The Excavation of Hob's Barrow (Review)
By Rae
The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, a point and click adventure from Cloak & Dagger Games (published by Wadjet Eye Games) has been on my radar since it was still being called by its original name, Incantamentum. Inspired by English folklore and folk horror, it sounded right up my alley, and I’m very excited today to be able to review this long-awaited release!
Thomasina Bateman is an antiquarian working on a new novel about English barrows and the secrets they hide. Naturally when she gets a letter telling her of a rather unusual barrow in rural England surrounded by plenty of local lore and legend, she arranges a trip to Bewlay, located on the moors. Remote, desolate, and quiet, Bewlay is a far cry from the busy streets of London, and it’s also not very welcoming at first – her host is a no-show, townsfolk tell her to mind her own business, and it turns out that getting information on the barrow is nearly impossible, despite its supposed infamy. Something is surely going on here, but what? And why does it seem like the villagers of Bewlay know more than they’re willing to discuss?
When talking about The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, we have to talk about style. Of course, this includes the art style – a heavily pixelated play on the classic adventure game. Pixel art is pretty popular these days, but where Hob’s Barrow is set apart from other games that tap into the nostalgia is that it keeps a much more classic, less smoothed and cleaned version of pixel art. It feels like stepping back in time not only in the story, but back into the true classics of gaming – a bold decision, but one that fits well with the narrative style of Hob’s Barrow. The moment that Kate begins narrating her story, it’s like opening an English novel from the 1800s (as a literature major, that was something I quite loved).
The whole style of The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is reminiscent of stepping into a historical adventure, with a splash of gamer nostalgia to top it all off.
The sound design is also top-notch. Ambient noises in point and clicks are something that always add a lot to the atmosphere. The sounds of birds chirping in the woods, dogs barking in the distance, or even the blacksmith yawning in the square as he works are such small details that make the world feel a little more alive and immersive. This is taken a step further by the game being fully voiced and – most importantly – fully voiced well. Backed by a full English cast, the characters of Bewlay feel alive – some are helpful, many are annoying, and a couple are hilarious, but all of them are skillfully played and make engaging in conversations and banter an enjoyable experience.
Storywise, it’s hard to say much without giving away some of the twists and turns. What I can say is that the game kept me guessing – even when I successfully figured out some twists before they took place, others were quite the surprise still, and I never really felt like I saw it all coming. The story is dark and creepy overall, with plenty of entertaining moments (and sometimes even laughter) in between.
The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is light on the puzzles until you get into the late parts of the game. Prior to that, it’s mostly social and inventory based puzzles – you have to consider who you can talk to about what, and what items you might be able to combine together, switch, or give away to make a little headway. Nothing is too obtuse to solve, and a couple of the solutions were quite clever – collecting the crate was my particular favorite.
Overall, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is a very fun and very unsettling adventure into places that may be better left alone. Learning the town and its people is very reminiscent of the true small town experience where everyone knows everyone, and everyone is quite unique. Combined with its approachable gameplay and fantastic soundtrack and voicing, I really enjoyed uncovering the town’s secrets and Thomasina’s fate.
If you’re looking for a dark adventure into the folklore of the small, easily forgotten corners of England, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow makes for a wonderful little story that will stay with you after you’ve finished the game.
You can pick it up today here on Steam!