Crow Country: Everything We Know

SFB Games has announced Crow Country, a refreshing new story-driven horror game that will look to take a leaf directly out of the PlayStation One’s low poly catalog. Think Final Fantasy 7 meets Silent Hill, and you’ll have a rough idea of what the team will be aiming to conjure in its upcoming amusement park-centric IP.

“This is the survival horror game you’ve been looking for,” boasted creative director Adam Vian in a press release. “It’s really turned out to be something special. I seriously can’t wait for players to finally get their hands on it.”

So, without further ado, let’s dive right in to the so-called Crow Country. What is it, exactly, and when can we expect to get our hands on it? Well, if you’re even the slightest bit interested in rekindling those old memories from the low poly and pixel-obsessed days, then be sure to read on. Here’s everything we currently know about it.

What Is Crow Country?

Crow Country is a third-person survival-horror game—a love letter, in ways, that draws its inspiration from the likes of Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Martian Gothic, among countless other retro-type horrors from the late-90s era of gaming. As such, players will be invited to board a pixelated vessel that will aim to make full use of nineties aesthetics and traditional gameplay mechanics.

In SFB Games’ own words, Crow Country is a “survival horror adventure featuring a rich atmosphere; a strong, tangible sense of place; a small but memorable cast of characters; meaningful exploration; engaging puzzles; and most of all—a beautiful, uncanny blend of tension and tranquility.”

At the time of writing, SFB Games hasn’t quite finalized a release window for its latest project. Having said that, the team has more or less confirmed that it will be heading to consoles and PC at some point in 2024. So that’s a start, at least.

Story

Crow Country centers its story around an abandoned amusement park—a former haven for residents of a rural Atlantan community. According to the locals, the park’s former owner—a man named Edward Crow—disappeared after the lights went down and the park unexpectedly ceased its operations. As for where the former landlord went in the aftermath of the closure remains a mystery, as is the situation surrounding the rumors of a sinister evil that supposedly looms over the carcass of the location.

“The year is 1990,” the description opens. “Edward Crow has disappeared. The owner of “Crow Country” (a small theme park in the rural outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia), he has not been seen since he unexpectedly shut down his park two years ago. The silence is broken when a mysterious young woman named Mara Forest ventures into the heart of the abandoned theme park in order to find him.”

In the elevator pitch, SFB Games claims “Crow Country‘s story explores reckless human greed and the idea of an unforgivable sin.” The devs also state that the story will revolve around a girl named Mara Forest—a character who you will have the chance to play as over the course of your journey through the old grounds of the amusement park.

Gameplay

So, what sorts of gameplay features can we expect to see in this retro-inspired horror? Well, from the looks of the footage and in-game screenshots, the game’s bread and butter will be its survival and exploration aspects. Moreover, it will feature an admirable share of combat encounters with creepy monsters, as well as a series of puzzles and other intricate tasks. Again, we can’t help but get early Resident Evil vibes from it — and we’re not even sad about that, either.

Taking note of the screenshots that SFB Games shared  earlier this week, we can safely say that players will also need to manage their inventory space, as well as unearth weapons and key items to progress deeper into the story. And if that sounds like a bit of a handful, then you’ll be pleased to know that there’ll also be an “Exploration Mode”—a feature that will let you roam each area without the risk of being attacked.

Development

In case you’re somewhat unfamiliar with the creator, SFP Games is a London-based independent studio that’s responsible for the likes of Snipperclips: Cut It Out, and Tangle Tower. Since its 2012 inception, the team has contributed to a mixture of genres, with the most notable being in the point-and-click category. You can check out the team’s portfolio in its entirety over on the official site here.

Trailer

If you’re looking for something with a little more meat on the bones, so to speak, then you’ll be pleased to know that SFB Games has already gone ahead and posted a rather nifty gameplay trailer on its site. You can catch a glimpse of the upcoming horror in the trailer embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Crow Country will be heading to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam at some stage in 2024. Can’t wait that long? Don’t sweat it — you can go ahead and download a pre-launch demo of Crow Country on both PlayStation 5 and PC via their respective store handles today.

Interested in staying up to date with Crow Country? If so, then be sure to check in with SFB Games’ official social feed for all the latest pre-launch updates here. If we catch wind of any new announcements, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be slipping into the pixelated world of Crow Country when it releases on consoles and PC? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.