I'm only about half-way through or so, but I can already tell that Crow Country is a cool little survival horror game. It is loaded to the brim with puzzles. There's pretty much a puzzle in every room. Puzzles for days. It can be very overwhelming at first having so many things you cannot yet solve. But, one by one, little by little, you will chip away and gain some momentum. I have gotten lost a few times and had to consult the in-game hint giver. It reminds me of the hint guy from Earthbound if you've ever played that. Similarly to that game, there is a currency involved in gaining hints, so use it wisely.
I am having a lot of fun. It reminds me of OG Resident Evil, which is obviously the entire inspiration even utilizing the same heart rate monitor health bar. I do have a list of complaints, though. None of them have made me turn the game off or quit out of frustration, but they should be noted. The first major issue is the camera and movement. Yes, most people hate tank controls, but I actually don't mind them. However, this control scheme doesn't work well when you can also manipulate the camera. It's like a mashup of the old, locked camera mechanic and more modern mouse camera movement. It's pretty hard to juggle both at the same time, especially when enemies are around. Speaking of enemies, that leads into my next gripe. This isn't like Resident Evil where an area becomes clear after dispatching a zombie, barring some scripted events that may replenish some foes. This game feels random. Enemies can populate areas at will, or, at least that's how it feels to me. This being a survival horror, ammo and item management is key. However, when enemies can randomly emerge in any location, it kind of ruins the experience. Now, instead of strategically clearing specific rooms, I just run around every enemy and don't kill anything. I mainly use my ammo to break open item crates and the like. Occasionally, I'll be cornered or in too small an environment to skirt a bad guy, so I do have to make some kills, but these are few and far between. Aiming is another crux. You stand in place, pull up your gun, then move a crosshair around the screen like in Goldeneye but from a third person perspective. It's not easy landing a hit from an isometric viewpoint like that. Lastly, you eventually come across stage hazards. These take the form of little exploding pustules on the ground, falling chandeliers, gas sprayers etc. It's annoying getting around these things, especially with a camera system that doesn't allow full view of the terrain. You'll end up getting poisoned or falling into an injured status which can quickly deplete health resources. I don't know why these things exist. To me, they add nothing of value other than being a constant nuisance or an f u troll.
Outside of those contrivances, the rest of the game is a good time. The mood fluidly shifts between tongue in cheek, quirky deadpan humor and some pretty gnarly dark scenes. I've never experienced a game with two juxtaposing tones like that. Surrounding it all is a very interesting story. Like most survival horror games, or just games in general, there are tons of notes and bulletins to find around the map that clue you into the grim details of this specific outbreak and the underlying coverup. I'm actually surprised at how non-boring it is. I usually don't care much about the story in these games. Resident Evil, although being one of my favorite franchises of all time, doesn't hit for me in the lore department so much. I'm actually taking the time to read each and every note I find.
All in all, this is a solid indie title. I can tell a lot of passion was put into it. Even with the cons I've listed, I know I will love this game until the end. In fact, this will definitely be one of those games that will leave me wanting more of the genre. I wish there were more games of this nature. Signalis, another acclaimed modern-retro survival horror, didn't land for me. Crow Country, however, really hit the spot.
