![]() ![]() The graphics do well to compliment the story and setting of the game in my opinion.īut what is the game about? It’s difficult to talk about it in detail without spoilers, but let’s just say it’s the kind of story that delves into the mind of the protagonist and how his lived experience transforms into dreams and visions that reference what he has lived through. Giger-y biological shennanigans going on at one point, and prior to that you go around a crazy carnival setting of sort. What first caught my eye about the game was the aformentioned aesthetic – it goes for a “weird” “unsettling” kind of imagery – there’s some of the H.R. I rather liked the game so I’d like to tell you a little bit about it in case you might check it out. ![]() If the digging/exploring underground had been spread a bit more evenly throughout the game’s runtime, I would have felt a bit more satisfied.Recently I played the point and click adventure game „Strangeland”, a 2021 title by Wormwood Studios kept in a retro, pixel-art aesthetic. While it is justified by the narrative, I felt it was just beginning to hit its stride when Thomasina finally went under the soil. The game does such a masterful job at keeping its suspense going all the way through that it seems a shame when the game ends comparatively suddenly after a short stint underground. But in fact, the excavation only constitutes the very final segment of the game, about 30 minutes, which left just a bit to be desired. I had been amped up for a suspenseful few days of digging through dirt or exploring grim, dark tunnels. Its final title is far better than that jumble of syllables, so it was a smart change - but I confess that it made me expect a bit more, well, excavating from the game. “I always felt a sense of unease anywhere I went… a feeling that did not fade for the game’s entire runtime.”Īccording to a Rock, Paper, Shotgun interview with Wadjet Eye Games founder Dave Gilbert, the Excavation of Hob’s Barrow was originally set to be titled ‘Incantamentum’. ![]() The artist has created overly-details illustrations on purpose to display every wrinkle, hair, and blemish to make you as uncomfortable as possible. That aforementioned mangy cat will live in my nightmares forever. The game’s beautiful pixel art transforms into something terrifying, especially paired with some rotoscoped animation and dramatic lighting. To go alongside these moments are some truly unsettling pieces of artwork. Is the priest of St Edmund’s church vomiting suddenly when you meet him a curse or omen, or is it just a temporary sickness, as he claims? Is the village’s old mangy cat really just a normal cat, despite its freaky skull-like face? There are so many things that are not quite right with Bewlay that I always felt a sense of unease anywhere I went in the village - a feeling that did not fade for the game’s entire runtime. The game is full of these strange moments. The xenophobia displayed by Bewlay’s residents is a clever bit of obfuscation – are the old guys at the pub refusing to talk to Thomasina because they’re grumpy old bastards, or is it something more sinister? The game will keep you guessing til the end. ![]() All the puzzles are a healthy mix of logical, social, and just a bit of trial and error. The puzzles serve the narrative of the story as Thomasina finds herself with fewer resources than expected, she has to start doing a few local favours to encourage the townfolk of Bewlay to give her the time of day. There isn’t anything here that innovates from anything we’ve seen before, but that’s no bad thing. Hob’s Barrow‘s gameplay is the familiar puzzle-solving adventure we all know and love. Things only get weirder for her from there. The game follows Thomasina through four days in Bewlay, which starts on day one with Thomasina arriving only to find that the person who summoned her to the isolated town is suddenly nowhere to be found. Bring in the social anxiety of being a career-driven woman stranded in an isolated, backwards village in the 19th century, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for a horror game. Being isolated underground, surrounded by tonnes of dirt and who knows how many bugs and worms is a terrifying concept even before you add anything supernatural. Tombs, ancient remains, and burial grounds might be well-tapped horror material, but there haven’t been many games that focus on the actual digging part. Hob’s Barrow has a bounty of naturally creepy elements. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |