- Publisher: SFB Games
- Release Date: May 9, 2024
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
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- Unscored
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Jun 13, 2024In an era filled with walking sims, animatronics and remakes, Crow Country is a humble and unique entry into the world of survival horror. Paying respects to its inspirations with pride, the art style and soundtrack fabricate the feeling of a PS1 classic, evoking nostalgia from a first time experience. Crow Country's story is well-paced, and despite a slightly anti-climatic ending the writing is thoughtful and humourous. A short run time with new game modes/weapons unlocked upon completion encourages another playthrough. SFB Games have also found a good balance between retro and modern controls, which makes Crow Country perfect for both genre veterans and beginners.
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May 14, 2024Inspired by classic survival horror games like the early Resident Evil titles, Crow Country offers exploration, puzzles, and optional combat set in a creepy amusement park, with its standout feature being the ability to freely explore the 3D-rendered environments in real-time. Although it relies heavily on notes for storytelling, its well-designed puzzles and authentic gameplay mechanics make it a must-play for fans of classic survival horror.
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May 10, 2024Crow Country is the perfect kind of nostalgic trip, one that doesn’t bait players along in hopes of being more of the same thing they remembered. The best games of its type work to wedge themselves into the library of classics they were inspired by. Crow Country looks, sounds, and plays similar to old 32- and 64-bit games because it is, not because it wants to be.
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May 8, 2024Crow Country doesn’t reinvent the genre of survival horror but it represents the best bits whilst also being excellently distinct in its presentation. The puzzles are multifaceted and engaging, the combat is tense and satisfying and the overall design is a retro horror fan’s dream.
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May 8, 2024Crow Country is one of the best experiences of the year so far, and we think it will be talked about in the same tones as last year's Signalis for its sheer creativity and efforts to reignite passion for the survival-horror genre.
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May 15, 2024If you’ve been frustrated by the state of some retro horrors, or even if you haven’t, this is a fine addition to the genre that deserves to be ranked highly among the modern examples. Aside from those bastard traps, it’s a damn good bit of body horror.
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May 9, 2024A great love letter to the roots of 32 bit survival horror. Well crafted puzzles and lots of nostalgia, mixed with drops of humor and terror offer a short but very gratifying experience. Specially recommended if you are a genre veteran.
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PLAYJul 24, 2024An outstanding homage to PS1 horror that’s no mere tribute act. If this is just the start of an excellent new series, then consider our return ticket already booked. [Issue#42, p.84]
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May 23, 2024A homage to the original PlayStation era, Crow Country is made for nostalgia lovers who don’t mind graphics that aren’t presented in 4K, and who love a puzzle game that requires concentration and note taking. The mood inside an abandoned amusement park is creepy, and the soundtrack gets under your skin.
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May 17, 2024Crow Country expertly recreates the aesthetic of PS1 survival horror, with a mood and atmosphere that would have felt right at home in the ’90s. While some of the survival horror elements are a bit too safe and the story is oddly paced, SFB Games has struck spooky gold.
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May 9, 2024A charmingly old-fashioned survival horror that manages to make all the limitations of 90s gaming work in its favour, especially in terms of its enjoyably obscure puzzles.
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May 8, 2024As reductive as it sounds, when it comes to delivering a classic survival horror experience, Crow Country is a good “one of those.” Familiar elements and tropes are well executed, and the succinct runtime of five to six hours is perfect for its smaller scope. I had fun reliving the genre’s golden years through Crow Country’s eyes; playing it feels like relaxing under a warm, blood-stained blanket.
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May 8, 2024It’s truly impressive what SFB Games has accomplished with such a small team. If you like 90s horror games — Resident Evil especially — then you owe it to yourself to try out Crow Country.
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May 27, 2024An action-adventure that repeatedly quotes the old Resident Evil games and uses their mechanics to offer the more nostalgic audience an experience very close to the survival horror of the PS1-N64 era. A hint of modernity in the controls makes it palatable even to less veteran gamers, but a few balancing problems and a fairly short longevity take it away from the pinnacle of the genre.
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May 8, 2024Though appearing a touch derivative at first glance, Crow Country breaks from tradition in a number of smart ways, delivering a well-rounded, memorable experience that cements it as one of the better survival horror throwbacks of recent memory.
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May 14, 2024Inspired by classic survival horror games of the '90s, Crow Country's puzzle-laden gameplay is enjoyable on the whole. It's not scary in the slightest, though, and its combat is a bit of a let-down. While fans of the genre might want to check it out, then, it's unlikely to be remembered as a classic itself.
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May 12, 2024The impressive thing is that these updates don’t take away from that classic tension. They simply remove some (but not all) of the frustration inherent in ’90s-era survival horror, creating perhaps the most accessible example of the genre while maintaining the look, feel, and personality. Crow Country does all of this while telling an excellent mystery that dramatically builds in scope over five hours or so of playtime. It doesn’t quite surpass its inspirations, but it’ll remind you why you loved them so much in the first place.
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