Crow Country is a fresh take on the classic survival horror genre, offering a nostalgic vibe while also questioning what fans truly seek from such games. Created by SFB Games, it doesn’t overwhelm players with horror but instead refines the puzzle mechanics, maintaining the essence of survival horror in a more distilled form. From the outset, the game directly engages players with the question: What excites you most about survival horror? Is it the chilling graphics, the sudden jump scares, intricate puzzles, or expansive maps? Why do classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill stay etched in our minds beyond typical horror tales? Originally approaching Crow Country as just a fun Halloween game, I found myself contemplating its deeper content.
Our adventure kicks off with Mara Forest, our protagonist, stepping into the eerie grounds of an abandoned amusement park known as Crow Country. She’s on a quest to uncover the whereabouts of the park’s vanished founder, Edward Crow. Armed only with a handgun and some enigmatic motivations, Mara navigates through puzzles, gathering clues, and encounters other curious individuals intrigued by the park’s mystery. The storyline is simple, with a few surprising twists that maintain attention. Though the narrative is predictable, the intriguing characters you meet along the way bring it to life.
Crow Country aims to evoke nostalgic sentiments, with graphics reminiscent of the PlayStation 1 era. The visuals are characterized by grainy filters and simplistic character models, reminiscent of the charm from those early gaming days. The Resident Evil-style inventory system and the tilt-shifted camera, which can be adjusted for exploring broader environments, enhance the nostalgic experience. Each level unfolds like a Halloween-themed diorama, filled with small, discoverable details that prompted me to thoroughly explore every part of the game world. The music score amplified the experience, with its dark, suspenseful tones creating an atmosphere that kept me on edge from start to finish.
The puzzles in Crow Country truly stood out for me. While I’ve always been a fan of the gripping puzzles in the Resident Evil series, the heavy suspense sometimes detracts from the experience in those titles. Crow Country emphasizes exploration and puzzle-solving, striking a balance that’s very satisfying. You might spot a locked door requiring a passphrase, only to find a clue later from a disgruntled staff memo. Discovering a keycard in a safe far from its corresponding terminal is equally gratifying. Despite the park’s small map, the challenge of figuring out missed details adds to the thrill, and backtracking here never feels tedious. Uncovering items like a mermaid trident to unlock new paths enlivens the somewhat eerie aesthetic of the theme park.
Quickly enough, you’ll encounter various monsters like zombies, blobs, and treelike creatures as you roam the park. However, most can be evaded by sprinting past them. When avoidance isn’t possible, there’s a supply of guns available. Ammo and health packs are plentiful, minimizing the threat from enemies, for which I was grateful. My focus was on solving puzzles, like finding the perfect gems to place in a statue’s eyes, rather than battling enemies. The combat mirrors early Resident Evil, with slower, more deliberate aiming that feels clunky. I often found running away to be the better option over engaging in combat.
By lessening the horror elements, SFB Games has shifted the game’s emphasis toward atmosphere and puzzle-solving, which suits my preferences perfectly. I delight in navigating spooky locales, piecing together clues, and making discoveries akin to a haunted house escape room. Crow Country nails this aspect. While later portions of the game necessitate combat, which can dampen the fun due to its clumsy mechanics, the experience remains rewarding. Despite minor shortcomings, Crow Country delivers an impressive package of enticing puzzles and a tension-filled ambiance with just the right level of difficulty. A helpful hint system ensures players don’t get bogged down by overly challenging puzzles. My time with Crow Country was enjoyable, and it undoubtedly merits a spot on my Game of the Year list.
