2024 Game of the Year: Crow Country

 This is actually a tough thing to write. Not because I have nothing else to say, but because I already wrote something on Crow Country. I had a really great time when I was playing it, and out of the new releases that I got a hold of, it was simply the best. A well-made game that was paced properly. There is never a time in Crow Country where I felt like it dragged, or I was wasting my time. I especially appreciate games, like Crow Country, that know how long the player will be engaged with the game, and when it starts to overstay it's welcome. 

Not to mention, the old-school PS1 style was nailed extremely well. From the atmosphere to the overall sound design. This is more noticeable when you go back and play older titles from this era. Like the Resident Evils, Silent Hill, Parasite Eves, and so on. And then you factor in games that try to emulate that experience. Realistically, there aren't many other games that can do this. I mean, the only one that comes to mind is Alisa. A game developed by Casper Croes that plays off the Alice in Wonderland story from Lewis Carroll.

What Alisa did well in a different manner from Crow Country, was the style. While Crow Country was marrying Final Fantasy VII with Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Alisa was combining Resident Evil with Alice in Wonderland. And that resulted in one of the best RE clones. The execution is all there. It plays like RE, but it has all of the charm that goes into an Alice adaptation. Definitely my second favorite game that I played this year. 

So, along with Alisa, Crow Country was one of those special experiences that made me happy to support Horror Devs. I just feel like I get to see some of the most creative game and art design when I pick up a new Horror title. I can see it in Bloober Team's Silent Hill 2 Remake. I can see it in Bokeh Game Studio's Slitterhead. Like, it almost makes me wish that every big studio would let their teams make a Horror game. They're not easy to nail, but it is so invigorating when it works. 

Look at Fromsoftware. They developed the Echo Night franchise, Kuon, and Bloodborne as there Horror standouts. And even in Elden Ring you can see some grotesque body horror that is not normal for the fantasy genre. That's where my mind goes when I think about how Horror has been so consistent in making all sorts of media better. 

Crow Country showed up and balled out. And while there were so many amazing games that came out this year. I felt that Crow Country went above and beyond for me. Writing about it again just reminds me that I want more. 

The music from Ockeroid completely nails that late 1980s, early 1990s Horror aesthetic. I watch a lot of Horror movies from the 1980s, and this score would fit in perfectly. Obviously, the same goes for the other artistic aspects. The influence is clearly there, and it enhances the ideas put forth.  Now, I just gotta find time to complete the Hard Mode for this game, and hope for more Crow Country. 

Thank you to SFB Games and Ockeroid for putting together a superb Horror package that should be on everyone's wishlist and rotation. So, if you want to know more of my thoughts on this game, then go read the blog where I talk more about it. It was done back in May. That's all for me folks, see you next year. 

And remember to Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, Free Venezuela and to Free Lebanon from the onslaught of their oppressors. Never stop talking about them. They think that we don't care, but we see everything. Never forget that. They are trying to suppress our voices because they matter, remember that.