itch.io

I remember it being really neat... have you folks been working on a complete version? 

o shit, fr?

Uru is free and folks are making fanmade ages??? Guess I found my summer past-time!

Gotta say, this is class! The ages are all interesting, the puzzles are really neat, and the writing is pretty humurous! Wouldn't mind seeing some more Myst fangames and material with some more comedic journal entries like this! Finding all the secrets was pretty cool too, and looking at the rooms they were hidden in, even more so!

Ok, I finally fully played it, and I gotta say: you got a great little gem here! It's a simple game, has some quirks to it, like the password system, or the fact the only attack you can do in your base form uses up limited ammo... and I think these quirks contribute to this game's unique vibe! It's a game that does give the vibe of something you would've seen back in the 90s, maybe even a homebrew or a first game made by a starting company! 

That's best seen in things like the graphics, where all assets are either super simple or going for that pixelated realism, which couples well with Kekcroc's general look, a simple character design that tries to look 3D in the levels yet has cartoony outlines and movement; but above all, they're a mishmash of various styles and sprites, some even from different games. It brings that homebrew/rom hack vibe to it, and it has such a unique charm to it. 

The music also helps things, with all tracks being bangers, some being original and some from somewhere else. I really appreciate the addition of a sound test menu. Speaking of which, the Extras menu was also a really neat addition, including some prototype levels and everything! Even allowing you to change the title screen, just an extra layer of care put into this game really. 

Now onto gameplay, while it is simple, it's enjoyable, and the game ain't that long anyways. The really high jumps from springs can sometimes be a bit tough to land, but that honestly reminds me of old 90s game jank lol. I will say tho, the second level of the mountain stage has a part where you ride a lift across a huge gap, and I kinda wish there were more obstacles through the ride, some more blocks to jump over or enemies to hit/avoid, because much of it was just me standing there and wanting really. 

Also, the second level of the Croc Tower, I think there's a bug with one of the lifts, the leftmost I think, where it just... keeps riding upwards sometimes? And if we fall, there's no way to get back up. 

Anyways, back on track, the enemy variety was functionally and visually pretty decent too! They're also simple, but they pair well with Kekcroc's 1 hit kill nature, 2 if you find a power up that gives you limbs, making you faster and allowing you to attack with a plunger, which has short range and does the same damage as a single rock. It's pretty pitiful against bosses, but useful if you wanna preserve rocks when tackling regular enemies, except the Spinnies, who are immune to it. 

I also really appreciate two things: the fact Crocodollars actually work as currency to get lives, continues and rocks, it was a pretty good safety net early on; and the hidden bonus stages a-la S3&K's Special Stages. They're pretty challenging but fair, and I appreciate that the reward gets progressively greater the further ahead you go. In fact, I really appreciate the way you first reveal them to us on Reptile Island 1-2: by having one of the Klutzcroc enemies walk into the invisible wall, honestly pretty brilliant piece of level design! 

In terms of bosses, as far as 2D platformer bosses go, I'd say you actually got a pretty neat line up here! Redcroc was pretty simple but he's the first boss, so he's fine; the fourth boss might've been my favorite actually; and the final boss was a bit on the simple side, but it's a cool set piece nonetheless. Kinda wish he had some more direct attacks tho, some projectile or anything. The bosses of worlds 6 and 7 (maybe 4?) were noticeably sprites of enemies from other games, I actually recognized the one of world 6 (he was probably my least favorite boss too, its pattern was really simple, the world 7 boss was pretty cool tho). While the dissonance in art styles is consistent with the whole game, I would be lying if I said I didn't appreciate the unique-looking bosses a bit more 😅 but hey, they do make up the majority, so it's perfectly fine! Would've been cool to see the Toaster-Drone 3000 tho.

And... yeah! That's basically it! I was wondering if the game was gonna have any secret endings or if it had anything to do with any of the "creepier" parts of the copypasta, but I honestly appreciate the straightforwardness. It's a fun little game, and that's all I could ask for! Well done, all of you blokes did a great job here, this is where gaming will be peaking! 

Oh, btw, I think I fully cracked the password system, and now know what each number means, hehehe... tho passwords with the first number as 3 (meaning they'll have the boss level of that world unlocked) never work, and instead have me only with the second level unlocked. The password even starts with the number 2 instead of 3.

Yep, the game is still fun!... but man, these load times...

Aye, that would help a lot...

Ah, swell!

Oh thank goodness

While I haven't seen much yet, I can safely say this: after deliberately hopping into one of the secret areas at the start, it certainly doesn't seem to be exactly the same. There's actually something new here...

But yeah, we can't expect this to suddenly start playing like a Banjo Kazooie game or anything, as much as I'd love to see some collectathon elements fully realized here 😅

Say, does it support a PS4 Dualshock? I only see the buttons from the Xbox layout, so I'm a bit unsure here.

IT'S OUT!

...and on browser? Uh, odd move, but alright. It does prevent decompilations from prying schnozes, at least. I uh, I hope it's compatible with a PS4 controller actually... And goddammit, why is the text in this whole page so dark with a pitch black background, I can barely see what I'm writin-

YEEEEAH BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Yeah, I myself didn't think the voices were AI, but apparently more people are saying it, so I dunno. Also, my opinions on the image in this website being AI generated only to the older image they used. Marc55 down here actually posted it in one of his comments, he also agreed that at least the background was indeed AI.

