Crow Country
The 90’s were a strange old time - 3D graphics were just coming into their own, gaming had started to open to the masses, and theme parks were on a different level. Wait, what?
Survival horror came into its own in the 90s, with games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill utilising every inch of design. It’s no wonder, then, that those series are still clamoured for now, with many a remake and remaster coming out. But there’s something to be said for going back to the start. And really, there are few places better suited for horror than an abandoned theme park.
The product of a two-brother team from London, Crow Country is a distilling of what makes good horror - on your own in the dark, weird shit happening all around, and you about as clueless as can be. In this eponymous theme park, we find Special Agent Mara Forest hunting for the missing owner, Edward Crow. Mysterious circumstances about. Everything about the place is just a little off - not least the fact that for an abandoned park, there are an awful lot of people around. Frankly, even at the height of its popularity, some of the attractions would still have been downright weird. That whole mushroom dinner party? Weird.
As you’d expect from a good mystery, you’re going in blind. Partly because everything is locked and you have to solve your fair share of Resident Evil-style puzzles, but also because the camera is slightly above you. It sort of hovers in a halo around you, obscuring your view of distant things. A hallmark of good horror is restricting the player’s view - fixed cameras, fog, tight corridors. It’s unnerving when you can’t see what’s coming. And what you can’t see coming are the weird creatures that hang out here now.
Crow Country’s style plays heavily on the early-3D era blocky graphics. Low poly count. You’d think it’d make the game less scary, because everyone knows you need realism for something to be scary, right? No. The simple design makes the creatures even more disturbing, as they shamble towards you without much thought to your bullets.
There’s a lot of back and forth to solve puzzles. Doors you find at the start are mostly locked off, forcing you further into the park. Enemies don’t respawn, but you can’t get complacent either. New creatures and traps appear as the story progresses, forcing you to stay vigilant. And vigilance is something you’re going to need to keep because a few of the puzzles have insta-kills if you’re not paying attention to the solution.
There’s also a good amount of secrets hidden away for completionists, and even a few optional bosses. The main game is fairly linear, but Crow Country (the game and the place) are so intriguing that you’ll easily find yourself wanting to explore it all. There are also a few places that feel like they should be puzzles, but were either cut or only partially put in to mess with the player. Speaking of optional things, the unlockables are a world of fun. Like the games it takes influence from, you can unlock new weapons for finishing the game under certain conditions. It’s great for speed-running, too - easily completable in under a couple of hours.
Crow Country is a relatively short game, but even old-school survival horrors could be breezed through if you knew what you were doing. The game, much like some of the horrors stalking it, is dripping with character. It’s fun, a little forgiving, and really wants to mess with you.
