Although they saw some revival a decade ago, point-and-click adventure games don’t get much attention from non-fans. It came as a surprise when The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, in the midst of such an outpouring on Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarök, managed to be mentioned a few times in the Game of the Year debates. last year. The game is currently available for Switch, and today we are going to see how it works on this new platform.
In The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, you play as Thomasina Bateman, a young antiquarian dedicated to investigating the burial mounds of England, for which she ends up in a small rural town called Bewlay. After arriving by train one cold, foggy night, he goes to a local to rent a room. Waking up the next morning, he realizes that the fog has lifted, but the atmosphere of hostility and tension is still felt throughout the small rural town. Thomasina must find the mound within the next three days, having asked permission to dig and assemble a team ready to help her do all the work.
Without too many spoilers, it sounds very much like a Lovecraftian tale with lots of references, but little real horror until the final act, when all hell breaks loose. Lots of flashbacks intertwine with the linear storytelling which reinforces the idea of digging into the past and gives the character more depth. Personally, I liked it a lot, but even if you don’t like this kind of suspense, the characters and the dialogues will seduce you.
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Thomasina is above all a great character full of charm, wit and tenderness, never falling into the stereotype of the powerful woman (ironically distanced) so prevalent in ǵJanuary. Through well-written and entertaining conversations, you will also learn that behind the hostility of many locals lies a certain sympathy, like Arthur Pillet, who was very rude at first, and the bitter old Cyril. The fact that Thomasina can handle alcohol better than most men certainly helps too. Additionally, the story sometimes feels like a cross between Cheers and The X-Files, due to the local Plow and Furrow public house serving as a haven among the many haunting locations in Bewlay and the surrounding swamps.
Released with Wadjet Eye Games, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow shows all the hallmarks of its consistently high quality. While the pixel graphics aren’t that original, they are well done, with sweeping views, spectacular animations, and most importantly, a clear view of important objects. Also worth noting are the exaggerated portraits of certain characters that appear in certain scenes and are reminiscent of Cthulhu’s classic point-and-click adventure Shadow of the Comet. I could devote several paragraphs to talking about the soundtrack and the dubbing, but I will be brief and say that it is excellent and has nothing to envy to the best triple A productions.
Of course, most of these adventure games stand out or fail (which usually happens) because of their puzzle designs. That’s why many developers nowadays prefer to remove them completely, but the Cloak and Dagger Games team prefer to go for it and have created puzzle scenarios that, instead of getting in the way, add more charm to the game. Usually involves exhausting all dialogue options or using the tools of the trade (like chisel or trowel), but there are also puzzles that require you to squeeze a bit of coconut to solve. Typically, these puzzles are bumps in the road that require you to slow down a bit and engage with the world around you, but without stopping completely.
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Considering all these features, it’s not hard to see why the PC version of The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow has received so much praise. Cloak and Dagger Games dug a lot into the adventure genre’s past, but instead of acting like tomb raiders, taking all the nostalgic elements for the fans, they just wanted to bring back and further tweak the elements that really work. But what happened with the jump to console? Did they also manage to overcome this difficult feat?
The short answer is yes. At least for the most part. Even in handheld mode, the graphics are crisp and although objects are very easy to spot, you can highlight them all by pressing Y, a feature that should be required by law in all point-and-shoot adventure games. to click. Added features include a simpler inventory bar at the top of the screen, the ability to move around objects with the L and R buttons, and instant screen transitions that are activated by double-tapping the exits. The small development team is also trying to answer the perennial question of how to better adapt the mouse controls to the gamepad and allow the use of both joysticks to control a virtual cursor so that the one on the right is a little slower. than the one on the left for more precise control. . The only thing I complain about is that they cannot be exchanged.
There are also some minor flaws, like the game only lasting about five hours and the abrupt and somewhat predictable ending. But overall, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is an excellent modern point-and-click thriller that beats even classic adventure games like Broken Sword and Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers in many ways. For the reasonable price of 14.99 euros on the eShop, I would say that it is almost obligatory for all fans of this genre to add it to the basket.