User Reviews (1 - 11 of 36)

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Spooky, fun, atmospheric

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I liked this game, despite the limited movement and static backgrounds. The story is interesting, the music is atmospheric, and the voice acting is pretty good. The puzzles tend to be mostly logical, and there are lots of clues if you are paying attention.

Fun game... a bit silly...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed playing this game, despite the fact that the puzzles were fairly easy, mostly involving matching information found in one area of the game with puzzles located in another. I did learn some things about botany and history from playing, and so this made it more interesting. The plot was engaging but not remarkable. It was hard to take things seriously because I thought that it was a bit silly to be chased by giant rocks. I was never really creeped out, (I would have liked it better if it were scarier), but I also would not hesitate to let my 11 year old nephew play it either-- I guess that this is a good trade off. Also, while I am an environmentalist, I fealt that this subtext was too overt and simplified to contribute to the game, and might be a distraction for some. The ending was fairly preachy as a result of this.

The controls were fairly straitforward and the graphics were beautiful, particularly the opening sequence. I would have liked more locations, but the game was just long enough to play in one night which was good enough for me.

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have to say that I watched the development of this game before Matt Clark went 'public' and out of the 'independent game' category. I'm actually one of the 1st 100 people who ordered it. I was NOT EVEN REMOTELY disappointed!!!! HURRAY. I'm only sorry that I'm so late in posting my review here, because Mr. Clark has done such a wonderful job!

I admit to having a real weakness for adventure games of the Celtic/mystery supernatural gendre, so I'm real picky. I was NOT disappointed - even slightly!

Even from the beginning, the game doesn't let up, and at all points, it is appropiately spooky. It's night, after all, so everything is dark. The parts that are in the "present" seem like islands in a much larger scheme of things. Yours to discover how and why.

The whole game fits together PERFECTLY - and as I've said, I'm real picky!

Mr. Clark, I continue to play your wonderful game, and I'm so proud that my vigilance paid off. It's a play again - over and over. How many games does one play about which that can be said?!

If you love Celtic myth and mystery as much as I do - BUY IT!!!!!

BTaylor

Entertaining, yet pointless!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: December 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I gave this game 3 stars because, although it was entertaining finding clues and such, the ending and goal/purpose of the game was not clear. The graphics were beautiful and so was the music but the storyline could use some help. I don't recommend buying this product for the full price, but rather borrowing it from someone else if you really want to play it.

Spooky Fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game uses the ancient stone monuments in Cornwall as a pretext for a very good point and click adventure. SOMETHING has been awakened! The graphics are detailed and interesting, the atmosphere is suitably spooky, and you will probably not have to consult a walkthrough every 15 minutes. I played this game on a Windows ME system and it never crashed and performed smoothly throughout. The only downside to this game is that you may find yourself playing it when you have other, more important, things you should be doing. No action, no mazes, no sliders - just spooky fun.

Pretty Good Bang For The Buck

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you like the decidedly low-budget DarkFall series, you'll love this game. It's not flashy, but it oozes a creepy, unsettling atmosphere. The ambient music is great, and really adds to the game. It's certainly not going to win awards for detailed, innovative graphics, but for a few hours with the lights turned low and the sound turned up, you should enjoy some spooky fun.

Excellent adventure game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I received this game for Christmas and was hooked until I beat it. It only took me about nine hours of game time to beat, which was the downside, but it was a very interesting game nonetheless. The puzzles are just hard enough to keep you going, but not so hard that you give up and go find a walkthrough. I'd recommend the game for anyone interested in adventure gaming.

some gaming site reviews overly harsh

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: January 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I thought this was a good game. These days, any adventure game with reasonable puzzles and appropriate length automatically deserve praise in my book. There is nothing worse than a long game with ill designed puzzles/fights to turn this player off (are you there Call of Chthulu?). Barrow has decent graphics, a spooky atmosphere, well designed locations and a gripping plot. The ending may have been better but this one still stands above the crowd (also recommended: scratches). Looking forward to play Boakes' games next, also on the pad: the black mirror and its follow-up nibirus. Hopefully they will be as good as the Barrow.

Amazing

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: April 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

You see yourself inside a city with no exit. You can't get out and everybody is gone. You have to solve the mistery of the Curse to get out. I liked it. It was fun. You read very little information and have to figure out the puzzles almost by yourself. But it's not difficult and you have clues all over the place. I really enjoyed the story and it's not an action game. It's plain mistery up to the last minute. You have an idea what's going on by reading some information but the doubt is on your mind all the time. It's not a long game, but it's fun.

Decent adventure game with notable detractions

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 8
Date: June 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

"Barrow Hill" is a decent point-and-click adventure game that has great atmosphere and sound effects but a lousy storyline and less-than-stellar moral message. The game is relatively short but has some good creep-out moments and fairly challenging puzzles. Despite the lackluster graphics (at least compared to titles like "Myst Revelation"), the game creates a truly chinning sense of atmosphere. This is a significant accomplishment considering the interface is not panoramic but point-and-click. The sound effects and music do a lot to aid the tension, and the settings themselves are truly magnificent. You can tell that they were well thought out. For example, the phone booth in the middle of the woods, casting yellow light on the dark branches, is truly a nice touch, as is the row of electric lights leading up the hill to the barrow. There are numerous moments when you are genuinely creeped out.

Another good aspects of "Barrow Hill" is that, unlike "Scratches" and many of the "Myst" games, the puzzles are not designed for game players with a genius-level IQ. In other words, they tend to make logical sense and don't force you to consider ridiculous solutions (like "Scratches" routinely does). The inventory system helps a lot with this. Whenever you need to use an object in a given area, an icon appears indicating so. There are some puzzles where you have to use your imagination, and I found myself resorting to a walkthrough several times, but overall the puzzles are medium difficult. They're challenging enough to keep you interested, but not so challenging that you pitch your computer out the window.

Now to the negative, and unfortunately there is quite a bit. The story starts out well but soon starts a nose dive. Basically, you end up getting an earful of New Age mysticism mixed with a good dose of environmentalism paranoia. At first I thought this would only be a passing mention, but it persisted and grew quite annoying. The whole notion of having to "appease" the land with offerings due to man's neglect of nature is fru-fru at best. I encourage games that have a moral message to them, but this moral message is steeped in New Age and rather ambiguous to boot. (Here's a novel idea: create a game with the golden rule being the moral message. Imagine that!). Without giving too much plot details away, the central premise of the story is almost laughable. When you actually realize what that sinister thing stalking you through the woods is, the chill factor diminishes. Also, there is some swearing present (not mentioned by ESRB), but the programmers avoided including any needless blood or violence, which is commendable.

Is the game worth a look? Sure, if you enjoy adventure games. Expect good atmosphere, music, and sound effects, but not much beyond that.

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