Crusty Proto is an enigmatic and incomplete game, unearthed from a collection of CDs bought at a garage sale. With a build date estimated around 1997, it serves as a haunting relic of its era. The game is an ambitious attempt to replicate the survival horror magic of Resident Evil, which was dominating the gaming world at the time. However, due to its unfinished state and various technical flaws, Crusty Proto feels more like a glimpse into a "what could have been" scenario than a polished experience.
Set in a mysterious, ominous environment, the game thrusts players into a survival horror adventure plagued by glitches, incomplete textures, and erratic gameplay. Its retro graphics and clunky mechanics transport players to the early days of 3D gaming, where bold ideas sometimes clashed with technological limitations.
Though unfinished, Crusty Proto offers an intriguing look at a developer’s struggle to capture the essence of fear and tension in a pre-millennium gaming landscape.
(These controls may align with other controllers but are unoptimized.)
While it may not be a fully realized game, Crusty Proto is a fascinating dive into gaming history and a testament to the ambitions and limitations of the 1990s development scene. For fans of retro gaming and curious explorers of unfinished projects, it’s a unique experience that sparks both intrigue and nostalgia.