Overall a great point and click adventure, but it does feel a bit tedious at the end as it devolves into all puzzles and little narrative. The puzzles in the game are pretty straight-forward, nothing ground-breaking, but the focus of the game was mostly on the narrative, which is engaging and elevated by some wonderful voice acting.
There is only one ending for the game, which was fine for me as the gameplay did not make it seem like it would be a multiple endings/choices matter game. I didn't love the conclusion of the story, but overall it made sense and maintained a consistent tone with the prior story.
There is only one ending for the game, which was fine for me as the gameplay did not make it seem like it would be a multiple endings/choices matter game. I didn't love the conclusion of the story, but overall it made sense and maintained a consistent tone with the prior story.
Completed with 100% of achievements unlocked. While here they're publishing rather than the developer, with The Excavation of Hob's Barrow, Wadjet Eye proves once again that they're the go-to for modern point-and-click adventures. Crucial for the genre, the game's story has a well-written, slow-burning horror-based plot with well-realised characters and excellent voice-acting. It should also be said that the game's eventual conclusion becomes very telegraphed in the later stages, which does feel a bit forced as you play out events that are obviously going to turn out badly, with none of the narrative choice that's now a feature of many games in the genre. Of course, the use of puzzles to gate progress mean that it can feel a little too slow at times - those puzzle are typically well-judged and logical, but there are still a handful where I'm glad to have referred to external hints.
Excellent game - it does an excellent job of keeping you intrigued while gradually increasing the sense that something is horribly wrong. The quality of puzzles is good for the most part, the voice acting is good. One of my top point & click adventure games.
Classic point and click adventure combined with cosmic horror. What a great experience and absolutely fantastic voice acting and creepy atmosphere.
I love all these retro-style point ‘n’ click adventures that keep popping up everywhere recently, it feels like re-living my childhood with them. I’ve had my eye on this one for a while, too, and luckily, I wasn’t disappointed at all.
You play as a young brunette who comes from a privileged British family, and decides to follow in her father’s footsteps to become a famous archaeologist, but meets unexpected horrors that she needs to overcome. No, no, her name is not Lara Croft, and believe me, this is where all the similarities with the Tomb Raider franchise end! Instead of fighting your way through countless enemies, you need to solve puzzles – and let me tell you, some of them will be quite challenging even for adventure game veterans (I should know, I consider myself one).
I loved the beautiful pixel art graphics, the music, the voice acting… so everything, basically. Of course, probably the most important element of this genre is the story, but I wouldn’t want to give too much away about it, so let’s just say that, in my opinion, they’ve managed to create the perfect balance of humour, drama, mystery and horror with a spot-on atmosphere to boot. My only complaint is that they leave us with too many loose ends (or they weren’t loose at all, maybe I just didn’t pay close attention, I’m not sure), so I would really love a sequel where we get at least some of the answers. And it wouldn’t hurt to make that one a bit longer, either.
Anyway, highly recommended for adventure fans!
You play as a young brunette who comes from a privileged British family, and decides to follow in her father’s footsteps to become a famous archaeologist, but meets unexpected horrors that she needs to overcome. No, no, her name is not Lara Croft, and believe me, this is where all the similarities with the Tomb Raider franchise end! Instead of fighting your way through countless enemies, you need to solve puzzles – and let me tell you, some of them will be quite challenging even for adventure game veterans (I should know, I consider myself one).
I loved the beautiful pixel art graphics, the music, the voice acting… so everything, basically. Of course, probably the most important element of this genre is the story, but I wouldn’t want to give too much away about it, so let’s just say that, in my opinion, they’ve managed to create the perfect balance of humour, drama, mystery and horror with a spot-on atmosphere to boot. My only complaint is that they leave us with too many loose ends (or they weren’t loose at all, maybe I just didn’t pay close attention, I’m not sure), so I would really love a sequel where we get at least some of the answers. And it wouldn’t hurt to make that one a bit longer, either.
Anyway, highly recommended for adventure fans!
6/10
This review contains spoilers
I heard somewhere someone describing this game's ending as depressing. I would say it's less depressing and more completely goddamn insane. Very similar to Hereditary.
This review contains spoilers
Extremely good, though I didn’t love the final act. Rural Britain was much more interesting that the ancient ruins.
A fantastic little puzzle game. Beautiful pixel art and fantastic voice cast. Lots to uncover and explore.
Would've liked it to be a little bit longer, just because I thought the ending was a bit sudden and left me with a few questions. But I enjoyed the story a lot. Reading the synopsis before I played the game it ticked all the boxes for what I want in a horror story
Would've liked it to be a little bit longer, just because I thought the ending was a bit sudden and left me with a few questions. But I enjoyed the story a lot. Reading the synopsis before I played the game it ticked all the boxes for what I want in a horror story
I didn't realize Wadjet Eye was producing this until it released yesterday. Despite knowing nothing about Cloak and Dagger Games, I picked it up immediately and put the other games I was playing on hold. That was, of course, the correct choice.
