Crow Country Reviews
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 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.
Given the sheer amount of hints and instructional text plastered all over its environments, Crow Country is tuned to be approachable and readily digestible. You’ll never find yourself desperate for resources or racking your brain over a fiendish puzzle. Even the old-school tank controls are optional, mapped to the D-pad just in case any players feel compelled to experiment before going back to the analog stick. These decisions are hardly out of step with the pleasantly nostalgic presentation, but they also ensure that the game succeeds far more as a puzzle object than as a horror freak-out. For better and for worse, Crow Country goes down smoothly.
But even with a couple of missteps, I'm still scoring Crow Country highly. The story engrosses, and the puzzles challenge without being too ridiculous. The game is long enough to be rewarding but not so long as to make replay intimidating. And the retro horror may even make you jump a couple of times, in teen-rated fashion. The Snipperclips devs have done considerably good work here, and anyone who predicted otherwise can eat crow.
Crow Country "caws" back to old-school horror games from the PS1-era, preserving what made them suspenseful and engaging while adding some updates. Not all of these work, but enough do, making a trip to Crow Country worth taking for fans of retro survival horror games.
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 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.
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.
A worthwhile retro survival horror experience that utilizes every inch of its three-to-four hour runtime while paying homage to the greats. Even though it's lacking in scares, it manages to enthrall with its excellent brain-scratchers and deft design decisions. A small and successful slice of survival horror.
Between atmosphere, mechanics, and storytelling, Crow Country gets caw-fully close to bonafide classic status in the survival-horror pantheon.
It is a good sign when a tightly paced, dense horror game leaves players begging for more. It’s preferred than a game overstaying its welcome and feeling like you never want to play it again. Crow Country is compact, but I found myself feeling very cozy in its world, never wanting to leave.
A tight package of intriguing puzzle design and nail biting ambiance that is perfectly tuned in difficulty. There's even a hint system in place to ensure you don't get stuck too long on any single puzzle. I loved my time with Crow Country and it will definitely be making an appearance on my Game of the Year list.
Crow Country, a new PS1 style survival horror title from SFB Games aims to authentically revive the feel of classic early 3D horror titles.
Crow Country is an homage to the whole survival horror genre of PS1 era.
Review in Russian | Read full review
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.
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 shines on Switch as the delightful survival-horror gem we’ve come to love, offering engaging and satisfying gameplay that keeps players hooked. While the platform's excessive loading times may detract from the experience, the Switch version remains an excellent choice for fans seeking portability or an alternative to the PC version.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I appreciate what the developer was going for with this project and there are absolutely areas that nail the brief. The visuals are charming and the story was a campy laugh, it also built a decent atmosphere when there were no enemies. But there’s a nagging at the back of my mind that says I didn’t enjoy it overall. The combat didn’t gel with me, even though I have a love for the old tank style. It had zero fear factor, not even the odd jump scare. There was too much ammo and health so I never felt my survival was at risk. Enemies were poor… maybe it just wasn’t for me.
Crow Country skillfully blends the nostalgic allure of classic survival horror with modern game design advancements. The game’s atmospheric environment, captivating puzzles, and user-friendly controls render it an essential experience for both long-time fans and new players. Still, given its challenging nature and fixed camera angle perspectives, it’s not something that may appeal to everyone.