Antiquarian Thomasina Bateman is writing a book on the barrows of England, documenting the treasures she finds buried within. When an intriguing letter summons her to the small village of Bewlay, tucked away in the remote countryside, she sets off by train with her assistant a day behind....
Antiquarian Thomasina Bateman is writing a book on the barrows of England, documenting the treasures she finds buried within. When an intriguing letter summons her to the small village of Bewlay, tucked away in the remote countryside, she sets off by train with her assistant a day behind.
Upon her arrival, however, the mysterious man who summoned her is nowhere to be found. Her assistant never arrives. A stubborn landowner refuses access to the barrow, and the locals are wary of this woman who is traveling alone and (gasp!) wears trousers.
The excavation of Hob’s Barrow is off to a rocky start. And then Thomasina starts having strange dreams…
A dark, complex and evolving storyline featuring interwoven elements from real English folklore.
Traditional point and click adventure game puzzles and interactions, with an easy modern interface.
A cast of intriguing characters, from suspicious villagers to sickly vicars to lordly landowners, all with their own unique stories and motives.
A distinct folk horror tone and grounding.
Evocative pixel-art graphics, featuring cut-scenes and engaging animations.
A suitably atmospheric original soundtrack from The Machine. The Demon. - one half of the duo behind the award-winning "Football Game" soundtrack.
Fiends in the furrows, the smell of damp soil, and a cat or two.
Strong 4 or weak 5.
Small town setting where something is just vaguely off. Story is told in a convincing less is more way and very slow burn and gradually developing. Impressive.
Its been a year since i played it but it still pops up in my mind and i've gold myself i should drop a review. Just never managed to decide if its a 4+ or 5-.
A cozy, atmospheric point and click adventure. Great music and interesting story.
The puzzles was a bit on the easy-side, a good entry if you want to dip your toes in the world of point and click adventures.
TL;DR a brilliant specimen. Buy & support!
This game leaves a certain aftertaste. You know - like when you've just finished a really good book and are just sitting there pondering upon the experience. You WILL have that here, which already makes it a really good game. Now, diving into a bit more detail:
Atmosphere:
- now this is a part where the game really shines. The scenery, the sounds, the accents (oh, the ACCENTS! That was just splendid now was it thank you very much ;) ) evoke the feeling of Bewlay. I've been living in that village alongside Thomasina and I am going to miss the villagers.
Graphics:
- I like pixel graphics. Nothing to shy away from. Some people don't and it will be kind of hard to go past that of you are one of them. Just warning in advance :)
Music:
- Very atmospheric. I like how the developers have included these synth-wave/retro-wave compositions which (one could think) might sound completely out of place, but lo! they don't. How did they manage to pull it off - I don't know, but if it works - it works.
The story:
- This is why it is an ALMOST perfect rollercoaster. I have a minor beef with the story. I wouldn't spoil anything here so my point might sound a bit vague. You see, I have soe experience being a dungeon master playing different TTRPGs, including Call of Cthulhu, so I know, that creating and preserving a suspense is an immensely complicated endeavour. This game has a, well, certain point, when you begin understanding where this train is heading. Which means, that you might (or might not) want to ALTER the direction of the train at the nearest crossroads. This brings me to the second point. Usually, in the stories characters change. Their attitude change under the influence of people and circumstances. This is called character progression and it makes stories more engaging. Here, there IS character progression, but not to an extent you may expect. Long story short - there is only one set of tracks and no crossroads.
Very enjoyable point n click, the LC/eldritch or pagan undertones lends well to this type of genre and i quite enjoyed seeiing this game out til the end. I'd like to see another set after or perhaps before Thomasina's (mis) adventure. Well recommended, if you're looking for a short, slow burn adventure.