Crow Country

I would have given this a mixed review score if that were a thing but alas I feel my overall experience was a bit more negative than positive once I take a step back and think about it. I thought I would like this a lot more than I did. It's a clear homage to the survival horror games of old with some cute references (like the police officer being named Harrison James). It does a lot of things correctly for something paying homage to that era. Tank control support, plenty of weird puzzles given the surrounding context, a vast map to explore, safe rooms, etc. But it doesn't quite fully commit. You don't need to worry about inventory space which sounds good on paper but in practice you end up carrying all your weapons with no real thought in what you might want to bring along or what to stash for later. Likewise with healing. There's no real risk management outside of "Do I have resources at all?". To try and combat this you can only carry a limited amount of ammo/healing items but that makes it so you will leave a bunch of stuff all over the place and might need to run around looking for scraps, not that I found myself in a spot where I was short on supplies. Another rather baffling design decision is that there's no way to melee boxes that can contain loot. You're meant to spend a bullet to open them... Except the contents are random so you're literally gambling for something good to show up. I much prefer that they just had the glass bottles everywhere as you can make a judgement call if what's inside is worth a bullet or not. Just make them a bit more durable to compensate? Along with that at a certain point traps are going to start spawning in rooms (and in rooms you've been to several times before!) which was honestly just tedious to deal with. You go through an area that was previously safe only to get poisoned. Yuck. The enemies are also laughable. There's no real variety outside of how tanky and/or fast they are. I think the worst thing isn't anything the game is doing but it's the fact that it's incredibly short. I went for 100% and it only took me 7 hours. Unless you buy this on a sale they'll be asking you for 20€ which is insane given how short it is and how they still fumbled some fundamental parts by, I assume, trying to innovate. Instead they just made a rather mixed game. The core is fun and well done but the myriad of rather lackluster or frustrating elements hurts it a great deal.

Genuinely one of the best indie horror games ive played of the year Simple story, really great setting and atmosphere and DISGUSTING monster designs, Controls might be annoying especially when aiming to enemies as well as, the camera movement being weird but regardless its my 2nd fav horror game alongside, Look Outside. I recommend Crow Country if you love low-poly style, or indie horror games <3

A passionate love letter to PS1 era survival horror such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Parasite Eve. Had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. 10/10

Had to look up the ending cus it kept crashing whenever it tried to load the final room but absolute PEAK. The exploration was engaging, the puzzles were fun, the combat is perfectly stressful(especially on mouse and keyboard), the setting was perfect, every area had amazing and cool subareas. The game has truly unmatched atmosphere, the soundtrack is amazing, the story is PEAK and there are a surprising amount of secrets. Is definitely one of my favorite games now. Highly recommend to anybody who likes horror games.

An absolute master stroke of classic top down horror with immersive storytelling and environments with depth. On the edge of my seat right until the end, with many surprises along the way. A great game for a first playthrough in one day with friends, or 3-4 short sessions. Do not miss this one. Also, the OST and overall sound design is a truly spectacular to set this game's tone.

Crow Country serves as an affectionate, meticulously built homage to the golden era of nineties survival horror games. Mara Forest finds herself navigating the eerie, derelict remains of a theme park while searching for a missing individual amidst a pervasive sense of mounting dread and psychological isolation. Environmental storytelling provides the foundation for this investigative journey, tasking players with scouring memo-filled rooms to piece together a larger mystery. Solving intricate mechanical puzzles necessitates careful backtracking and a methodical approach, as key items remain locked behind logical hurdles that demand sharp observation and persistent curiosity. Movement options allow for a seamless transition between classic tank-style manoeuvres and a more modern, intuitive control scheme. Whilst initial adjustments to the restrictive camera angles feel slightly jarring, the design ensures that prioritising agility and spatial awareness eventually turns these initial mechanical challenges into second nature. Limited resources force constant tactical decisions, as every shell and health pack must be rationed with extreme caution. Combat encounters test your composure rather than your raw reflexes, encouraging players to utilise environmental hazards like electrical generators or explosive barrels to dispatch threats efficiently without wasting limited supplies. Saving progress requires locating specific fire sources scattered throughout the park, which adds a layer of vulnerability to your exploration. This deliberate pacing choice heightens the stakes during tense treks between safe points, effectively transforming the derelict attraction into a claustrophobic cage where danger always lurks nearby. User interface interactions occasionally feel slightly cumbersome, yet these minor friction points barely dampen the satisfaction of uncovering hidden secrets. Polished systems provide modern convenience without sacrificing the authentic, nineties-inspired tone that defines every visual beat and soundscape found within the abandoned, decaying gates of the park. Overall, this experience succeeds by balancing nostalgic reverence with accessible, user-friendly design. Fans of the genre who prize atmospheric exploration and cerebral puzzle-solving over mindless action will find this journey deeply rewarding, as it captures the quintessential essence of survival horror while gracefully avoiding its most dated, frustrating pitfalls.

its............fine. its not a bad game. I didn't hate my time with it. In terms of visuals, its decent, pretty good even. However, in terms of all things gameplay and story though its just mediocre. Again, not bad, just not the best on the market. If you want a Dollarita of a horror game, its a nice little burst that will be able to satisfy a horror craving, but it wont do much else. My run clocked in at about 3 hours over 2 play sessions, which is a perfectly reasonable amount of time I believe. If you're looking for story and puzzles, just go play Signalis, or even just some non-remake RE games. on sale, its worth it. 5/10

6.5/10 A decent survival horror adventure with blatant design problems. - Lack of interesting enemy mechanics, all of them mechanically (not visually) function as slow moving zombies for most for time you can just run past. - Mushroom king side puzzle is a waste of your time. The only solution is eat all of the mushrooms including the poisonous ones meaning your have burn through like 3 healing items just for a handgun upgrade, I barely noticed the differences for. - Enemies and Traps will constantly refill in rooms you entered previously or wiped out depending on your item progression. This severely punishes exploration if you don't know where items are located or used for. I had to start over the whole game because of this. - A lot of the enemies have phantom range and lack of windup on their attack animations. - The beartrap damages enemies when they step on it but not when you shoot down a ceiling trap onto them. - Poor Final Boss (not story wise but mechanically very underwhelming and barely had any health)