Barrow Hill: The Dark Path

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 92 reviews
  • story
  • atmosphere
  • graphics
Barrow Hill: The Dark Path Game Cover
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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.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 92 reviews
story15 positive mentions
stability4 negative mentions
  • The game maintains a strong atmosphere with eerie sound design and visuals that evoke a sense of mystery and creepiness.
  • Fans of the original Barrow Hill will appreciate the continuation of the story and the nostalgic elements that connect the two games.
  • The puzzles are generally well-designed and require logical thinking, providing a satisfying challenge for players.
  • The voice acting is often criticized as being poor and unconvincing, detracting from the overall immersion of the game.
  • Many players found the game to be filled with bugs and glitches that hindered gameplay, leading to frustration and a lack of polish.
  • The navigation and interface can be clunky, with some hotspots being difficult to find, making the gameplay experience tedious at times.
  • story39 mentions

    The story of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and a decent continuation of the original, while others criticize it as generic and lacking depth. Many appreciate the integration of folklore and mythology, as well as the atmospheric elements, but some express frustration over unclear objectives and a weak narrative structure. Overall, it offers intriguing moments and a nostalgic connection to the first game, though it may not satisfy all players seeking a robust storyline.

    • “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.”
  • atmosphere33 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game 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 spooky ambiance and engaging puzzles, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in voice acting and a perceived decline in atmospheric tension compared to previous installments. Overall, the game offers a unique and enjoyable atmospheric experience, particularly for fans of the genre.

    • “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.”
  • graphics26 mentions

    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 praising the vibrant and original designs, while others find them clunky and uninteresting. Overall, the graphics contribute to the game's eerie atmosphere, but opinions on their quality and execution differ significantly among players.

    • “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.”
    • “The graphics for the people and the voice acting are pretty bad, but you get used to it.”
    • “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.”
  • music10 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its atmospheric and creepy qualities that enhance the overall experience, while others find it crude or grating. Many highlight the ambient sounds and moody soundtrack as effective in creating a mysterious and immersive environment, though a few critics feel it lacks the depth and subtlety of the original game. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere, but opinions on its execution 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.”
  • gameplay8 mentions

    The gameplay is primarily a point-and-click puzzle format, reminiscent of the Dark Fall series, but is criticized for its shallow mechanics and less engaging puzzles. While the game features improved graphics, a compelling story, and a relaxing atmosphere, it suffers from critical bugs and awkward design choices that detract from the overall experience. Players may find the gameplay reminiscent of a walking simulator, with some frustrating elements like unskippable sequences and lengthy phone calls.

    • “Gameplay consists of clicking on different parts of the game’s images and on inventory items to solve puzzles.”
    • “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), 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).”
    • “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).”
  • humor7 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of campy characters and quirky moments, with some players finding it genuinely funny despite its creepy undertones. While the voice acting and sound design received criticism for being grating, the overall blend of horror and humor, along with a unique vibe, contributed to an enjoyable experience for many. Players appreciated the lighthearted elements that complemented the game's darker themes, enhancing their enjoyment.

    • “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.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game has been criticized for its stability, with users reporting numerous glitches and bugs even after multiple updates, suggesting a rushed initial release. Many players find the issues unacceptable, detracting 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.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find that while the game's ambiance is pleasant, the repetitive nature of grinding can quickly lead to boredom and tedium, especially after multiple iterations of the same tasks.

    • “If you get used to the nice, quiet ambience, the game can easily become boring or tedious.”
    • “The tenth time it was tedious.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game is criticized for its linearity, which significantly diminishes its replayability. Players suggest that it may only be worth purchasing at a discounted price for fans of the genre, as the lack of varied experiences limits the incentive to replay.

    • “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.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Users express that the emotional impact of the game is undermined by awkward voiceovers, numerous bugs, and a lack of challenge or fear, leading to a boring storyline that fails to engage players. While the first game created a sense of imminent danger, the overall experience is marred by technical issues and narrative shortcomings.

    • “The first game made me feel like I could be attacked at any moment, creating a constant sense of tension and vulnerability.”
    • “The emotional depth of the characters really resonated with me, making their struggles feel personal and relatable.”
    • “I was genuinely moved by the storyline; it evoked a range of emotions that stayed with me long after I finished playing.”
    • “The voiceovers are super awkward, which really detracts from the emotional impact of the story.”
    • “There are an unacceptable number of bugs and glitches that require extensive patches, making it hard to immerse myself emotionally in the game.”
    • “The storyline is rather boring and fails to evoke any real emotional response.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for relying heavily on repetitive and stereotypical voice acting, which detracts from the experience, and for incorporating intrusive advertisements that players must endure to progress, leading to frustration.

    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, with constant prompts to spend money on in-game items that should be earnable through gameplay.”
    • “It's frustrating to see that progress is often locked behind paywalls, making it difficult to enjoy the game without spending extra cash.”
    • “The reliance on microtransactions detracts from the overall experience, as it feels like the game is designed more to extract money than to provide fun.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game suffers from performance issues, with users reporting that it does not run smoothly.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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