Barrow Hill: The Dark Path

About

Barrow Hill: The Dark Path is a first-person adventure game centered around exploration and puzzle-solving. Players delve into ancient druidic lore and folklore, experiencing a supernatural mystery in the modern-day English countryside. This immersive sequel features a gripping narrative, expanded investigation mechanics, and a haunting atmosphere.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

+12

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 185 reviews

story30 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

Great atmosphere and eerie sound design that enhances the horror experience.
The puzzles are logical and provide a satisfying challenge, requiring players to think critically.
Fans of the original Barrow Hill will appreciate the continuity of the story and familiar locations.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustration.
Voice acting is often poor, with some characters delivering lines in a way that detracts from the overall experience.
The fixed low resolution and clunky navigation can make exploration tedious and less enjoyable.

story
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it a decent continuation of the original, incorporating new mythology and creepy moments, while others criticize it as generic, predictable, and lacking depth. Many appreciate the integration of old character voices and the atmospheric elements, but some express disappointment over the weak narrative structure and the absence of a quest log, making it difficult to track progress. Overall, while the story has its merits, it struggles to reach the heights of its predecessor and leaves some players wanting more.
- “The story is very good and continues on from the original Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle game.”
- “The story of Barrow Hill is full of ancient folklore, pagan rituals, and magic which actually makes you want to check out the real-life locations this game was based on.”
- “The story is compelling and I would encourage anyone who is a fan of Matt Clark and Jonathan Boakes' games to give this one a shot.”
- “The story is okay, but kind of generic and predictable. Sometimes it's difficult to know exactly what to do next as the hints are often buried deep in pages of books and easy to miss.”
- “I could go on and on about all the things this game butchers compared to the first, such as the utter shallowness of the lore and the inane plot of the overall game.”
- “In reality, you are forced to follow a specific, linear, and undisclosed story path.”
atmosphere
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
29%
5%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, effectively capturing a sense of mystery and creepiness through its audio and visuals, despite some low-resolution graphics. While many players appreciate the haunting sound effects and ambient music, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in voice acting and a less intense atmosphere compared to its predecessor. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a significant draw, enhancing the gameplay experience with a blend of spooky elements and engaging puzzles.
- “The game’s mediocre, yet atmospheric audio and visuals come together to perfectly capture that eerie, surreal, mysterious feeling which so often comes with being outside very late at night, even when the locale is relatively mundane (in this case a quiet park/wooded area and an abandoned gas station).”
- “The atmosphere is amazing, the puzzles are quite difficult, and the overall experience is very good.”
- “The sound effects are chilling, the atmosphere is haunting and the puzzles are the right amount of a challenge.”
- “I really liked the first game, but this one is just too crude and corny, has shaky Blair Witch video clips, cheesy suspense music, and much less atmosphere than the original.”
- “The atmosphere is somewhat creepy, but not as much as in the first game, the graphics are quite dated and the phone calls you get from the characters are more annoying than scary.”
- “The area to explore is so much smaller, there's almost nothing to interact with outside of puzzles, much of the voice acting is just poor, and it completely lacks the atmosphere and tension of Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle.”
graphics
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the atmospheric and quaint pre-rendered visuals that evoke a sense of nostalgia, while others criticize them as outdated and lacking polish. The art style varies from cartoonish to old-school, with some finding it charming and others deeming it clunky. Overall, the graphics contribute to the game's eerie atmosphere, though they may not meet the expectations of those seeking modern visual fidelity.
- “The graphics are superb and the environment for gameplay is well put together.”
- “All in all, a great game, an excellent price (very cheap for something that's taken a long time and lots of hard work to create), super graphics, great atmosphere, lots of scary moments and interesting adventure.”
- “The colourful graphics are attractive and original.”
- “Outdated graphics, clunky point-and-click style, uninteresting story.”
- “And unlike the gritty pseudo-realism of the first, the developers bafflingly decided to adopt a cartoonish art style that makes everything look like it's been made out of shiny plastic.”
- “The atmosphere is somewhat creepy, but not as much as in the first game, the graphics are quite dated and the phone calls you get from the characters are more annoying than scary.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the atmospheric and creepy soundscapes that enhance the overall experience, while others find it cheesy and grating. Many enjoy the ambient tracks and moody soundtrack, which evoke a sense of mystery and relaxation, but some feel it lacks the depth and quality of the original game. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere, though opinions on its effectiveness vary widely.
