1 
0 What do you call a group of crows? A murder! Which is very apt as this game has murdered my free time.
Just Crow Things is an action adventure sandbox game developed by Unbound Creations. The same developers responsible for the wonderful stress relieving game called Rain On Your Parade. Before playing I was already impressed by the fact I would be playing as a tool wielding crow. Although it really helps me sleep at night that crows in real life can’t do all that this game character can!
This review was written by a living breathing crow named Noir.
Gameplay
Just Crow Things has you playing as a crow (who I named Tenebrae). Your Crow Grandma has decided you’re old enough to venture the world and make our own nest. Before fully pushing us out of the nest Grandma gifts us a family heirloom: a pair of sunglasses. Of course we don’t get to keep them for very long. As we set off on our coming of age adventure we get confronted by a murder of crows. These crows think they’re the coolest things since winter, and despite the sunglasses being a family heirloom, they declare we are too uncool for them and steal them. It truly is a bad day.
This leads us to the story element of Just Crow Things. As we go from town to town looking for those pesky crows and get back our sunglasses. Along the way we meet a few animals, each needing our help and because we’re that kind of crow we do just that. The game is formulaic in that this is a regular of the game, but it doesn’t detract from the fun. Although I do need to have a serious talk to Mama Squirrel about how she keeps losing her four kids at every location! The flying mechanic is the star of this game. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to dive bomb on target and then taking the item from them. All whilst not losing my flying momentum.
Graphics & Audio
With its simplistic shapes and vibrant colours, this game looks amazing on both PC and on the Steam Deck. I didn’t lose anything when playing on either device. The framerate was smooth as butter. I do hope Just Crow Things gets to be Steam Deck Verified soon because I truly believe it is ready for it. There were the occasional clipping through objects, mostly due to objects pushing against me into those walls.
There are so many visual gifts within this game. For example when flaming poop lands on a target. Or the physics of someone being blown up. The characters you meet and interact with along your adventure are fun too. With their designs ranging from outright adorable to “what have my eyeballs just seen?! I do have a couple of concerns about some characters though. Such as the table with eyes…oh and Pit!
Now let’s talk about the sound and audio effects. I would love to know what they used to make the sounds. From the flapping of the wings to the animal noises. From the hoomans screaming to the sound of poop! Seriously, did they grab a whoopie cushion, blow air into their hand, or was it all just very impressive mouth noises? There is no doubt in my mind, the audio team had a lot of fun whilst recording these!
Longevity
Just Crow Things isn’t a long game. You can beat each level in about 10-15 minutes depending on if you undertake all everyone’s side quests and don’t compete in the races. The real crazy fun begins once you’ve visited each area and gotten your sunglasses back. Think of the story aspect as the entrée. Whilst going back to cause more chaos is your main. And if causing chaos isn’t your thing, don’t worry there are other reasons to revisit the game. Such as going back to unlock certain hats or skins for your crow. I’ll admit once I finished with the main story, I mostly caused terror in my ghost skin and Kitsune mask. Saying that, game’s the flying mechanic is what really keeps me coming back!
Final Thoughts
Just Crows Things has been a breath of fresh air and a great addition to my “turn off brain” list of games. You can simply enjoy flying through the sky. Or live your best chaos crow life by dropping items or flaming poops on anything and anyone. The only thing the game made me wish for, was more of it. Some co-op options to make crow chaos alongside friends would be amazing too. I would recommend anyone to play this amazing game.
I am awarding Just Crow Things the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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