner.”
Marshall emphasizes that Gori was always envisioned as a cat character from the outset. While it might seem that Gori was added simply because another successful cat-centric game had been released, Marshall clarifies, “Gori had already been showcased a year or two before Stray was even known to the public.” He asserts, “They’re closely related but distinct enough.”
“You might question if this is a Stray thing at first,” Marshall adds, “but the moment you see Gori execute a backflip and tear a unicorn in half, you’ll realize it’s something entirely different, or perhaps that the [Stray] sequel has taken an unexpected turn.”
However, Marshall believes that these two ginger misfits would likely get along, as they “both share an affinity for surviving in a post-apocalyptic world, so they’d probably relax together over some catnip and embrace their differences.”
While Gori: Cuddly Carnage lacks a specific release date, it is available for wishlisting on Steam. Marshall describes it as somewhat reminiscent of a “PS3 game (in a positive sense),” incorporating cyberpunk elements and a substantial dose of action – which sounds right up my alley (or should I say, “cat-alley,” ha ha).
If this leaves you feeling nostalgic, we have a list of classic games for you to explore. Alternatively, if you have an affinity for the neon aesthetic, we’ve also compiled a list of the best cyberpunk games.