Review: “Crow Country” (Computer Game) « PekoeBlaze

Ever since I saw that this survival horror game was “coming soon” on GOG in April, I watched that website like a hawk. Finally, a year to the day since the game was released on the DRM-service Steam last May, a more honest DRM-free edition appeared on GOG, discounted to about £12 🙂 And, as someone with Intel HD 2500 integrated graphics, no I haven’t played the “Silent Hill 2” remake. My computer would probably spontaneously combust if I tried…

Still, I should point out that I played the GOG launch day version. Whilst the game has apparently since been updated to include an alternate control scheme, the non-rebindable launch day keyboard controls (No, I don’t use a controller. It’s a PC game…) were… weird… to say the least. Using the “L”, “K”, “J” and “X” keys for actions and “O” & “P” to rotate the camera weird. Yes, I got used to these after a while and the bizarre controls also reminded me of when I was totally new to survival horror games too. Still, I imagine that some players probably found it annoying.

Also, if you’re playing with a controller, then you have optional modern-style movement controls with the analogue stick. However, if you’re playing with a keyboard/mouse, then you can only use good old-fashioned “tank controls” 🙂 Personally, I absolutely adore traditional “tank controls” but – for people new to the genre – I can see how they might be confusing.

Anyway, let’s take a look at “Crow Country”. This review may contain SPOILERS. The game itself contains some FLICKERING LIGHTS as well.

Woo hoo! It’s the 1990s 🙂

Set in early 1990s America, you play as a purple-haired detective called Mara who has travelled to the abandoned “Crow Country” theme park in order to track down its mysterious owner – Edward Crow….

One of the first things that I will say about this game is that it’s a better game than I first thought. Not just the absolutely adorable and brilliantly nostalgic PS1 art style, but also the puzzle design and the way that the game is both familiar and innovative at the same time. Yes, the game’s combat system is deliberately super-obtuse – to push you to run away from monsters – and the game might take a bit of getting used to, but I had an absolute blast with it 🙂

In terms of the horror elements, this is a mild-medium strength horror game. Although it won’t exactly terrify seasoned survival horror fans, people who are totally new to the genre might get scared by it. The monsters are genuinely grotesque, there’s some well-placed blood spatter, there are lots of creepy places, there are some eerie set-pieces that might catch you by surprise, there’s the occasional jump-scare and there is, of course, the classic survival horror suspense of “I’ve only got five bullets left and my health is on ‘danger’, how am I going to get back to the save room?“.

And, yes, the thing that happens after the maze puzzle certainly caught me by surprise…

Whilst the game’s story contains the sort of scientific horror that you’d expect from classic “Resident Evil”, it is also paired with eerie cosmic horror and a good plot twist or two too. The game’s story is a bit stylised, but it works surprisingly well.

Earlier, I said that the game innovates on the familiar “1990s survival horror” formula and it does this in all sorts of interesting ways. Being able to rotate the camera means that items can easily be hidden out of view. There are also a lot of environmental hazards and booby-traps to watch out for (and, if a healing item or ammo box looks slightly “off”, then leave it alone!).

You’ll also have to take notes the old-fashioned way because in-game documents from other areas can only be re-read in save rooms. The game is surprisingly generous with resources on “normal” difficulty, and you have unlimited saves and inventory space too, but this is balanced out by the combat system – especially if you’re playing with a keyboard!

Again, TAKE NOTES! With a pen and paper! I cannot emphasise this enough!

Imagine playing the original “Resident Evil 4” (2005) with a creaky old third-party PS2 controller from 2004 with broken analogue sticks. Imagine having to precisely aim using nothing but the D-pad. Now imagine that, instead of the camera being behind you whilst you aim, it is hovering above you!

Yes, with practice, you can get better at aiming, but this ultra-awkward aiming system makes every battle genuinely tense and will often lead to you either running away (and possibly taking damage) or wasting lots of bullets trying to hit the monsters. Fortunately, since the pistol is needed for some puzzles, you can return to Mara’s car to pick up eight more bullets whenever you have less than a certain number left. Even so, magnum ammo is very scarce, so save it for bosses and mini-bosses.

Still, like any good survival horror game, this is one that rewards exploration and observation! Not just all of the extra supplies you’ll find if you remember to rotate the camera, rifle through every rubbish bin and kick the vending machines enough times but – if it wasn’t for a walkthrough – I would have missed out on half of the game’s weapons! Even getting the shotgun requires solving an optional puzzle in a save room, which can easily be missed. But, whilst I had to check a walkthrough – and the limited in-game hint system – a few times, many of the puzzles are designed well enough that I – someone who is terrible at puzzles – was able to solve them on my own.

Seriously, you can miss out on the magnum – THE coolest survival horror game weapon type – if you don’t return to an easily-overlooked locked door later in the game.

Also, the game does something very clever with its difficulty settings as well. There’s a “Story mode” which gets rid of the monsters and turns the game into just a puzzle game. There’s the standard normal difficulty, which I played. And there is also an ultra-difficult hard mode (available from the beginning) which is explained in detail in this “Under The Mayo” video (Warning – flashing lights, horror imagery etc…).

Again, I cannot praise the visual and sound design of this game enough. Whilst there’s no spoken dialogue, there’s exactly the sort of eerie music that you’d expect from an abandoned theme park. The game’s art style is not only absolutely adorable and genuinely innovative but there are also just so many cool little background details, small jokes and stuff like that too. At one point, you even find an arcade where you can play on all of the machines. It is a game with a soul and a personality which would put many large-budget “AAA” games to shame.

Seriously, I LOVE this style of gloomy ocean-themed 1990s graphics. Literally the only other place I’ve seen it is in “Alisa“(2021-22).

Woo hoo! A 1980s arcade! Not only can you play on the machines, but you are required to for an optional “bonus item” puzzle too.

In terms of length, this is a medium-length game. Whilst I wasn’t counting, and I used walkthroughs/hints occasionally, I probably spent about 5-8 hours with this game. Whilst the game world isn’t gigantic, it’s large enough to stay interesting and be easily-navigable throughout the game. New shortcuts also open up as you progress too. Just be sure to find the maps on the walls. And save often as well (Yes, thankfully, there are unlimited saves here and even an optional “Lives” system as well). There’s also a small amount of post-game content – like a mode where you have to find crystal crows – once you complete the game too. Still, it doesn’t have a giant amount of re-play value.

All in all, this is a really good game 🙂 Yes, the game’s combat is – deliberately – very obtuse and I played the GOG launch day version with the weird controls, but I absolutely loved this game 🙂 If you like classic 1990s survival horror games, but also want something a bit different, then this one is well worth checking out 🙂

If I had to give it a rating out of five, it would get four and a half.