Reviews

Posted by: jkdmedia

Here we go again, another point-and-click adventure game. I’m going to skip a detail explanation about the genre since the name explains it all: point and click. The difference maker between a good/great point-and-click adventure game and an average game is usually the story. If the story is engaging enough to keep you playing the game then you’ve got a good point-and-click adventure game. The next ingredient is the puzzles since puzzles are the key gameplay experience in a point-and-click adventure game. If the puzzles are too complex and difficult to figure out then gamers could lose interest quickly. However if the puzzles are too easy then gamers could breeze right through the game leaving them wanting more of a challenge. It’s a hard predicament to be in since the programmers can never please anyone. Barrow Hill offers gamers a quality point-and-click game with a good story and puzzles that cover all bases from difficult to easy.

The premise behind Barrow Hill focuses on a mysterious ancient circle of stones that are similar to Stonehenge. The stones on Barrow Hill have been left intact since their creation thousands of years ago. In fact, no one has ever performed an archeological study of the circle, which is how the game starts off. You’re playing the role of an archeologist sent to study and dig around the stones to uncover the mysteries of the reclusive stones. But you soon discover that something is terribly wrong at Barrow Hill.

Someone, or something, has been awoken by the dig at Barrow Hill and has been killing those involved with the dig. It’s up to you to solve all of the mysteries surrounding Barrow Hill.

The game does a good job of creating a mysterious and spooky atmosphere within the game. All of the game is played at night with you searching just a few select areas around Barrow Hill. As the plot unfolds you run across the standard scary unexpected moments that should rattle you a little. You read some disturbing notes left over by various characters in the game and learn some history of various stone circles around Europe.

The gameplay area is really very small compared to other point-and-click games since you’re exploring the same areas several times in the game. But Barrow Hill does offer a very non-linear approach to a point-and-click adventure game. You can investigate nearly all of the locations within the game at anytime without clearing certain puzzles or events first. This is usually done by finding other ways to an area besides the obvious “let’s open this door to move to the next room.” You will have to move boxes and ladders around in certain segments to access other parts of the game. Some of the puzzles in the game are dependent on solving other puzzles which is an obvious limitation in almost every game released.

All of the graphics in the game are based on 3D images instead of static 2D images. But the majority of the visuals on screen are static images with little to no reaction to your involvement.  The few characters that you do see in the game are depicted by multiple still pictures. The still pictures are then put together to make the character appear animated. It’s a strange effect that seems to work at first but some of the characters in the game use the same pictures no matter how stressful and dangerous the plot has developed into. This problem does cheapen certain plot developments in the game since you’re seeing the same pictures that you noticed a couple of hours earlier.

There were a couple parts in the game where the game would end if I did something wrong. Actually one point in the game had my character interacting with the mysterious object that killed the other characters in the game, even without any involvement from me. I never at once pressed my mouse to touch the object but the game would automatically touch the object, which would kill me instantly. This happened a couple of times before I figured out that I just needed to run away from the object (I know, I know…why didn’t I do that at first). Another part of the game had me moving to an area that left me trapped with no place to escape.

Barrow Hill is an enjoyable point-and-click adventure game that will please fans of the genre. For gamers that have never played a point-and-click adventure game should definitely check out Barrow Hill. The puzzles are at just the right level between easy and difficult that shouldn’t turn away most gamers. The plot is well written with some nice surprises and twists to keep you playing until the end. I would even recommend this game to anyone that has a fondness for Stonehenge and other unexplained ancient historical landmarks. Barrow Hill isn’t the best point-and-click adventure game but it is a good game, regardless of the few bad scores by other gaming sites on the net. The game offers a great, albeit short, experience that will be enjoyed by hardcore and casual gamers alike.

Gameplay: 8.0
Barrow Hill offers a nice mixture of difficult and easy puzzles with a rather non-linear gaming area to explore. The interface is easy enough for everyone to master since you just point and click. The game’s cursor changes when you can interact with an item in the game. There were a few items in the game near the bottom of the screen which were difficult to inspect because the inventory screen was located at the bottom of the screen.

Graphics: 7.4
The game does a good job of presenting a spooky, rundown, out-of-the-way look in the graphics. If it wasn’t for the character pictures repeating again regardless of the plot development the graphics would have scored a little higher.

Sound: 7.5
All of the music in the game is the ambient, atmospheric music heard in just about any horror movie or mystery adventure game. The music does a great job of creating a creepy, disturbing environment to explore. I do have to mention that I never felt the voice acting in the game really matched the characters they portrayed. The sense of urgency was in their voices but the voices just didn’t seem to match the pictures of the characters. I guess you could blame this on some of the characters having the same pictures regardless of the plot changes.

Difficult: Easy/Medium
The game shouldn’t be a challenge to the majority of gamers today. Just make sure to take the time to explore all of the locations in the game. Move your cursor around the entire screen.

Concept: 7.3
It’s another point-and-click adventure game. Sure this is a good one with a plot that is different than the usual “let’s explore this mysterious house” but it’s still a point-and-click adventure game. Some gamers automatically quit reading this review right at the beginning because of the point-and-click design.

Overall: 7.6
Barrow Hill is another solid addition to the point-and-click genre. The genre will never go away, especially with quality titles such as this one coming out.