The opening of Silent Hill 3 is one of the most frightening scenes in gaming history. It’s when Heather is lost inside the Lakeside Amusement Park, walking on the roller coaster track. You know something is coming – it’s that heavy, foreboding, oppressive weight of a bad dream. And when it’s played out again later in the game, it’s doubly frightening. Inspired by Konami’s groundbreaking psychological scarefest, and the classic, fixed-camera era of survival horror that brought us Resident Evil, this newly released indie feels like a new Silent Hill game, and you can even try it for free.
This is Crow Country, a new horror game by independent developer Adam Vian, under the studio label SFB Games. Directly inspired by Silent Hill 3, as well as old-school Resident Evil, and its many spiritual cousins like Parasite Eve and Cold Fear, the game follows Mara, who’s investigating the disappearance of the eponymous amusement park’s owner.
Once a thriving family attraction, Crow Country has become a twisted burlesque of camp and Americana, reminiscent of Konami’s rust-and-chain-link otherworld. Malfunctioning animatronics, seemingly sentient vending machines – it’d almost be funny, if it weren’t so frightening.
Crow Country’s combat and puzzles draw heavily from classic survival horror, but aesthetically it’s closer to more innocuous PS1 hits like Harvest Moon. It’s a striking clash – the horrifying and the banal – that helps accentuate the game’s over and undertones. Crow Country is out on Steam right now, but if you want to try before you buy, there’s also a free demo – just head right here. Similarly, PCGamesN recently spoke with Vian about the game’s inspirations, and its direct references to Silent Hill.
You might also want to try some of the best survival games, if you like horror with a more realistic edge, or maybe the best indie games if you want a change from the mainstream.
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