General Gaming Crow Country - Retro (Resident Evil) Inspired Survival Horror - Xbox Series X|S / PS5 / Steam, update (05/10): reviews from OpenCritic posted

[Keyser_Soze]

 

 

[Keyser_Soze]

Game Information

Game Title: Crow Country

 

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (May 9, 2024)
• PlayStation 5 (May 9, 2024)
• PC (May 9, 2024)

 

Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 83 average - 82% recommended

Critic Reviews

Spoiler

Guardian - Sarah Maria Griffin - 5 / 5

This lushly detailed game with a chunkily retro polygonal protagonist is a gorgeous homage to landmark titles of the past

Dragnix - Shaun Joy - 91 / 100

The nostalgia that Crow Country brings forward is purposeful and effective, while keeping a strong atmosphere and a challenge for those who love the survival Horror genre. A few missteps can't keep this game from becoming one you'll want to replay right away.

Destructoid - Zoey Handley - 9 / 10

Crow Country doesn’t exactly rewrite the playbook for survival horror. It leans pretty heavily on those that came before it. However, what it builds on top of the foundation is extraordinarily impressive. This is easily one of the best horror games I’ve played, and it doesn’t even seem like it’s trying that hard. It maybe lacks some of the more psychological themes that have made others stick firmly in my memory, but the playfulness and confidence of Crow Country more than make up for that. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Digital Spy - Ben Rayner - 4.5 / 5

Crow 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.

Screen Rant - Ben Brosofsky - 4.5 / 5

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.

Siliconera - Daniel Bueno - 9 / 10

Crow Country feels classic and modern at the same time, offering its own take on the old-school survival horror genre.

Use a Potion - 9 / 10

Crow County is a wonderful love letter to the survival horror releases of the 90s that captures the essence of the era perfectly. The best part of all? It’s not afraid to embrace some modern ideas to make the experience more intuitive and accessible for all players. Between the wonderful old-school visuals, the intriguing storytelling, the exciting combat scenarios, and the clever puzzling, Crow Country will really hook fans of the survival horror genre in from start to end. And if you enjoyed its inspirations back in the day? It’ll feel even more special to play.

Hobby Consolas - Daniel Quesada - Spanish - 84 / 100

A great love letter to the origins of 32-bit survival horror. Well-thought-out puzzles and nostalgia with some humor and horror make this a short experience, but very satisfying, especially for veterans of the genre.

Game Informer - Marcus Stewart - 8 / 10

As 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.

Game Rant - Dalton Cooper - 4 / 5

Fans of classic survival horror games don't need to think twice about picking up Crow Country. The game is a love letter to old-school horror titles from the 90s, and is one of the better attempts at recreating the feel of PS1 horror on modern platforms. It's a short, but sweet adventure with solid replay value and fun puzzles that perfectly captures the feeling of playing an old horror game on a PS1. The optional Exploration mode, which does away with combat to let players focus entirely on puzzle-solving, means that even horror fans who don't like 90s-era survival horror combat and ammo management can safely pick up Crow Country and have a great time.

GameXplain - Thomas Arnold - 8 / 10

Video Review - Quote not available

GamesRadar+ - Leon Hurley - 4 / 5

Filled with great puzzles and an engaging world, Crow Country is a well made recreation of how you remember classic 90s horror games. It's familiar enough to feel authentic but different enough to keep things mysterious.

Push Square - Graham Banas - 8 / 10

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.

PC Gamer - Wes Fenlon - 77 / 100

A no-fat riff on the early days of survival horror that knows just what to streamline and what to keep pleasingly obtuse.

PlayStation Universe - Adam Byrne - 7.5 / 10

Though 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.

Press Start - Brodie Gibbons - 7.5 / 10

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.

Slant Magazine - Steven Scaife - 3.5 / 5

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.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Alice Bell - Unscored

Crow Country puts more emphasis on puzzles than the survival part of survival horror, but it's a well-observed love letter to the genre with great attention to detail all over the place. It's somehow equal parts charming and creepy.

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

I've updated @Keyser_Soze's OpenCritic reviews post.