The Crowd Download

• Developer: Experimental Gameplay
• Genre: Simulation
• Works On: Windows 95-98, Windows XP

Reviews

Gohst
This is a twisted little game, which is more like a project than a game. You play as some sort of god and you single out people and assign them some emotion. This emotion affects the emotions of people around him or her. And you get to see the interaction of these people based on who has what emotion.
The game is in stark black and white which gives it a very bizarre quality when matched with the music, as explained below. What is nice is when you select a person you go right up to them and the people nearby form a circle around him as if awaiting his fate and deciding how to act them selves.
The music is choral and seems to be sung by the people you are controlling. They move their mouths in time with the music and as they stare at you it really gives a very eerie quality to the game. They have no control over how they act so they do nothing but sing. It’s weird.
The game play is nice, however off putting it is, and seeing the interactions of the people in love vs the people who hate each other is very interesting but it’s just way too creepy to play for long.
Over all it’s quite a superb game, which will intrigue the curious ones among you and possibly frighten the younger gamers out there. This game is very different and very far outside of ‘the box’ so, you have been warned.
Anonymous
As stated by other reviewers, The Crowd is more of a unique and paralyzing experiment than it is a game. Kyle Gabler, co-developer of TC has more recently released title called World of Goo, which is available for both WiiWare and PC. That game is superb, and the WiiWare version is the absolute best on the service and stands up to even the best Wii retail games. Keep in mind this isn't one of Kyle's masterpieces, as he didn't make it to be, but what he does give us is a mesmerizing social "sand box."
Gameplay (9.0): Click on a member of the crowd. Choose Option 1. advocate Love: Have the person begin to sing a strange and haunting tune, and other people will start to join in. Effects: Puts out Fire, Creeps you out... Option 2. advocate Security: Give the subject a gun that will periodically fire. Effects: Protects that singular member from Fire, Looks threatening... Option 3. advocate Violence: Set your best friend's head on fire. Effects: The person walks around and sets other people aflame, Pleases sadists...
Everything else (5.5): Audio is scary and okay, Graphics are good from an aesthetic view-point, lame otherwise, and Overall presentation is kind of sloppy.
Overall Rating: 8.1 Entertaining toy with a few blips.
(It is FREE, so get it.)
-WoG Guy
MadSickHowitzer
This isn't really a game so much as it is a toy, almost a social experiment. You have a large group of people and toy with their emotions, seeing which ones prevail over which. It's almost allegorical in its presentation of humanity.
The graphics and sounds are definitely intended to creep you out. If you're not into highly stylized, creepy graphics then do not download this at all. If you're okay with getting outside of your comfort zone, then you will be in for a visual and audial treat. But brace yourself, because this game will upset your emotional mettle and maybe even shake your views on emotionality. The creepiness factor of The Crowd's presentation is that effective.
And remember something very important: this is far less game then it is art.
The song, for all those wondering, is the choir version of Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.
I give this an eight. The replay value is very shallow, but the initial experience is VERY worth the download. It is catharsis in 7 megabytes. Play it, share it, and open your mind.
TheAwesomeMan
Overview: Well, first of all, it's creepy. Real creepy. The strange, wide-eye people just keep staring at you. Staring right in the face of YOU. As if that isn't unnerving enough, the people sing a strange kind of monk chant. It's so disturbing, that, even with the sound off, you still get an eerie feeling that... YOU'RE BEING WATCHED.
The graphics: (5/10) The graphics in this game are terribly creepy. Everything is in Black And White. The hand that holds the card also adds to the freakiness of this game.
The sound: (3/10) Sound? You'll be hearing that "monk chant" throughout the whole game. Annoying and scary.
The gameplay: (5/10) Actually, there isn't really much to write here, as this isn't much of a game. It's a neat experiment, but prepare to get bored (or creeped out) after two minutes.
The plot: (0/10) As this is more of an experiment, there is no plot.
Overall: (2/10) This is no game. This is just scary. Play this for an hour and prepare to have sleepless nights for a LONG time.
Orange90
This game is good with its sound and its atmosphere and lighting and such, but its too creepy and to be honest it was not fun. I (sadly) was scared and felt possessed while playing it, it makes you feel like you and the people in that room are the only "things" alive and you are all possessed by a deamon. But all the creepy stuff aside, good game, I liked the... shell.
Cow'o'war
I feel kind of bad rating this game "average" because it is a very innovative idea and the audio and visuals are very well done and its also quite innovative in the way that they apply to the gameplay. Unfortunately the gameplay just seemed pointless and I couldn't bring myself to play it for very long.
SinnCrest
This "game" is an intriguing and quite disturbing experience (or experiment). While it is called "The Crowd", focusing in on one person really makes you feel a connection between those scary little pixels and you.
I agree with everything Gohst said - everyone should play around with this.