- “The atmosphere isn't bad and the sounds and music lend it a degree of creepiness.”
- “I also enjoy the ambient music and it certainly has the same atmosphere that I enjoyed in the first game.”
- “The game has a heavy atmosphere, thick with ominous music and creepy, creaking ambient sounds.”
- “I really liked the first game, but this one is just too crude and corny, has shaky Blair Witch video clips, cheesy suspense music, and much less atmosphere than the original.”
- “I also don't care for the audio; the music got grating incredibly fast... I only played a few minutes and I didn't like it.”
- “The additional noise could have been subtly layered over the soundtrack and really unnerved you.”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
19%
The gameplay is primarily a point-and-click puzzle experience, reminiscent of the Dark Fall series, but is criticized for its shallow mechanics and less engaging puzzles. While the game features improved graphics and a relaxing atmosphere, it suffers from critical bugs, unskippable sequences, and awkward design choices that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the soothing sounds and familiar voice acting, suggesting a mixed reception overall.
- “To summarize, I really recommend it: better graphics, better story, improved gameplay, usual easter eggs (including references to the lost crown), and more.”
- “Mysterious atmosphere, soothing sounds, great and warm graphics (no 3D, so no motion sickness with this one, yes), nice music, relaxing gameplay (no rushing), the familiar voices (Lucy Reubens... well no, I mean the voice actress Emma Harry with her mesmerizing beautiful voice).”
- “Gameplay consists of clicking on different parts of the game’s images and on inventory items to solve puzzles.”
- “The point-and-click mystery/puzzle gameplay is very, very similar to the Dark Fall series, except the puzzles are not as well done and the environment isn’t as interesting (unless you include the craptacular Dark Fall: Lost Souls game, in which case this game’s quality is mostly on par with that).”
- “The gameplay is also pretty shallow, and if this game had been made this year or last year, it probably would have been called a walking simulator.”
- “More than half a minute intro sequence is unskippable; voice acting of long phone calls is annoying; even v1.05 has a number of critical bugs that made me force close the game via task manager and restart from an older save (needless to say how embarrassing it is to replay half an hour of such kind of gameplay).”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of campy characters and bizarre, often grating sound effects that contribute to a unique, albeit creepy atmosphere. While some players found the humor to be genuinely funny, particularly in the context of the game's horror elements, others noted that certain characters were poorly acted, which detracted from the overall comedic effect. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with its horror theme, providing an entertaining experience for those who appreciate this combination.
- “Very creepy but yet had its funny moments, really liked the unique vibe of this game.”
- “+ campy characters with some humor.”
- “Thanks for the fun :) 11/10 (wink) for graphics, storyline, how well the game runs on my old laptop, and for humor and wonderful acting.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its stability, with users reporting numerous glitches and bugs even after multiple updates. Many feel that the initial release was rushed, leading to an unacceptable level of technical issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “Typically buggy for an initial release.”
- “Even now, after 6 or 7 updates, there are still glitches.”
- “Unacceptable amount of bugs and glitches requiring an extensive patch that should have been done instead of rushing the game out.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that the grinding aspect of the game can become tedious and repetitive, especially after multiple playthroughs, leading to a sense of boredom despite the initially enjoyable ambiance.
- “If you get used to the nice, quiet ambience, the game can easily become boring or tedious.”
- “The tenth time it was tedious.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its linearity and lack of replay value, making it less appealing for players seeking a more varied experience. Reviewers suggest that it may only be worth purchasing at a discounted price for fans of the genre.
- “Lastly, this brings us to the extremely common problem of how ultimately linear this game is and how utterly lacking it is in replay value.”
- “Due to its lack of replay value alone, if you like somewhat obtuse point-and-click mystery-puzzle games, get this game for cheap if you get it at all.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while it initially creates a sense of tension and vulnerability, players criticize the overall experience for being undermined by awkward voiceovers, numerous bugs, and a lackluster storyline that fails to engage or scare effectively.
- “The voice overs are super awkward, which really detracts from the emotional impact of the game.”
- “There are an unacceptable number of bugs and glitches that require extensive patches, making it hard to immerse myself emotionally.”
- “The storyline is rather boring, failing to evoke any real emotional response.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its reliance on repetitive and stereotypical voice acting, which detracts from the experience, as players are forced to endure numerous radio advertisements to obtain clues. This approach to monetization feels intrusive and negatively impacts the overall enjoyment of the game.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has been criticized, with multiple users reporting that it does not run smoothly, indicating performance issues that detract from the overall experience.