After years of radio silence that left backers wondering if the project was still alive, Crowsworn made a triumphant return at the November 20, 2025 Xbox Partner Preview. Canadian developer Mongoose Rodeo showcased new gameplay footage of their hand-drawn metroidvania while confirming the game will launch day one on Xbox Game Pass for console, PC, and cloud gaming whenever it finally releases. Originally funded through a massively successful Kickstarter campaign in July 2021 that raised over 1.2 million Canadian dollars from nearly 20,000 backers, Crowsworn blends Hollow Knight’s exploration with Devil May Cry’s stylish combat and Bloodborne’s gothic atmosphere as you explore the cursed realm of Fearanndal wielding a scythe, dual guns, and supernatural Corvian powers.
The Long Road Since Kickstarter
Crowsworn’s Kickstarter campaign launched in July 2021 with a base goal that was crushed in under three hours. The final tally reached CA 1,258,068 from 19,600 backers, demonstrating enormous enthusiasm for Mongoose Rodeo’s vision of a gothic metroidvania mixing multiple gameplay inspirations. The campaign promised a dark world inhabited by men and monsters with tight platforming, fluid combat, and interconnected exploration reminiscent of genre classics.
Development progressed quietly after the campaign’s success, with Mongoose Rodeo providing exclusive updates to Kickstarter backers every few months. However, public information remained scarce, creating concern among the wider gaming community that the project might be suffering from the dreaded Kickstarter curse where crowdfunded games either disappear entirely or launch years late in compromised states.
In August 2023, the developers announced a delay, pushing the release window back without committing to a new specific date. This delay followed a pattern familiar to anyone who’s backed indie Kickstarters, where initial optimistic timelines collide with the realities of game development once actual production begins. Since that delay announcement, no new release date has been publicly confirmed.
Today’s Xbox Partner Preview appearance represents what IGN called the game’s most substantial public showing in quite some time. For non-backers who haven’t seen the exclusive updates, this trailer provided the first real evidence in over two years that Crowsworn is actively progressing toward completion rather than languishing in development hell.
The Gameplay Blend
Crowsworn’s hook involves combining influences from multiple beloved games into one cohesive experience. The Hollow Knight comparisons are inevitable and intentional, as both feature hand-drawn 2D art, interconnected metroidvania world design, challenging combat, and mysterious narratives delivered in cryptic souls-like fashion. However, Crowsworn differentiates itself through more aggressive, combo-focused combat that emphasizes offense over Hollow Knight’s precision-based defensive play.
The Devil May Cry influence manifests in stylish combat with over-the-top exhilarating combos. Your plague doctor protagonist wields a scythe for melee combat alongside dual guns for ranged attacks, creating DMC-style gameplay loops where chaining together different moves builds style points and momentum. This offensive focus creates faster-paced encounters compared to the methodical combat of typical metroidvanias.
Corvian powers introduce supernatural abilities fueled by Malice energy. These magical attacks provide additional combat options beyond basic scythe swings and gunshots, functioning similarly to spells or special moves in other action games. Malice recharges through successful melee attacks with the scythe, encouraging aggressive play that alternates between building meter through close-range combat and spending it on devastating powers.
The Bloodborne aesthetic shines through gothic horror environments filled with grotesque creatures and corrupted architecture. The hand-drawn art style renders this dark fantasy universe with cute-but-intimidating character designs that balance charm with menace. The world of Fearanndal feels simultaneously beautiful and oppressive, inviting exploration while suggesting terrible things lurk around every corner.
Scale and Content
Mongoose Rodeo promises substantial content to justify the metroidvania label. The game features more than 120 unique enemies spread throughout Fearanndal’s interconnected regions. This enemy variety creates mechanical diversity requiring different tactical approaches rather than palette-swapped versions of the same few threats repeated endlessly.
Over 30 unique boss encounters punctuate the journey, testing mastery of the combat system through multi-phase fights with distinct attack patterns. Boss rush mode lets players replay these encounters for practice or challenge, a feature appreciated by speedrunners and completionists who enjoy perfecting boss strategies.
Over a dozen unique side quests provide opportunities to deep-dive into the lore for players interested in understanding Fearanndal’s history and the origins of the curse plaguing the kingdom. These optional objectives reward thorough exploration beyond critical path progression, fleshing out the world through environmental storytelling and NPC interactions.
The interconnected world design follows classic metroidvania structure where new abilities unlock previously inaccessible areas. Early zones contain paths you can’t traverse until obtaining specific powers or upgrades discovered in later regions, encouraging backtracking and rewarding memory of blocked passages encountered hours earlier.
The Rune System
Character customization occurs through an interconnected rune system allowing personalized configurations. While details remain sparse, this suggests something similar to Hollow Knight’s charm system where equipping different combinations of passive abilities creates distinct builds emphasizing different playstyles.
The description of an interconnected system allowing wide arrays of configurations implies synergies between certain runes that create multiplicative effects. Smart players will discover powerful combinations that complement their preferred combat approach, whether focusing on aggressive melee damage, ranged gunplay, Corvian power spam, or defensive survivability.
