Crow Country Review
With thanks to the micro-dev-team at SFB Games, I’ve been checking our their 90s retro-gaming-inspired survival horror Crow Country. This one has tickled me, with a journey back to a simpler time. We received copies of the title on PC and Xbox to bring you our full Crow Country video review, which you can find just below.
If you’re like me and prefer to read, you can also find our extended written review by scrolling down. Both come with our usual common-sense parent’s guide. If you’re looking to find out if Crow Country is any good, or if it’s safe for kids, you’re in the right place.
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The Basics – What is Crow Country About?
Available on:PC (Steam), Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5
Price: c£16
Type: Retro-inspired Survival Horror
Download: 1.52GB (PC) | 1.9GB (Xbox Series X)
Crow Country is set in the year 1990, and sees players take control of Special Agent Mara Forest. Following the abrupt closure and abandonment of the Crow Country theme park two years previously, Mara is investigating the disappearance of the owner, Edward Crow.
This one really is a retro-inspired title, from the grainy, pixelated visuals to the nostalgia-inducing game sounds. It seems that there have been several inspirations behind the title, but during my playthrough I definitely picked up vibes of 90s classics including Dino Crisis, Resident Evil and Silent Hill.
As Mara, players will need to explore the whole of the Crow Country theme park, a task which is much easier said than done. As with survival horror titles of yesteryear, you’ll need to explore every area, finding clues and solving puzzles to unlock new areas. Along the way, you’ll also find handy items including weapons and upgrades, health packs and story items, helping Mara to survive within the abandoned park.
Mara is, however, not alone. Instead, as you travel through the various areas, you’ll find disturbing creatures hot on your heels. With some limits to munitions and health, you’ll need to decide whether to take them on now, or avoid the creatures and save ammo. It’s a viable strategy, but it does mean that your path around the park gets a little more dangerous if and when you have to return.
Crow Country does provide a solid Exploration Mode experience. This option keeps the puzzles and oppressive atmosphere inside the park, including gore and creepy items you find along the way. However, it removes combat from the title, with the park’s mysterious creatures already taken care of, leaving you to solve puzzles in peace.
Is Crow Country Safe for Children?
Rating: Adults Only.
Crow Country is rated by PEGI at 16 and above, and by the ESRB at T for Teen. This is one which does include fear, blood and gore, as well as a number of disturbing themes and bad language. Even within the peaceful Exploration Mode, players will still find blood and mature themes, and because of this it’s not one we’ll be letting our Micro-Bandits have a go with.
The Run Down – Our Five-Point Rating for Crow Country
Gameplay – 4: The mechanics and controls of Crow Country work really well for the most part. I have found weapon aiming slightly awkward, especially for enemies and objects slightly off screen, and even on PC players will need a controller as keyboard controls are incredibly awkward, but apart from this it’s a really solidly built title. Clues, mini-games and puzzles have been build just right to slightly fox players, and the whole experience brings back the creepy 90s survival horror vibes exceptionally well.
Visuals – 4: Build to represent the iconic visuals of the 90s, things here are grainy and blocky by design and I love it. I would have enjoyed a little more freedom in camera movement, but this is, of course, by design, and heightens the in-game suspense.
Audio – 5: Music and effects in the title have been really nicely created, and along with creature sounds really doo deliver an oppressive and tense atmosphere. In addition, sound design has done well to echo 90s titles, and will bring back memories for anybody who played survival horror games back at the time.
Narrative – 5: Told through notes, recordings and the remnants of a dead theme park, I’ve really enjoyed the narrative. It’s lead to some shock moments which I didn’t see coming, and overall it’s managed to keep me guessing throughout.
Replay – 3: Crow Country does have various notes to collect, which give background story as well as hints, and puzzle clues. It’s possible to collect them all, but it’s not something I feel incredible passionate about getting back to. There are also secrets which are definitely worth pursuing through small puzzles, but it should be all things that you grab in a single run through.
The Verdict – Is Crow Country Worth It?
Overall our Pixel Bandits’ Mara Sandwich Level for Crow Country is a brilliant 9 / 10. Crow Country has really scratched my itch to head back to the 90s. The sounds and visuals do well to represent the era, and the puzzles and clues finish off the feeling nicely. Playing on PC and Xbox, we’ve noticed no difference to gameplay or visuals, with smooth gameplay on both platforms.
My only problem with Crow Country is some fairly awkward aiming, which can get you into a little trouble as creatures appear in your path. I do, however, really value the inclusion of the exploration mode, which will allow players to experience a great story and some neat puzzles, without the need for combat. While PC players won’t enjoy using keyboard controls, controller optimisation has been really well implemented here, meaning that playing on console and PC provides pretty much the same experience.
Overall, if you’re looking for a cute retro-gaming inspired survival horror this year, it’s one you should definitely check out.
As ever, to provide this review and common-sense parent’s guide, we received free copies of Crow Country from the folks at SFB Games.
