[b][h1]Survival Horror without Survival or Horror...
Still pretty good tho.[/h1][/b]
[h3]Story (2.5/5)[/h3]
The story exists to push you from one puzzle to another. It isn't bad, but it is way too cryptic at the start, easy to predict in the middle, and way too convenient at the end.
Also, the game does not have enough horror within it.
Now imma make a comparison that makes me look like an unc, but the people who have played Nightmare House 2 will understand me perfectly.
Imagine playing Nightmare House 2, but remove almost all the jumpscares, and you can see the enemies from afar. That ♥♥♥♥ would not be as interesting and good as it is right now.
I do like the concept of it, but it is very clear that the game is puzzle and combat first, story and horror later.
So I don't even feel like spoiling and explaining the story, since it's very much a non-factor to your enjoyment of the game.
[h3]Gameplay (4/5)[/h3]
As always, gameplay is king and Crow Country is almost perfect.
The only problem is that there is no Survival or Horror in my Survival Horror game.
Survival in these types of games comes from the fact that you have limited resources and must plan out your route in advance.
However, in Crow Country, you get infinite ammo at the start (you have to come back to get more when you run out, but it's still infinite), A LOT of supplies, and if by some miracle you run out of supplies, just search a trash can or kick a vending machine and voila, you get exactly what you need.
The game presents you with the fact that you can avoid fights to not waste bullets or healing items; however, these enemies are slow as ♥♥♥♥ and only hit you if you get really close to them. So you can just run by them without any problem, even in the tiniest of corridors.
So far I have bashed the game for missing 2 crucial components of Survival Horror games, but I have not talked about the third one. Puzzles.
These puzzles are so good that I could get past the fact that im not playing a Survival Horror game, but rather a smartly made puzzle game. When I figured out a puzzle, I felt euphoric, particularly because a lot of the harder ones are optional and I managed to get 13/15 on my own.
It could have been 14/15 if the mushroom king puzzle wasn't retarded. You have to eat ALL mushrooms, not just the good ones. And the last puzzle was not a puzzle, but rather a memory test. Bones in the toilet. That's all I'll say.
[h3]Difficulty (2/5)[/h3]
Way too easy on the default difficulty (normal). Now, that doesn't mean that I would recommend that you bump it up to hard, just don't expect a hard game.
[h3]Game Time (5/5)[/h3]
I would say it's the perfect length. Doesn't really overstay its welcome and I could have ended it faster if I wasn't chasing secrets.
[h3]Graphics (5/5)[/h3]
The atmosphere is on point, and so are the graphics.
[h3]Music and Sound Design (5/5)[/h3]
I cannot say much about the music, but the ambient and character sound design are excellent.
[h3]Performance (5/5)[/h3]
No issues at all, in fact I played it on a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ laptop without a proper GPU and it ran perfectly.
[h3]Price (4/5)[/h3]
19,50€ is a bit too steep. Again, you are missing the horror and survival. The puzzles are there, but I would not recommend getting it just for the puzzles at this price. If it is 12€ or lower, then I recommend it without a problem.
[b][h1]Final Verdict ([u]4/5[/u])[/h1][/b]Is this a good game? Yes.
I got no problem recommending this game to someone, BUT I have to mention the lack of Horror and Survival in my recommendation. Hopefully we get another game in the same style but with a proper story and horror/survival.