This customization adds replay value by encouraging multiple playthroughs experimenting with different rune loadouts. Speedrunners will optimize for movement abilities and damage output, while casual players might prioritize defensive options that forgive mistakes.
Technical Presentation
The hand-drawn 2D high-frame-count traditional animation style creates fluid movement that distinguishes Crowsworn from pixel art metroidvanias. Every enemy, boss, and environmental element receives individual frame-by-frame animation rather than relying on sprite manipulation or skeletal rigging. This labor-intensive approach produces gorgeous results but explains why development takes longer than games using more efficient animation techniques.
Composer J.J. Ipsen created an original soundtrack described as badass, suggesting atmospheric tracks that complement the gothic horror setting while ramping up during intense combat encounters. Music in metroidvanias plays crucial roles establishing mood and location identity, with memorable themes becoming inseparable from the overall experience.
The developers emphasize spandex-tight controls, gaming industry slang for extremely responsive input where character actions happen instantly without noticeable lag between button press and on-screen response. This precision proves essential for platforming challenges and combat that requires split-second dodges or parries.
Platform Availability
Crowsworn launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store. The simultaneous multi-platform release ensures nobody gets left behind waiting for ports. Including Switch demonstrates confidence that the hand-drawn art style and 2D gameplay can scale down to handheld hardware without significant compromises.
Xbox Game Pass day one availability provides enormous value for subscribers while guaranteeing Mongoose Rodeo revenue regardless of direct sales performance. This arrangement reduces commercial risk, allowing the small indie team to focus on quality rather than worrying whether launch week sales will determine the studio’s survival.
No release date was announced during the Xbox Partner Preview. Given the August 2023 delay and lack of specific timeline since then, predicting when Crowsworn actually launches becomes pure speculation. Optimistically, sometime in 2026 seems possible if development has progressed smoothly. Pessimistically, it could slip into 2027 or beyond if the team encounters additional hurdles.
The Hollow Knight Silksong Comparison
Both IGN and community discussion referenced Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry’s long-awaited sequel that’s become infamous for years of silence and uncertain release status. The comparison cuts both ways. On one hand, Crowsworn filling the void left by Silksong’s absence creates opportunity for Mongoose Rodeo to capture hungry metroidvania fans desperate for anything resembling Hollow Knight’s magic.
On the other hand, comparisons to one of the most acclaimed indie games ever made sets brutal expectations. Hollow Knight achieved near-perfect critical consensus and cult classic status through exceptional execution across every aspect: combat feel, exploration flow, boss design, atmosphere, music, and value proposition. Crowsworn will inevitably be measured against that standard regardless of whether that’s fair.
The key question becomes whether Crowsworn can establish its own identity beyond simply being Hollow Knight with DMC combat. The plague doctor protagonist, dual-wielding guns alongside melee scythe, Corvian powers fueled by aggression, and the specific blend of gothic horror aesthetic create distinctions. Whether those differences feel substantive or superficial depends on execution nobody outside the development team has experienced yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Crowsworn release?
No release date has been announced. The game was delayed in August 2023 and hasn’t received a new specific timeline since then. It’s coming to Xbox Game Pass day one whenever it launches.
Who is developing Crowsworn?
Canadian indie studio Mongoose Rodeo is developing Crowsworn. The game was funded through Kickstarter in July 2021, raising over 1.2 million Canadian dollars from nearly 20,000 backers.
What platforms is Crowsworn coming to?
Crowsworn launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store. It will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass for console, PC, and cloud gaming.
What type of game is Crowsworn?
Crowsworn is a 2D metroidvania with hand-drawn animation, combining Hollow Knight-style exploration with Devil May Cry-inspired stylish combat and Bloodborne’s gothic atmosphere.
How many bosses does Crowsworn have?
The game features more than 30 unique boss encounters, over 120 unique enemies, and an interconnected world with multiple regions to explore.
Is Crowsworn similar to Hollow Knight?
Yes, Crowsworn draws heavy inspiration from Hollow Knight’s metroidvania structure, hand-drawn art style, and mysterious narrative delivery. However, it emphasizes more aggressive DMC-style combo combat rather than Hollow Knight’s precision-based defensive gameplay.
Can I still back Crowsworn on Kickstarter?
No, the Kickstarter campaign ended in July 2021. The game can be wishlisted on Steam and will be available for purchase or through Xbox Game Pass when it launches.
Conclusion
Crowsworn’s reemergence after years of public silence reassured backers and genre fans that Mongoose Rodeo remains committed to delivering their ambitious metroidvania vision. The Xbox Game Pass confirmation ensures broad accessibility while reducing financial pressure that could compromise quality. Whether the game lives up to the Hollow Knight comparisons it invited or carves out its own identity through stylish combat and gothic horror atmosphere remains to be seen. For the nearly 20,000 Kickstarter backers who invested four years ago, today’s trailer represents hope that their faith wasn’t misplaced. For everyone else discovering Crowsworn for the first time, it’s another metroidvania to add to the ever-growing wishlist while waiting for Silksong to materialize from the void.