A creepy trip down nostalgia lane
I think I am one of the only people who just doesn’t really like this new approach of making “PS1-looking” games. Pixels are eternal and will always look cool but its just something about the blocky, blurry graphics of the PS1 era; I don’t know it just isn’t something I wanna revisit Don’t get me wrong, I loved my PlayStation growing up, I mean back then those graphics were top of the line. But ‘been there, done that’ is how I feel and in my old age, I just cling to those fond memories of those games. Now here comes the game Crow Country, a lo fi homage to PS1 survival horror games like Silent Hill and while I don’t love the PS1 filter, and blocky, shiny graphics; I have to admit this game has some charm.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
Crow Country is developed by SFB Games and its really crazy to see this new genre of ‘cozy, horror games’ but I guess here we are. The game takes place in an abandoned amusement park who is now the residence of mutants and other monsters. For a horror game where colors are usually muted and dark, Crow Country’s colors actually pop with the haziness of the PS1 filter. These bright colors and intriguing look haven’t made me warm up to the PS1 era graphics again, but I did like how the main character, Mara Forest is cartoonish and blocky like the characters in the original Final Fantasy 7.
The theme park setting is a good place for a horror title to be sure, the game is broken up into interconnected areas of the abandoned facility each with a theme like the Haunted Hilltop and more. Each area is filled with mutants that Mara will have to put down, and puzzles which I was surprised to see didn’t actually repeat themselves over the course of the game. Most of them rely on players just paying attention to their environment, which I must say the game makes it really easy to do. There are hints, and instructions all over the environments to help players along, this is meant to be a “cozy, stress-free” type of survival horror game. Unlike the Silent Hills and Resident Evil of yore, in Crow Country players wont stress over not having ammo or health items and the games included dodge button further makes combat feel better.
When players begin a new game, they are prompted to choose between a traditional “survival horror” experience or a “exploration” mode. I am here to tell you that regardless of which you choose the scares feel like they take a back seat to gameplay. Even the monsters that players fight are mostly piles of goo and evoke little to no scares outside of the occasionally ‘jump’ ones. Which is ok because the combat doesn’t feel great, aside from the dodge button and option for the tank-like controls or the more modern approach using the analog stick. Even in tweaking the sensitivity, I never found a comfortable setting that made the combat feel enjoyable.
I was surprised that I came away from Crow Country enjoying myself. As I said, I am not a fan of these PS1 graphics games, I lived thru this era and I am ok that we don’t have blocky and shiny graphics again. But Crow Country smartly focuses on the puzzles and its creepy atmosphere, which it absolutely nails both of these aspects. Combat feels like an afterthought by comparison but honesty its not even a problem at the end of the day. If you are nostalgic for survival horror games of yesteryear, then head down to Crow Country.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
