There are currently more PS1 inspired horror games than actual PS1 horror games. This is not a milestone that has been surpassed by Country of Crowsit’s just an observation.
It’s tough to say what exactly made the PS1 the perfect visual home for horror. It could be because it was state-of-the-art enough to allow for different ways of presenting horror, but elderly enough that the imagination could fill in some of the gaps left by the low-poly, low-res graphics. It could also be because it was likely the last console many people played on through blurry RF, and something about video noise makes the experience feel more tangibly real.
Still, the return to the angular pixelation of the early 3D era brought about a renaissance in the horror genre, and if Country of Crows Judging by the research results, there is still a long way to go before the fuel reserves run out.
Country of Crows is heavily inspired by the survival horror subgenre, drawing inspiration from games such as Resident Evil AND Silent Hill. This is evident not only in the visual style, but also in the puzzle design. The titular amusement park you explore was built by people with strange ideas about locks on doors and where keys should be kept.
You’ll play as Special Agent Mara Forest, who investigates the disappearance of Edward Crow, creator of the namesake amusement park Crow Country. The park closed two years prior to the start of the game after a guest was injured and other strange events occurred.
Country of Crows is played at a ¾ angle. While the graphics attempt to replicate the low-resolution blockiness of the PS1 hardware, they do so in an engaging way. The environments are actually quite detailed in a way that wouldn’t be possible on the console, and that’s because while they’re actually 3D, they’re designed to look like the pre-rendered 2D backgrounds used in games like Resident Evil AND Parasitic Eve.
It’s done surprisingly well, as you can still freely pan the camera, but still manages to recreate the awkward 3D of the era thanks to some clever lighting. Characters and interactive objects still stand out because they don’t have the same shine as everything else in the environment, so the whole effect comes off quite cleverly.
When the camera is at a fixed angle, you can still aim for enemies’ heads and shoulders, knees, and toes. Headshots do more damage (if they have something identifiable as a head), but attacking at close range is the most essential factor.
Even though it’s a survival horror game, you can’t carry a lot of ammo for your weapons, but vending machines throughout the environment will give you a little more to keep you alive. Enemies in the environment will remain dead, but as you progress, the areas will change and recent enemies will appear in their place. This means that the whole “survival” part of survival horror is pretty underrated. It’s not tough to stay alive, but maybe that’s not the point.
When I played the demo in October, I was a little worried that Country of Crows wouldn’t do enough to distinguish itself from the games that inspired it. But I think what sets it apart is the detached confidence with which it presents itself.
The dialogue is saturated with humor, but rarely in a self-deprecating way. When he does joke about his video gameness, it’s with a wink, not trying to be amusing. It’s not a survival horror parody, it’s just nice and lightweight.
Although I didn’t find it Country of Crows be that scary (I rarely get scared by horror movies these days, so I’m not the best judge of scare factor), I was incredibly impressed with the plot and storytelling. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that Adam Vian was behind the pen.
The story is largely told through documents in the environment and characters you meet. There aren’t really any cutscenes, but there are moments of dialogue. You’re mostly given bits and pieces of a larger mystery, and the game is incredibly adept at giving you enough to start to figure things out before they’re more openly told.
The mystery has its threads, and you follow them piece by piece until they all finally come together. Information that connects Country of Crows the general ending is given to you right at the beginning. If you’re really sharp, you can guess some of the twists, but even then I didn’t see the final reveal coming.
If anything, I envy how masterfully the story was told. But, again, that’s to be expected from SFB Games.
When all is said and done, Country of Crows takes about 6-8 hours to complete. There are a few optional bosses and secret puzzles you can complete to extend the game a bit. Then, when the game is completed, a few extras are unlocked for your next playthrough.
Country of Crows doesn’t rewrite the survival horror playbook exactly. It builds heavily on the previous ones. But what it builds on is incredibly impressive. It’s easily one of the best horror games I’ve played, and it doesn’t feel like it’s trying too tough. It may lack some of the more psychological themes that made the others so memorable, but the hilarity and confidence Country of Crows more than makes up for it. Definitely worth a visit.
