Crow Country

Crow Country is a modern survival horror title that draws from the best aspects of Silent Hill and Resident Evil to create an immersive, fun experience that will draw in both devoted fans of the genre and those who have never tried it before. From its story to its graphics, it brings back the elements of survival horror that we love the most, while putting its own unique spin on the classics.

The aesthetics, densely packed environment and, at times, challenging combat go together to create a really enjoyable survival horror experience that results in Crow Country promising to be a sleeper candidate for my game of the year.

Crow Country joins Signalis as one of the best survival horror games in recent years. It is shockingly good, and I can’t wait to revisit it when its next update arrives. I urge you to at least try the free demo. It feels perfect on Steam Deck. What I thought would be a nice throwback horror game ended up being one of the best in years for the genre, and a standout title in an already amazing 2024 for games.

The cute retro look of Crow Country is deceptive: the atmosphere is dense, the plot gripping and the horror sometimes surprisingly cruel. A wolf in sheep's clothing that knows how to disturb at important moments. And how much fun this survival horror is! From now on, I will mention the game in the same breath as titles such as Tormented Souls, Alisa or Signalis, which also helped to revive a genre that was thought to be dead. Crow Country is not only a declaration of love to classic survival horror, but also a good object of study for balanced, well thought-out game design.

If Crow Country were just styled like an old Resident Evil game I probably would’ve dropped it, but it manages to get everything perfect. If Capcom had released this as a non-canon RE side-story, it would probably be getting a thunderous reception right now. I don’t like nostalgia bait, but Crow Country is so much more. Whether you’re a ‘90s kid or not, all Resident Evil and survival horror fans should absolutely play Crow Country.

It’s a must-play for fans of survival horror, whether you’re put off by the ‘90s games or itching for that old-school experience all these years later.

Crow Country is one of those games that answer all of my needs for an old-school survival horror title. The game isn’t shy about its inspirations and it is a clear homage to PS1 survival horror games. While it is a somewhat short experience, Crow Country shows that sometimes less is more. And I want more of this.

Crow Country might not be a new genre-defining title, as its aspirations in both scares and scale are reasonably modest. It is, however, an excellent journey into a deftly rendered setting, and it's hard to find significant fault with its intimate understanding of what makes this sort of thing tick. Crow Country is an assured love letter to the original crop of classic survival horror titles, but what really matters is that it's a delightful new entry in its own right.

It's definitely worth a visit.

Quotation forthcoming.

Crow Country is clearly influenced by some of the scariest games of the ‘90s, but it’s good enough that it can be enjoyed today even if you never played those games the first time around (or even if you’re generally too much of a scaredy cat to play them).

Crow Country threw me back to my childhood days of sitting in front of a CRT TV with a controller in hand, while streamlining the less desirable, archaic sensibilities. Familiar elements and tropes are well-executed, and the perfect runtime of four to five hours allows it to end on a high before it overstays its welcome due to its smaller scope. Perfect for a weekend! I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing Crow Country and I am looking forward to what SFB cooks up next.

Crow Country emerges as a standout survival horror game, blending classic influences with unique innovations in puzzle design and narrative construction. The game offers a compelling mix of challenging puzzles, engaging story elements, and immersive atmospheric design that sets it apart in a crowded genre. While it excels in creativity and environmental interaction, it is marred by some gameplay mechanics like clunky combat and punishing insta-death puzzles.

Crow Country goes beyond its nostalgic visual design, with some QoL elements, solid puzzles, a haunting ambience and a well-written plot. Heartily recommended to new and old fans of horror games.

Crow Country is a very well-composed horror adventure that blends the best of the past without us having to pull our old Sega Saturn out of the closet.

More than just its nostalgic visuals, Crow Country is funny, self-aware, and extremely hard to put down.

Crow Country gives the impression of a long lost PS1 survival horror game. The small indie team really captures the essence of those classics in every aspect, from the charming low-polygon visuals and environmental puzzles to the exaggerated story, all while adding some clever parody touches.

Considered on its own, with no space for nostalgia or positive past experiences, Crow Country isn’t a great game. The presentation is limited, and the gameplay never tries to do anything new. The puzzle design is good and the story, while starting off slowly, does have some great moments and one big strong twist. This sounds like a game that dedicated survival horror fans would like but not love. Fortunately, there are plenty of gamers who idealize the first few installments of Resident Evil or Silent Hill. Crow Country is designed to make them smile and give them a cool new narrative with classic mechanics that they will enjoy every second of.

What follows is positively giddying, in the manner of a well-tuned ghost train or haunted house, provoking chuckles and squirms at the same time. [Issue#398, p.116]

Crow Country pays homage to a golden era of survivor horror without relying on simple mimicry. It's simultaneously familiar and yet unfamiliar, touching on tropes and genre trappings while utilizing modern techniques to enhance the experience and make it more approachable for newcomers. It's not a particularly challenging game, and combat is dull and unwieldy, but this aspect of the game is easy enough to ignore, especially when there's an enticing theme park full of secrets and rewarding puzzles to delve into. The story is also surprisingly rich, telling a captivating tale with smart writing and a memorable ending. Crow Country is clearly lovingly crafted, resulting in a nostalgic throwback that manages to avoid feeling derivative. It does justice to the games that inspired it, but it's also a fantastic game in its own right.

Crow Country is a tribute to retro survival horror games, inviting players to embark on a nostalgic adventure that will keep players asking questions and investigating everything the atmosphere has to offer. SFB Games did a wonderful job emulating what had made the classic survival horror games truly special. The puzzles aren’t amazing or innovative, but they're still solid and provide enough information for anyone to solve on their own. Crow Country is relatively easy, but the developer does have a roadmap planning the inclusion of a Hard mode to hopefully add a significant challenge to it. While it is somewhat flawed, Crow Country is a solid and compelling experience for those who enjoy the genre, and it was a blast exploring and learning about the world SFB Games has created.

Crow Country is a wonderful throwback to those early survival horror games that scared us years ago, with a couple of great mod cons.

Fans of classic survival horror games don't need to think twice about picking up Crow Country. The game is a love letter to old-school horror titles from the 90s, and is one of the better attempts at recreating the feel of PS1 horror on modern platforms. It's a short, but sweet adventure with solid replay value and fun puzzles that perfectly captures the feeling of playing an old horror game on a PS1. The optional Exploration mode, which does away with combat to let players focus entirely on puzzle-solving, means that even horror fans who don't like 90s-era survival horror combat and ammo management can safely pick up Crow Country and have a great time.

Filled with great puzzles and an engaging world, Crow Country is a well made recreation of how you remember classic 90s horror games. It's familiar enough to feel authentic but different enough to keep things mysterious.

A no-fat riff on the early days of survival horror that knows just what to streamline and what to keep pleasingly obtuse.

With neat retro visuals, smart puzzles, and an interesting theme park location, Crow Country is an appealing survival horror game that suffers a little from clumsy action and minimal challenge.

Crow Country is a quaint compilation of survival horror’s many time-tested tropes, from its tank controls to its labyrinthian network of corridors. For all it loads into a relatively small package, it pays homage to its roots within an irresistible framework from the antiquated era once befitting the original PlayStation.