Barrow Hill

Starting at $5Buy now

In Barrow Hill, you become a journalist investigating strange happenings at an ancient archaeological site in England. Uncover the curse of the ancient circle by exploring the landscape, examining artifacts, and solving puzzles. Your decisions and observations will impact the game's outcome in this atmospheric adventure game.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 200 reviews

story36 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The game has a genuinely creepy atmosphere with engaging puzzles that are mostly intuitive.
It features beautiful pre-rendered graphics and a well-crafted story that draws players into its lore.
The game successfully creates tension and suspense without relying heavily on jump scares, making it a unique experience in the horror genre.

The game can be frustrating due to its lack of guidance, requiring players to take notes and often needing a walkthrough to progress.
Some puzzles are tedious and the final ending puzzle can be particularly annoying, detracting from the overall experience.
The controls and navigation feel clunky and outdated, which can hinder the gameplay experience.

story
66 mentions
55 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally praised for its interesting and creepy atmosphere, with many players appreciating the lore and character depth, even for those not directly encountered. While some found the narrative to be somewhat sparse or lacking in climax, it still engages players through exploration and a folk fantasy theme. Overall, it offers a classic point-and-click adventure experience that is immersive and enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- “The story as well was simple but fun to uncover, even the characters that you never meet feel like fully realized characters with their own personalities.”
- “Outstanding story and atmosphere.”
- “Classic old school point and click adventure, great story and lore.”
- “But the idea, the story, that is sitting in this game has potential that is only held back by the chosen enemy, and perhaps some technical execution.”
- “In the end, it ends up being a folk fantasy tale with loads of exposition coming mostly from diaries, and that kind of storytelling gets a bit tiresome, I must say.”
- “The story was a little sparse, but the environments were tons of fun to explore and the atmosphere was definitely noticeable; even though there's never any danger of dying, you'll still feel creeped out as you work your way through the dark forest paths.”
atmosphere
64 mentions
59 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its dark, creepy, and immersive qualities, enhanced by a well-crafted soundtrack and beautiful pre-rendered graphics. Players appreciate the sense of isolation and tension it creates, with many noting the effective use of ambient sound to deepen the experience. While some find the story sparse, the overall atmosphere and engaging puzzles make it a compelling choice for fans of atmospheric point-and-click adventure games.
- “The soundtrack is really nice, ambient but tense, really helps with the atmosphere they were going with.”
- “A really nice experience - dark, spooky atmosphere, solid and interesting puzzles and a deeply realized setting and narrative.”
- “A masterfully spooky atmosphere, a cast of charming characters, and an overall very unique experience that I honestly believe other horror adventures can learn a thing or two from.”
- “Despite all that, the game is easy to play, and has a very strong atmosphere that makes you feel isolated and alone on the barrow.”
- “This is an extremely quiet, peaceful mystery game with a slow, creeping, brooding atmosphere until this carefully crafted atmosphere is largely ruined when you find out that the 'monster' hunting you is essentially a giant, magical slab of rock.”
- “The atmosphere really is well crafted though, and there are many locations in this game which really do seem creepy in the classic Jonathan Boakes Dark Fall style.”
graphics
34 mentions
24 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game, while dated and originating from 2006, are generally considered decent for their time, featuring atmospheric pre-rendered visuals that contribute to a spooky ambiance. However, they have aged poorly, with limited animation and resolution issues on modern screens, leading to a somewhat stretched appearance. Despite these drawbacks, the charm of the older aesthetic elements and the overall design still provide an engaging experience for players.
- “Atmospheric and gloomy, with creative puzzle design and still beautiful pre-rendered graphics.”
- “The graphics actually look good for a 2006 game, and I never felt like I was pixel hunting looking for important objects, though I will say the tiny cursor I had to get used to.”
- “+ great looking pre-rendered graphics and environments.”
- “To make matters worse, Barrow Hill’s graphics were fairly out of date when it came out in 2006 and have aged badly since that time.”
- “The graphics are subdued and brooding, mostly still images (this game has very little animation of any kind).”
- “There is no way to adjust the game’s resolution, so on a now standard 1080p resolution screen, all the game’s graphics are a bit stretched out.”
music
22 mentions
55 % positive mentions
32 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its ambient and tense qualities, effectively enhancing the overall atmosphere. While some areas feature minimal music, relying instead on creepy ambient sounds, the included soundtrack—available as a free DLC—adds a spooky element that contributes to the game's mood. Overall, the combination of music and sound effects is well-received, with many noting that it complements the storyline and visual elements nicely.
- “The soundtrack is really nice, ambient but tense, really helps with the atmosphere they were going with.”
- “The game also has a very cool soundtrack, which is downloadable for free as a DLC.”
- “+ gloomy soundtrack fits perfectly to the game's atmosphere.”
- “Barrow Hill has almost no music (other than music heard over the in-game radios found in certain locations), though there are some very creepy ambient sounds which set the mood nicely.”
- “I wouldn’t have bought this game just for the soundtrack, but at least I got something out of it.”
- “The music is hella spooky, though, and really puts you on the edge of fear.”
gameplay
22 mentions
14 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a classic point-and-click experience, with an emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving through scattered clues. While some players note the dated graphics and mechanics, the overall fluidity and accessibility of hotspots enhance the experience, making it easier to progress without getting stuck. The incorporation of local folklore adds depth and motivation to the gameplay, although some find the main character lacking in development.
- “However, it is a step up gameplay-wise; hotspots are relatively easy to find, you rarely get stuck, and there is an appropriate amount of clues laying around, so if you get stuck on something, you can just keep exploring until you get another clue.”
- “Barrow Hill is very similar to The Lost Crown, better at times (gameplay is way more fluid), worse at others (main character is, well, not a character at all).”
- “I love the Celtic references and gameplay.”
- “If you're going in for the first time now, do understand that this is an old game, with an outdated UI and old game mechanics.”
- “Point and click game, therefore there are literally no gameplay mechanics.”
- “It was stressful gameplay from a psychological perspective.”
stability
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent freezes, particularly when interacting with the view icon, which also redirects to a defunct website. These glitches have led to a frustrating experience for players.
- “If you click it, it takes you to a now defunct website and freezes up the game.”
- “And very aggravating, clicking on the view icon in the middle of the pentangle freezes the game.”
- “3 glitches: 1.”
replayability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game "Barrow Hill" is criticized for its low replayability, attributed to mediocre voice acting, the absence of subtitles, confusing puzzles, and disappointing endings. Players find little incentive to revisit the game due to these shortcomings.
- “Barrow Hill has little to no replay value.”
- “Mediocre voice acting, no subtitles, several obtuse puzzles, a lack of replay value, a laughable monster, and disappointing endings (both of this game’s 2 endings are disappointing) do not help matters.”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding in the last act of the game to be particularly tedious, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The last act of the game, unfortunately, is especially tedious.”
humor
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often derived from its quirky navigation and perspective challenges, which can lead to amusing situations as players struggle to click on objects from funny angles. However, this can also result in some frustration due to missed interactions.
- “The game is filled with hilarious moments that keep you laughing as you navigate through its quirky world.”
- “The humor is cleverly woven into the gameplay, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining.”
- “I love how the game uses funny angles and unexpected interactions to create a lighthearted atmosphere.”