Gori: Cuddly Carnage is cute, cuddly and a bloody mess. However there’s also a cracking hack ‘n slash title under its ginger furry coat. Developed by Swedish studio Angry Demon Studio, Gori: Cuddly Carnage feels like a surreal and twisted tribute to the likes of Devil May Cry and Lollypop Chainsaw.

You play as Gori the cat. However, this moggy is a bit smarter than your average household tabby. Gori rides a sentient hoverboard called F.R.A.N.K, who also turns into your main weapon of destruction, and your combo builder.

End of Days

The core tale sees humanity being destroyed again. The earth is overrun by ‘Ultra Pets’ which are a sort of Furbies, but somehow worse. These Ultras have mutated and transformed into twisted toys hell-bent on wiping out mankind.

So, it’s up to Gori, F.R.A.N.K and depressed AI ship CH1-P, to slay the evil unicorn hordes. And to save the planet, you’ll slash through one blood bath after another.

The tale is fine for the most part. However, there are some bad jokes in there, like the sort of thing a 12-year-old would find edgy and fun. The carpet of F-bombs taints the overall adventure a little. I found myself cringing far more often than laughing out loud at its juvenility.

Hack and Slash Heaven

Thankfully, the gameplay saves the day. You will battle your way across eight different levels unleashing a world of hurt as you go. However you’ll cop to its formula very quickly.

Fighting a bit, then grinding your way around the area. Finding a new enemy with a bit more fighting. Followed by a bit more exploring, grinding and finishing the level with a boss fight. It works fine. It’s just you’ll have seen it all by the third level. Gori: Cuddly Carnage never breaks away from its heavy-set level format.

But it’s a minor issue, really. The combat is extremely fast, fluid and very satisfying so how much the predictability bothers you will be a matter of personal taste.

Level After Level

Gori: Cuddly Carnage sees you face hordes of enemies and unleashing evermore powerful combos with F.R.A.N.K, You are also be able to upgrade over time, by finding upgrade stations through the levels and on your ship.

You’ll also find broken keys across levels which, when complete, are in three pieces. These keys grant new outfits for Gori, adding in a bit of replayability. Gori: Cuddly Carnage also features some hidden bonus levels too, a nice touch for those who will be sucked wholesale into its cutesy gorefest.

Gori: Cuddly Carnage also adds some replayability through a star rating system. Bank all the stars in the game, which you’ll only be able to earn by playing it on the hardest difficulty, and you’ll get the game’s real ending.

And while there are only eight levels, Gori: Cuddly Carnage encourages the replaying of each of the eight. You’ll find new upgrades as well as that path to the true ending.

Running Mate

For the most part the game runs well, but we did get hit by a few issues; from enemies not spawning, leaving you level locked, or just random crashes along the way.

Visually, Gori: Cuddly Carnage is true digital sugar-rush. It’s full of bright neon colours and the game’s unique art style launches a true assault on your senses. Plus, there is a photo mode in the game, showing the devs know they have crafted something visually special.

The audio of Gori: Cuddly Carnage is solid. From the banging soundtrack, to the twisted voice acting, it all sets the warped backdrop well.

Gori: Cuddly Carnage is an energy drink-fuelled fever dream of a title. The game grabs you early doors, but due to repetition that grip weakens by the end. That’s not to say there isn’t fun to be had, but it’s maybe a game best played a level a night than a full-on slog, as you may end up a bit burnt out due to its limited content, respective level structure or just naff Borderland-style jokes.