I wanted to write a well-crafted essay about why I like Hob's Barrow, but I'm just not in the right mindspace for it right now. I'm just going to dive in.
Frankly, the game has a fairly weak central narrative. It has the "Lovecraftian" tag on Steam, so I expected as much. I also expected that the game would have wonderful voice acting given Wadjet Eye produced the game, and I was correct there as well. The quality of the world building, characterization, pixel art, story composition and direction, and general ability to create mood all took me by surprise, though, by being a notch above the high quality I was expecting. I really enjoyed getting to know the citizens of Bewley and slowly coming to understand some of the odd behaviors they exhibited at times. I was also particularly impressed by the narrative direction -- the inserts of narration from the main character's future perspective, animated pixel-art scenes, and flashbacks to punctuate the events unfolding via normal gameplay were absolutely on point.
It's great. You should play it.
I wanted to write a well-crafted essay about why I like Hob's Barrow, but I'm just not in the right mindspace for it right now. I'm just going to dive in.
Frankly, the game has a fairly weak central narrative. It has the "Lovecraftian" tag on Steam, so I expected as much. I also expected that the game would have wonderful voice acting given Wadjet Eye produced the game, and I was correct there as well. The quality of the world building, characterization, pixel art, story composition and direction, and general ability to create mood all took me by surprise, though, by being a notch above the high quality I was expecting. I really enjoyed getting to know the citizens of Bewley and slowly coming to understand some of the odd behaviors they exhibited at times. I was also particularly impressed by the narrative direction -- the inserts of narration from the main character's future perspective, animated pixel-art scenes, and flashbacks to punctuate the events unfolding via normal gameplay were absolutely on point.
It's great. You should play it.
near-perfect graphic adventure, great atmosphere, good puzzles which made me think but I never got stuck on.
lost half a star for some jank; sometimes things would change in the game world as per time passing, but only because you'd completed an unrelated task, which meant whenever you did something, you had to check all of the locations again in case something had arbitrarily changed.
Also, there's no option to heed the villagers advice and just.. not excavate the barrow for an alternate ending, which is what I would have done (and then gone back in for the real ending).
lost half a star for some jank; sometimes things would change in the game world as per time passing, but only because you'd completed an unrelated task, which meant whenever you did something, you had to check all of the locations again in case something had arbitrarily changed.
Also, there's no option to heed the villagers advice and just.. not excavate the barrow for an alternate ending, which is what I would have done (and then gone back in for the real ending).
This review contains spoilers
An enjoyable enough time but that third act really drags down the pacing.
Hob's Barrow es una aventura gráfica clásica que bebe del folk horror más cercano a Machen que a Lovecraft y que inevitamente recuerda a cosas como Shadow of the Comet y The Wicker Man, aunque mantiene con elegancia su propia personalidad. La escritura y los personajes son sólidos y la ambientación y el doblaje son estupendos, teniendo en cuenta los medios. Los puzles no son demasiado complicados ni brillantes, pero en general el juego pasa con nota. Recomendable.
This review contains spoilers
quickly became one of my fav bad endings ever lol....she kinda had it coming tho ignoring literally almost everybody telling her not to dig that place. still, thats what her whole life had been building up to so cant really blame her either. hoping for a sequel where her brother adam covers up/destroys the barrow for good and takes revenge for her sister.
great game
wonderful voice acting, perfectly off-putting close-up art, dreadful music, perfect length
i guess i'm also kind of a sucker for victorian horror, too
great game!!!
wonderful voice acting, perfectly off-putting close-up art, dreadful music, perfect length
i guess i'm also kind of a sucker for victorian horror, too
great game!!!
