Mongoose Rodeo has been trying to get its game Crowsworn funded through Kickstarter. Since the Hollow Knight-inspired game reached its goal only a few hours after the funding started, Mongoose Rodeo has been updating the Kickstarter page to include more goals with additional content. Because of the success of Crownsworn on Kickstarter, it seems like the release of this metroidvania has a lot of potential.
Even though the game is far from being finished, its trailer sparked conversation as fans could not help but notice that Crowsworn resembles Team Cherry's Hollow Knight. Some of the similarities include its health bar style, the animation for when foes take damage, the movement of some enemies, and more. However, the game has its own unique features.
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Crowsworn follows a mysterious crow-like protagonist with a Van Helsing vibe. The game starts as the main character is awoken from their grave and has to travel through Angsthel, a town in the world of Fearanndal. The main goal seems to be finding out why the protagonist was buried in an unnamed tomb, and to unravel mysteries surrounding the town's curse.
From what Mongoose Rodeo has revealed so far, it seems like Crowsworn will have a magical tone. The game will also have an undead theme in its narrative, although the specifics are yet to be revealed. In that sense, even though Hollow Knight's influence on Crowsworn is one of the first things some might notice, the story takes a completely different direction, setting it apart from Team Cherry's metroidvania.
Crowsworn also seems to rely more heavily on RPG elements. The game will use a system of constellations that resemble Ori's skill trees in that they can be used to enhance some aspects of the main character's abilities and weapon. Runes, on the other hand, are divided into three categories: spirit, blood, and flesh. Runes seem to work more similarly to Hollow Knight's charms that can modify the protagonist's abilities.
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One of the key elements of metroidvania games is the acquisition of new abilities that allows players to go back to parts of the map that were previously inaccessible. Crowsworn will also have this going-back dynamic that will encourage players to explore thoroughly. Still, Crowsworn sets itself apart from other games in the genre by including a more complex battle style for its main character.
So far, Mongoose Rodeo has revealed that the main character will be equipped with three different kinds of weapon to fight foes: a scythe, pistols, and Corvian magic. This already gives away plenty of information about what to expect from the game. For one, it seems like Crowsworn will include more than a close combat style like Hollow Knight, as it seems the only weapon that needs to be used in a near range is the scythe. Pistols will expand the main character's range and allow players to fight foes from a longer distance.
What seems to allow for a wider range of combat abilities is the Corvian magic. According to the details shared on Kickstarter, the dark magic powers that the main character will be able to use work both for close and long range attacks. The Corvian magic is allegedly more powerful than the scythe and the pistol, but it is more limited as it needs Malice to work. In a way, Malice also seems to resemble Hollow Knight's soul system, since Malice can be obtained by hitting enemies and used for other attacks.
Crowsworn has no official release date, but the game is aiming for a late 2023 launch.
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