Crow Country Review (EShop Transfer)

Modern survival horror games that seek to recapture the aesthetics and essence of classic titles from the 90s often make one fatal mistake. You see, when the fans come to play Resident devil And Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare on the PS1 in retrospect, they do so with a level of love that, frankly, makes the game sound like the greatest thing since sliced ​​bread.

The truth is, however, that the earliest survival horror titles, with their clumsy controls and fixed camera angles, haven’t aged very well; Hell, there’s a reason why so many of those movies get modern remakes. Veterans will forever admire them (this writer included), but newcomers often wonder what all the fuss is about.

So when a game comes out that is truly an homage to the survival horror boom of the late ’90s, chances are it will fail without personal nostalgia. crow landFortunately, this problem was completely avoided. Developed by SFB Games’s Trimming clips popular, this is a genre game that manages to easily capture that special ‘retro’ feel while also adding loads of modern conveniences to give it a completely fresh feel.

Taking place in a dilapidated amusement park, Crow Country stars Mara Forest, an agent investigating mysterious happenings while searching for the park’s founder, Edward Crow. Upon her arrival, it isn’t long before the true horrors of the park are revealed, with horrific creatures known as ‘Guests’ moving across an environment filled with puzzling puzzles, broken doors and broken doors. lock and intentionally vague notes and messages.

In short, it’s the quintessential survival horror experience, but it strips away all the outdated mechanics you might expect. Starting with full, clear 360-degree movement is achieved here via tank controls, while the isometric camera can be rotated at will. This is especially important with Crow Country, as the game’s world has been designed for scrutiny, so you’ll find yourself constantly panning the camera to see what items might be hidden in a corner or wall. What creatures might be lurking in the dark? .

Naturally, you can kill the monsters with a variety of guns (though like all survival horror, just pushing it out of the way is equally feasible). Firing the weapon requires you to stand still and aim with the right analog stick, giving you complete control over where you want to sink your bullets.

At times, you may feel a little jerky, and depending on the camera’s angle at the time of aiming, taking important close-up shots can be a bit awkward. Overall, though, it’s a system that works much better than the trial-and-error mechanics seen in classics like Resident Evil. If you miss, it’s entirely your fault and bullets are definitely not abundant in this amusement park.

What’s interesting is that while Crow Country is certainly not an easy experience (unless you choose the ‘Explore’ difficulty setting), there are still plenty of opportunities to increase your chances of survival in the experience. The test lasts six to seven hours. Medical kits and ammo boxes can be found in crates, while crates or display cases often hide similarly useful items or weapon upgrades.

In particular, it feels like a gamble, as you’ll need to spend a precious bullet to see what’s inside, but the developers have struck a great balance in providing a helping hand. helps while maintaining a suitable level of difficulty throughout. If you happen to get a little lost, there’s a helpful hint system that you can use up to 10 times during the course of the game, pointing you in a vague but helpful direction.

Something we despisedHowever, environmental traps will start appearing as you progress through the game. These appear out of nowhere and are often located in areas you’ve already explored, giving you a false sense of security. However, the problem is that they are not scary or intelligent, they are just frustrating. We almost threw our Switch out the window after spending a long time making some significant progress, only to die at the hands of a falling chandelier while limping to a room saved nearby. Completely angry.

This is a weak point in an exceptionally well-built survival horror game. It’s hard to say whether you’ll find it completely scary or not, but it’s certainly creepy enough and the familiar yet modernized mechanics will likely appeal whether you like old-school classics or prefer something new. something a bit more up to date.

The purposefully blocky visuals can take a little getting used to – especially when they’re juxtaposed with creepy, ambient music (plus the awesome, ethereal storage room theme), wailing ghosts, cawing crows and sinister lighting effects – and we would have liked some room transitions to load a little faster, but if you’re after something that will scratch your ‘survival horror’ itch classic’, Crow Country outperforms most of its competitors.

Conclusion

Crow Country is a survival horror game with a great retro flavor that pays homage to ’90s classics while also offering plenty of modern conveniences that make the game feel fresh. and more importantly, fun. Exploring this creepy yet captivating theme park is a joy thanks to its countless intriguing secrets and nasty creatures. There are a few annoying things that keep it from being a masterpiece, such as slightly slow screen transitions and annoying traps, but like signal before that, Crow Country is worth investigating if you’re after a retro horror game that, miraculously, doesn’t feel dated in the first place.