Yeah, that's the thing, he really doesn't look like the kinda guy that would use AI, hence why I found it really freaking odd that it seemed like he did! Sorry for not replying to you quicker, I didn't have the image on me anyways, but regardless, I'm glad I wasn't crazy with my assumptions here, it really all came down to the background; and I'm even more glad that it was changed into a much better image with, well, actual art lol. Maybe it was just a temporary placeholder, which is understandable I s'ppose.

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from BUT WHO CARES, this is looking noice! Better than the previous image, that's fer sure, and we have a concrete date now!

Well, it's mostly the hills. I look at them, I see the trees/bushes on them.... and then I find so many weird seams and divisions, I'm not even sure what I'm looking at anymore. And then, because of that, other things start looking weird to me too, like the Crow's wing and bandages, and the clouds. 

Really? The voices didn't seem AI there...

...but are you talking about the promotional video about the plushies?

What's the name of the video exactly? And on what channel? Just wanna make sure I hear it too, and that I'm not thinking about the wrong video.

There's a new video? And they also use an AI voice in there too? Ok, I mean... why? I'm not gonna be the one to say how easy or hard it is to find a VA or ask someone to do some art for a project, since I never did that... but the guys behind Catastrophe Crow must have some sort of resources, right? Unless it's some meta thing related to the plot, I really don't see the reason to use AI in promotional material. If anything, it's gonna hurt the project even more.

Man, this is taking a while...

Say, is this game compatible with controllers?

I'm honestly really excited to hear about this! In fact, I'm excited to hear back from you in general!

Oh my God! I played this during quarantine! So it's actually gonna become a lot bigger?? Hell yeah!

Say, I'm curious... with the west side of Rosswood Park being teased to be even more dangerous, do you think we can expect a sequel?

Oh wow... oh wait, the image is AI generated. I swear, I didn't notice at first... mostly cus you don't expect these sorta projects to rely on mid practices like that.

Edit: BUH!!! The image is new! Only now I noticed it! It used to be this really simple image of the Crow with the hills and sky behind... but now it's beautiful! Holy heck, forget what I said, it was not about this here current image!

Ok, so... for some reason, my Z key is the left Alt, and my X key is the X, C, V, B and N keys. And the Number Pad 0 key. Haven't found the arrow keys yet

Hey, uh, I tried to play the game right now, and... none of the keys work. I can't choose anything on the main menu, or select... nothing. On the title screen, all I can do is toggle the fullscreen. Any idea what may be the issue?

Uh... my arrow keys simply don't work. Like, nothing works, I can't select an option or anything. All I can do is toggle fullscreen. Anyone knows what's the problem?

It's weird I didn't comment anything here yet... I've played the game a few months ago, and I loved it. It was a really enjoyable ride that felt like one last field trip to that one place you've always wanted to visit... that is gonna be closed forever the next day. So you feel like you gotta make the most of it. Some areas felt like their own cities, towns and communities, they really made the place feel lived in, and it was also really good to see the other cat friends on most areas you visited, it really nails the feel of a field trip. I really enjoyed it! 

Superfly! I can't wait to see what you folks'll have in store for the game! 

As far as I can tell, that chest doesn't do anything.

Sadly, the only thing that seems to work is if you restart the game and push these switches on your first visit. It's kinda annoying, but it ain't too bad.

Personally, I just wished we kept our companions when we reach the main ending. They gave some life to the world, they were like, our roomies, y'know?

I still think the way this trilogy of games is linked is absolutely clever. Remarkable job!

Well, if you fall off of the Labyrinth and land on the lakes down below, you'll find a door that leads to a place called... the Sunken Court or Drowned Court, something like that. It seems to be an area where many masked homunculi live, they even have many popes to worship, and in one of the last rooms, you can find it, past the area with the craddle. At least, that's how I think it was called - I didn't get to fight it when I opened its sarchophagus, as I was thrusted out of bounds immediatly. Sadly, you can't repeat the fight either, so I hope I didn't miss any crazy items or so.

Ok, so... how exactly do you get into that Waters Below area legitimately? I was pushed outside the map when I was about to fight the First Homunculus I think, and I then landed there.

I've been playing the game, and... wow. It's been really fun so far! Visited many places, did a lot, it's been a really fun and weird and sometimes disturbing time! Even tho I never played Crypt Worlds, which folks say is easier to get into, I honestly thought it was pretty smooth goin'! 

Also, uh, something I just wanted to check up... where did you get the audio for the Cowboys and Archeologists? I'm just asking 'cus, I could be wrong, but... it's literally a sentence in my home language! It's Portuguese, maybe with some accent from the south, Alentejo maybe! "Nunca mais vem... solinho", it's this, right?

Man, this truly is the game of all time. But in all honesty, it's very fascinating! A lotta weird stuff, weird items that don't seem particularly useful, at least to someone who doesn't know the game's mechanics inside out, and there doesn't seem to be a particular objective... but I'm very ok with that! It's kinda fun to just see how far I can go without dying or screwing myself over, experimenting with the resources and tools you can find around!

Oh, so the game used to have the battery mechanic from the original? Well, to be fair, what kinda flashlight runs out on a few hours (or less) of a single night?

Hey, I played a bit of your game a while ago! Love the art, every location I've visited so far is very unique, and I found it to be a rather vast network of multiple links to other worlds! Usually one world leads to one or two more, but the Pumpkin Village had a lotta passageways! Very neat stuff!

I have yet to play much more of the game, it's like folks usually say, "so much to do, so much to see", but I'll be sure to check it all out! I dunno if you're planning on adding more content or an ending or so, but either way, fantastic job so far!