This review contains spoilers
90% of the game is fantastic in all aspects
writing, themes, puzzles, and everything leading up to entering the barrow itself is amazing
I did get stuck on two puzzles before entering the barrow but I didn't spend much time racking my brain trying to figure out the solution
I think the subtle hints you get throughout the story and if you do replay it you'll notice more help establish a story centered in folklore akin to midsommer
The ending though was very lackluster as the character of Thomasina Bateman is completely thrown out the window as all of her logic and stoicism that is mentioned throughout the game is nonexistent in the final area
Confronted with snakes shooting energy beams, A demonic goat with spectral vision power, and hymnal tones coming from behind a door there is no real reaction from Thomasina other than we must continue forward
Even before that wen Mr.Tillet tries to explain what happened on the night of his disappearance, or right before entering when Cyril and Father Roache tell her not to excavate
Not once is there any second guessing on Thomasina's part not even an ounce of doing further research on what they're trying to tell her
I will give credit where credit is due where we normally see the good guy prevail this is not the case and while I will say the followers of Abraxas are not inherently evil, they do trick Thomasina into unleashing their god which eventually possesses Thomasina and lead us to our ending
This is worth the asking price and would love to see what else they could do (I'd personally love a mini-series set in Bewely) full price or on sale you're getting what you paid for
writing, themes, puzzles, and everything leading up to entering the barrow itself is amazing
I did get stuck on two puzzles before entering the barrow but I didn't spend much time racking my brain trying to figure out the solution
I think the subtle hints you get throughout the story and if you do replay it you'll notice more help establish a story centered in folklore akin to midsommer
The ending though was very lackluster as the character of Thomasina Bateman is completely thrown out the window as all of her logic and stoicism that is mentioned throughout the game is nonexistent in the final area
Confronted with snakes shooting energy beams, A demonic goat with spectral vision power, and hymnal tones coming from behind a door there is no real reaction from Thomasina other than we must continue forward
Even before that wen Mr.Tillet tries to explain what happened on the night of his disappearance, or right before entering when Cyril and Father Roache tell her not to excavate
Not once is there any second guessing on Thomasina's part not even an ounce of doing further research on what they're trying to tell her
I will give credit where credit is due where we normally see the good guy prevail this is not the case and while I will say the followers of Abraxas are not inherently evil, they do trick Thomasina into unleashing their god which eventually possesses Thomasina and lead us to our ending
This is worth the asking price and would love to see what else they could do (I'd personally love a mini-series set in Bewely) full price or on sale you're getting what you paid for
Atmospheric. Creepy. Just the right level of puzzle.
It goes off the rails during the 3rd act, but all in all it was a fun time. Shit went dark at the end. The protagonist's name, Bateman, really foreshadows the finale
i wanted to like this more than i actually did. My main issue with it is the disconnect i felt with the protagonist after a certain point.
Stories where a character becomes obsessed with something, possibly influenced by some dark force from that something, slowly becoming insane, depend a lot on how this process is told, on how gradual and bit by bit this crash in reality is, and this is where i get a bit annoyed with Hob's Barrow. It just didn't feel like this character was ever reaching a breaking point, sure, she kept making stupid decisions, but because of the acting and the writing, they felt more like dumb mistakes, and not the red flags of someone becoming more insane.
It's a weird nitpick, i know, but the madness of obsession is the whole point of these types of stories. The gradual thinning of the borders of reality, madness and the supernatural should be a slow build up, but a build up still. Meanwhile we have our protagonist in an underground graveyard with magic plants and goats made of shadows, but acting calmly and chill (till the last cutscene at least). Quite a fumble for a folk horror that seemed so cool
Stories where a character becomes obsessed with something, possibly influenced by some dark force from that something, slowly becoming insane, depend a lot on how this process is told, on how gradual and bit by bit this crash in reality is, and this is where i get a bit annoyed with Hob's Barrow. It just didn't feel like this character was ever reaching a breaking point, sure, she kept making stupid decisions, but because of the acting and the writing, they felt more like dumb mistakes, and not the red flags of someone becoming more insane.
It's a weird nitpick, i know, but the madness of obsession is the whole point of these types of stories. The gradual thinning of the borders of reality, madness and the supernatural should be a slow build up, but a build up still. Meanwhile we have our protagonist in an underground graveyard with magic plants and goats made of shadows, but acting calmly and chill (till the last cutscene at least). Quite a fumble for a folk horror that seemed so cool
Rather boring puzzles and a weirdly mean spirited ending
I don't like to say anything bad about indie games, but this was kinda bad.
It's a point-and-click game with very Lovecraftian influence. So Lovecraftian, that effectively nothing happens in the story until the very end, which is predictable and disappointing, albeit the best scene in the game.
It reminds me of Darkseed somewhat - a fairly middling-looking game intersperced with close-up animations, which, unfotunately, were mostly spoiled in the trailer. And of course H. R. Giger didn't design anything here, unlike with Darkseed.
About a third of the game is a fetchquest that could be cut with no issue and is clearly there to pad out the game.
Despite the fact that your protagonist appears smart no amount of choices will save them from fumbling down the dumbest path by the end.
The puzzles are either dumb or require outside knowledge, which is baffling. None of it is incredibly niche, but the game expects you to know some greek alphabet and a few latin words.
Truly a Lovecraftian game in that it's boring as hell. At least the black man wasn't demonic.
It's a point-and-click game with very Lovecraftian influence. So Lovecraftian, that effectively nothing happens in the story until the very end, which is predictable and disappointing, albeit the best scene in the game.
It reminds me of Darkseed somewhat - a fairly middling-looking game intersperced with close-up animations, which, unfotunately, were mostly spoiled in the trailer. And of course H. R. Giger didn't design anything here, unlike with Darkseed.
