Crowsworn Demo impressions — Darkness and mystery

Crowsworn, an upcoming indie game developed by Canadian developer Mongoose Rodeo, has caught my attention since its early Kickstarter days with its intriguing blend of elements reminiscent of Hollow Knight and Bloodborne. I wasn’t able to attend GDC in person this year to try out their latest demo, but the developers were kind enough to offer a chance to experience it at home via Steam instead! This grim fantasy action Metroidvania is shaping up to be an absolute treat thanks to its beautiful art style, satisfying combat, and challenging gameplay.

The first thing that makes this title stand out is its impeccable aesthetics that are dripping with style. It’s loud and clear that the hand-drawn visuals are inspired by a combination of Hollow Knight and Bloodborne, with detailed animations that deliver even crisper gameplay. In fact, Team Cherry (the masterminds behind Hollow Knight) have already given their blessing on Crowsworn! Where’s Silksong by the way? The Victorian-era architecture and clothing evoke a moody atmosphere, drawing players into a dark and mysterious world. Additionally, the sound design is just as impressive, with weapon attacks that feel meaty and haunting melodic tunes that fit the Gothic mood of the game perfectly. I’m a sucker for cosmic horror, so this is right up my alley!

Just from the demo alone, not much can be deciphered about the narrative of the game. You play as a plague doctor wielding a deadly scythe and later on akimbo pistols, searching for the root of the curse that has befallen the once vibrant kingdom of Fearanndal. Knowing that this draws inspiration from FromSoft titles, I expect the story in the full game to be abstract, too. Given the Metroidvania nature of the game, you gain new traversal abilities as you progress, such as the Iron Talons to hop on walls and later on an air dash.

There’re a ton of exploration and non-linear paths to go down to explore, as this world is teeming with secrets waiting to be discovered. One interesting and refreshing mechanic I noticed is the inclusion of quick time events when it comes to opening chests, which can set you up for ambushes if you take too long. However, in the demo, I noticed that even if you time it perfectly, you’ll still get hit by the ambushing mobs. You might also stumble upon interesting characters (like Bernard) along your journey, who can sell you useful wares or thrust you into an interesting side narrative.

Combat feels very similar to Hollow Knight with a splash of Devil May Cry. It’s a straightforward yet precise hack and slash affair with a slight emphasis on pulling off flashy combos. For a demo, it feels impressively crunchy and satisfying. There’s great visual feedback from hitting enemies or getting hit, but sometimes there’s a bit too much visual flair on the screen that can obscure your overall vision. The controls are tight and responsive, despite the initial key bindings on PC taking some time to get used to. You use the directional keys to move, spacebar to jump, Z to dodge, F for Corvian abilities, C to shoot, A to heal, and X to attack. Hopefully there is full controller support in the future. It’s great to see directional attacks be a thing here, allowing you to attack up, down, left, and right.

Dying drops animus, which are the equivalent to the souls from Dark Souls, and there’s this specific witch-like lady that acts as bonfire checkpoints. I believe the developers have stated this mechanic will be changed in the full game, as they don’t want you backtracking to find your lost souls. You actually can’t even pick up your dropped animus in the demo because once you die, they’re lost permanently. Attacking enemies fills up a meter that can be used to refill your potion flask, sort of similar to the rally mechanic in Bloodborne. It’s also refreshing to see enemies actually dodge or react to you rather than mindlessly run at you when they notice you.

Progression comes in the form of grafting, which acts as equipment and gear in this game. You’ll come across artifacts that provide special effects such as dealing more damage based on health lost or gaining more animus. There’s an entire weight-based system here too, so you can’t equip everything. You also gain access to Corvian abilities, such as the Corvian Slam, which are the magic system of this game. The demo didn’t feature that many, but I’m sure there will be tons more to discover in the full release. There’s going to be an entire skill tree that you can unlock nodes in called constellations as well.

It doesn’t take too long to finish the demo, as it can be completed in a few hours depending on your skill level and how much you choose to explore. This particular build of the game was created for Kickstarter backers and the levels and scenarios won’t be in the final product. Aside from the main demo itself, there’s also a special boss challenge mode that thrusts you immediately into an extremely difficult battle with no hand holding. 

Crowsworn is tough. Real tough. The boss battles, especially the final boss in the demo, are incredibly hard, and borderline on being unfair even. It requires near perfection when it comes to evading not only the boss’s attacks, but the adds they summon as well. The difficulty curve grows exponentially by the time you hit the end of the demo. Obviously this is not a released final product, and I expect more balance in the full game when it releases. I would also hope to see more accessibility features added in the full release, such as variable difficulty settings. Just like Hollow Knight, there’s no visual health indicator of an enemy, so you’ll never know if you’re close to winning.

I got to say, I was thoroughly impressed with how polished the Crowsworn demo was, with the combat feeling extremely solid and the controls being tight and responsive. If this is indicative at all of what we can expect from the full release of the game, then I’m very confident in the final product. There’s no definitive release date yet for Crowsworn, but hopefully we can expect Mongoose Rodeo to launch it sometime in 2024. I can’t wait to set foot back in Fearanndal!