Crow Country’s Retro Survival Mechanics Are Enough To Keeps You Hooked

It is very hard to recreate retro visuals from the past in today’s modern horror games. But Crow Country does it perfectly and that is why it is one of my favorite games released this year so far. Crow Country feels nostalgic in every way and takes you back to the PlayStation 1 era with its grainy graphics and atmosphere.

Therefore, if you are into exploring abandoned buildings that remind you of the great horror titles you have played in the past Crow Country is the one game that you should definitely not miss out on.

Tribute To Retro Horror

Everything from the main character to the level design is something straight out of the PlayStation 1 gaming era. One thing I appreciate about Crow Country is that it did not make it seem like it is trying too hard to give players nostalgia. This is why it is a perfect blend of modern and old gaming mechanics.

The static that follows you as you explore the dark and grainy levels playing as a chunky and polygonal character is truly a sublime experience.

What I like most about Crow Country is its sinister setting. The story is set in 1990 and your role as Mara Forest is to investigate a massive and abandoned theme park that closed a few years ago due to unknown circumstances.

Atmosphere And Environment

As you explore the abandoned theme park, you come across a series of locations, including a small fairy forest and even an aquatic area. However, my favorite was definitely the haunted town which stored in itself a huge and creepy mansion, as well as a Secret Underground Crypt.

Every area you explore is memorable and has a lot of details put into it. It almost feels like taking a tour of Disneyland albeit an abandoned one.

The world of Crow Country is vast and full of puzzles and earthly creatures that will test your skills. The game is a mix of everything, and you will be required to solve some crazy puzzles, including using acid on an animatronic head to obtain a key or using gravestones to solve a Riddle and progress ahead. It is perhaps the diversity in puzzles that makes Crow Country so much fun, yet, terrifying to play.

Combat And Enemies

I love the simple yet fun combat, Crow Country offers. When you first start exploring the abandoned theme park in the game, you will find yourself engaging with some scary-looking animatronics.

Also, you can simply choose to not engage in any combat by choosing the exploration mode where all you have to do is sort puzzles. For me, I tried out both the survival and exploration mode.

During the exploration mode, you will get to traverse through the theme park, and it always feels like something will jump out of nowhere at you.

The animatronics you come across, seem very real and sentient. You can go for any of the modes depending on your preference, but I would recommend trying both of them.

In the combat mode, things will get gorier, and you will come across some grotesque monsters that will add to the horror of the setting. The combat itself is pretty straightforward and follows a fight or flight route. You can simply run from the creatures, but personally, I made sure to kill every one of them.

Story And Gameplay Mechanics

The storyline of Crow Country isn’t very coherent, but it still manages to leave an impact on the players. The creatures you come across in Crow Country have a background and origin as well which really adds to the depth of the collective narrative Crow Country follows.

However, at times, I cannot help but feel that their plot was pretty under-explained and could have used more work.

But this is how many of these horror games are made and besides the main focus of Crow Country isn’t the storyline itself, but the puzzles and environment. One thing that I did not really dig about the game was that at certain times it gave a very childish feeling due to its art style.

The creatures themselves were very well designed. It was just the main character that seemed very out of place at times. But that does not take away the fact that Crow Country has featured some of the most interesting gameplay mechanics I’ve witnessed in retro horror. Everything from exploration to puzzle is tied together and does not feel overwhelming at all.

Should You Try Crow Country?

After my deep analysis of the game, I can safely say that Crow Country does retro horror right with its breathtaking visuals and amazing puzzles. It’s almost like Resident Evil, but a bit easier. Everything from the sound design to the creepy environment, makes Crow Country, one of the best 90s-styled horror games released.

I highly recommend trying out Crow Country if you enjoy 90s-Style Horror Games with modern mechanics. However, I would recommend trying out exploration mode first before jumping into combat because I found the former to be particularly more engaging and fun.