About a third of the game is a fetchquest that could be cut with no issue and is clearly there to pad out the game.
Despite the fact that your protagonist appears smart no amount of choices will save them from fumbling down the dumbest path by the end.
The puzzles are either dumb or require outside knowledge, which is baffling. None of it is incredibly niche, but the game expects you to know some greek alphabet and a few latin words.
Truly a Lovecraftian game in that it's boring as hell. At least the black man wasn't demonic.
I love the journey. Love how they pushed AGS to its limits. Absolutely loathe the destination and its philosophy. If you've beaten the game, though, there's a pretty good essay called "The Gnostic Horror of 'The Excavation of Hob's Barrow'" I recommend. It's spoilerrryyyy, but worth playing when you're done.
Was a 4/4.5 until it eventually lost steam and became purely puzzles combined with an uninteresting character storyline. Amazing music, amazing atmosphere, amazing voice acting is what holds it up.
This review contains spoilers
Writing of the game was pretty good, but I have a narrative complaint. About 2/3 through the game, your protagonist learns about the plot conspired against her. Despite discovering what fate awaits her at the Barrow, the protagonist proceeds forward and spills her blood to fulfill Saxton's request. This doesn't make any sense. We do not see any inner dialogue from the protag to hear her reaction nor do we see any sort of explanation for her decision. She hears from Arthur what will happen to her, and instead of fucking off out of there, it's like she didn't learn anything at all. I think the ending of the game really hingers on the player not thinking too hard about this detail.
I'd also say there are some cosmetic issues with the game. Lots of the textures of characters, items, scenery etc blend in with each other too well, making the visuals super flat. Pixel art requires a delicate balance between hi and lo resolution which is understandably difficult. Sadly I feel like the artist doesn't have a firm understanding of pixel art arrangement (or possibly just hasn't found their particular identity in the medium yet). I can tell the artist is traditionally trained, but that does not always translate directly to the notions pixel art requires to not only be legible, but stylized. Dialogue selection / UI text is under-designed and seems to have been neglected by the design team. This is one detail that could have easily been given more personality and overall "juicing" up the game in a meaningful, more immersive way.
I think this game has great bones and clearly a dedicated writer. The cutscenes stretched towards something cinematic but could not quite reach it, perhaps they needed more time to linger in their unsettling effects. If this game had more time in the kitchen, it could be something really unique. I can tell the devs care about this game, I hope they continue on to improve from here.
I'd also say there are some cosmetic issues with the game. Lots of the textures of characters, items, scenery etc blend in with each other too well, making the visuals super flat. Pixel art requires a delicate balance between hi and lo resolution which is understandably difficult. Sadly I feel like the artist doesn't have a firm understanding of pixel art arrangement (or possibly just hasn't found their particular identity in the medium yet). I can tell the artist is traditionally trained, but that does not always translate directly to the notions pixel art requires to not only be legible, but stylized. Dialogue selection / UI text is under-designed and seems to have been neglected by the design team. This is one detail that could have easily been given more personality and overall "juicing" up the game in a meaningful, more immersive way.
I think this game has great bones and clearly a dedicated writer. The cutscenes stretched towards something cinematic but could not quite reach it, perhaps they needed more time to linger in their unsettling effects. If this game had more time in the kitchen, it could be something really unique. I can tell the devs care about this game, I hope they continue on to improve from here.
There's something about using horror in adventure games that just works. The notion of a character trying to hold themselves together while they solve some grotesque puzzles results in you soaking up the atmosphere as a matter of course.
I've somehow got myself into working backwards through the Wadjet Eye catalogue, But I can't really complain.
I've somehow got myself into working backwards through the Wadjet Eye catalogue, But I can't really complain.
Needs a bit more of the juice but otherwise totally enjoyable.
Mucho mas oscuro de lo que esperaba. Buen adventure game aunque bastante facil.
Never trust a cat.
One of the best point-and-clicks out there. Really scratched that itch from my preteen years, where I played the shit out of games like Monster Basement 2 or Exmortis. This one's vibe is very much its own, but the feeling of gruesome unravelling is very much present, and done in such a beautifully attentive way... When you glimpse the horror, it's already much too late. Great ending as well, I just can't praise it enough.
Atmosphere and voice acting!
As said in most of the reviews, it's the strongest part of the game and, come to think of it, the most effective part of an adventure game after the story and puzzles.
So how are the most effective parts? I found the Lovecraftian flavor in the setting entertaining enough, the change to the third act made sense to me and didn't drag me down. The puzzles were also enough for me.
As said in most of the reviews, it's the strongest part of the game and, come to think of it, the most effective part of an adventure game after the story and puzzles.
So how are the most effective parts? I found the Lovecraftian flavor in the setting entertaining enough, the change to the third act made sense to me and didn't drag me down. The puzzles were also enough for me.