Video Game Review - Crow Country

A hauntingly beautiful theme park survival horror…

Created by SFB Games, Crow Country is a retro-inspired survival-horror. Taking the role of Mara Forest you’ll face your darkest fears as you search for the elusive Edward Crow. Last seen within his now dilapidated theme park, Crow’s current situation is unknown. As Mara pulls her car up to the now rusted park gates you get the distinct feeling that this isn’t going to be a simple investigation. In fact even after the credits roll the creeping dread doesn’t let you go. 

In terms of introducing we’re not really given one. Instead we first take control of Mara as she arrives at the Crow Country theme park. Due to a spate of incidents the park has recently closed and its once prestigious rides and mascots have started to decay. As mentioned previously, Mara is in search of the parks owner Edward Crow in an attempt to find out what exactly happened to cause the parks closure. 

Keeping with the traditions of the genre, Crow Country sees you spending the bulk of your time solving puzzles that are conveniently located in the environment, whilst simultaneously avoiding the monsters that roam the park. The retro feel doesn’t stop there as developer SFB Games forgoes the more recent “walk and shoot” mechanics for a more “stop, aim, and shoot” aspect. Personally I’m a fan of this style of gameplay. Not only does it make you factor in your own positioning to the attacking enemy, it also makes each encounter extremely tense. 

It isn’t long into the journey until you’ll discover your first creepy creature. There’s a large menagerie of nasties across the game and you’ll go from bizarre zombie-like creatures, to multi-limbed monstrosities within a matter of scenes. It’s a curious mix between Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Five Nights at Freddy’s with each enemy fitting into the theme park atmosphere, whilst simultaneously giving a supernatural “fleshy” look to proceedings. 

Unlike its forbearers, Crow Country doesn’t rely on an auto aim feature for its combat. Instead, when aiming Mara’s weapon you’ll then be in control of a reticle which gives some degree of control on where you’ll shoot. While most enemies aren’t bullet sponges, you do need to keep an eye on the ammo counter. Naturally there isn’t much ammo available within a dilapidated theme park, and this rings true in Crow Country. 

Like its enemies Crow Country has plenty of puzzles to test your logic. Quite a lot of these are simple fetch and collect items which will feel right at home with genre aficionados. There’s also a few puzzles which subverted my own expectations with one early encounter asking you to power up an attraction to progress into the next area. The solution to this comes in the form of a post it note that’s coincidentally not near the machine in question. While this isn’t anything new to the survival horror genre, as a former theme park employee it’s also incredibly accurate. 

If any point you get truly stuck, Crow Country offers a very unique hint system. Coming in the form of a giant animatronic crow you’re given ten credits to spend towards asking for its sage advice. Much like a theme park information kiosk, this crow is located in various places for you to freely use. While the help here is limited to what’s essentially ten questions, the character does go to some depth in giving you a helping hand. Of course you’re also never forced to seek help in this manner but it does add a degree of accessibility to a genre that’s often defined by its head-scratching puzzles. 

Keeping with accessibility, Crow Country also features a pacifist mode for those who simply wish to experience the story. What’s more interesting about this is that selecting this option doesn’t penalise you in anyway. The story and experience stay exactly the same, with the only difference being that there’s zero enemies to contend with. Again, this is a gameplay option that I wish more games would incorporate.

When it comes to presentation, Crow Country doesn’t shy away from its 32-bit roots. Looking like a title that’s straight out of the PlayStation era, Crow Country is a feast of chunky polygons and blocks of colour. While this presentation style won’t be to everyone’s taste it does give off quite a degree of charm. It also works well in leading you into a false sense of security, especially when the environment starts crashing down around you - beware the chandelier! 

If - like me - you grew up on a diet of Silent Hill and trips to Raccoon City, Crow Country is a game you’ll feel right at home with. It’s a beautifully crafted retro survival horror experience that packs in a lot of the genres greatest hits. With a narrative that keeps the tension building, plenty of unique characters, and the ability to turn the enemies off, Crow Country gives you plenty of reasons to give it a go. 

Rating: 8.5/10 

A code was kindly provided for this review

Crow Country is available now and can be purchased on the PlayStation Store

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on X/Facebook @GeekCultureRev, TikTok/YouTube @Geekculturereviews, and BlueSky @geekculturereviews.bsky.social