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Good Game For Straight RPers

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is cute and fun. It's easy to immerse yourself in it and become the unnamed main character. It involves some problem solving techniques, though nothing over complicated or too hard. I solved it in about two hours without a walkthrough. There is only one enemy and it will only kill you if you go on the wrong path before the required clues are collected and you don't have to even run from it then, just turn around. And even if you do die, nothing happens. There is no experience to lose, no levels to raise. You are basically in a scavenger hunt for items and clues in a very small playing field. You can set your own pace, but there really is not any point in delaying because unless you are going to the next clue, nothing will happen. The controls are stiff compared to modern controls, you basically click on the four sides of the screen to move with very little finesse, but at least you can cover huge areas with a single click. The sounds are moody and believable, the atmosphere is not scary but somehow compelling, a little creepy and a little... well almost peaceful. It is a horror mystery, but it feels familiar, like an old well worn nightmare you know by heart. There are a couple of gruesome images, a fried slag heap that used to be a kid with twisted glasses, a single sneaker, and scattered coloring crayons, toys, and books and the on-phone killing of a dog, but it is mild enough to be kid safe.

If you are looking for a horror shooter, this isn't it. Get the Silent Hill Games.
If you are looking for something scary, this isn't it. Get the Fatal Frame Games.
If you want challenging puzzles and mind benders or obscure clues, this isn't it. Try Killing Ground for that.

If you want a fun diversion to remind you of simpler times, buy Barrow Hill and enjoy it.

Does not have 360 degree turn...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: November 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've played Myst games and Scratches, and although the first 2 Myst games were without the 360degrees turn, Myst 3 and 4 had 360 degree turn in the game. The reason the first 2 Myst games did not have 360 turn was that they came out in the early 1990's. This game did not have that, and I was expecting it to have it, mainly because its a recently new game that probably came out last year or so. Another thing is I just didn't care for this so I returned it for a refund. Sorry to be the only one here who didn't pick up interest in this one.

Eh... so so.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game reminds me of those really bad survival horror playstation games. I say this because everything you do has to be precise. For example: You see a door and you can't open it. So you have to search high and low for a rubber band to place it on the doorknob. Still can't open the door, so you have to search high and low for something with substantial weight to balance on the rubber band, so that the rubber band can swing low turning the doorknob opening the door. Couldn't you just turn the doorknob with your hands? This example didn't come from this game, but it's similar stuff like. You can't do things without finding other stuff first. This can be long and frustrating... yet addicting if you're stubborn.

I wish you could do more than just point-and-click. The game is a bit eerie and at times I thought I was going to jump out my seat, but knowing all you could do is just point-and-click really takes away the excitement. There's no way you can go to combat with your fancy point-and-click trick. No no.. it's way too fancy.
A lot of the times I wasn't sure when was the right moment to click. The arrow of your mouse will turn into either a direction (left, right, or up) or a magnifying glass telling you that you can zoom either in or out. But you'd have to place your arrow directly over an item, and it's hard to identify interacting objects because they were random, at least in my opinion. My roommate thinks differently. You'd look at a table with a bunch of boxes on it, and you suspect there's something in there, you move your mouse the box on the left but your arrow doesn't change into the magnifying glass, nor does it change for the box on the right, but sure enough it changes for the box huddled inbetween a broken couch and empty bottles. And you'd have to be careful not to move the arrow so far up or down on the screen because black margin's will show up (containing objects you've picked up and can use).

I did enjoy having to find scraps of paper in various locations especially if they hold important information. My roommate hated this because that meant you had to read everything... and there was A LOT to read. But it made me feel like a real detective. My advice: make notes on everything you think is important. Just so you don't have to kill yourself trying to find that one scrap of paper in that abandoned and random place to figure out the combination of the lock to a room you need to go in.

I give this game a 3.5 because of the reasons I've mentioned. Having a battle would be fun, and only if it wasn't so random. But it did keep me going-- I am a bit stubborn to figure things out so I was always on my computer. I'd play it again in a year or so, just so I can forget the step-by-step process and start anew.

Very Impressive with Great Attention to Detail

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best "point 'n click" adventures I have played in a long time, for MANY reasons.

-great atmosphere, super spooky lighting and shadows with creepy
unsettling sounds and music track. Eerie footsteps and breathing sounds follow you wherever you go.

-Logical puzzles that are not randomly put in. Basically, all the puzzles have a why along with the how. They use more realistic ways of putting in "puzzles" like having to use a GPS system or metal detector to find important items instead of having to solve some silly puzzle to open a secret door to get to the loot (heck, in this game sometimes you can just go for the practical "prying open" solution to a locked object).

-VERY accurate details regarding Cornish history and legends (they even went out of their way to record real Cornish crickets for the background sounds).

-VERY accurate info on Wiccan and Pagan practices and philosophies. I actually am Wiccan/Pagan and a lot of their info was spot on in regards to what we actually practice.

-They included a bunch of information regarding the game and things portrayed in the game on the disc. So, even when you've finished the game, you can go find out about the real "Barrow Hill" and some general stuff about Paganism.

Some might not care, but being a Pagan myself it was very refreshing to see such an accurate (at least when it comes to the information provided), positive approach to a spooky story involving Pagan practices. It shows the Pagan ideas and beliefs as forgotten and misunderstood instead of the typical picture of us as wild, Satan-worshiping, human-sacrificing heathens. So many suspense or horror stories involving Pagans are so inaccurate, as if we need to be shown as monsters to have the story be frightening. This story accomplishes BOTH, scaring the pants off of you while still using accurate information (except for the super fantastical elements in the story. Once you play, you will know what I mean...)

There were, however, some shortcomings, but they were so small I didn't think they really called for a subtraction of stars from my review (maybe a half a star, but since I can't give it 4 1/2 stars I've given it 5).

-It was short. Yep, really short. I finished it in about 2 days of on and off playing (I had to take breaks it would creep me out so much). I only payed about 5 bucks for my copy, so it being so short really didn't bug me (except that I wanted to keep playing it!)

-It was a little low budget, but not as much as I would expect from a smaller company. The scenes were beautiful and and the atmosphere was great, but you could tell they were trying to save money whenever you had to talk to someone...they just had a lot of still pics instead of a movie of the person talking to you. This really didn't take away from the game though.

Anyway, the pros far outweigh the cons and I would DEFINITELY recommend this to:
-Wiccans or Pagans (or those interested in Paganism or "Witchcraft")
-Suspense or Psychological Thriller fans
-Beginning players or players that don't have a lot of time to obsess over a game

However, I would NOT recommend this game to:
-People who have a hard time with Witchcraft or Paganism being shown as a positive thing
-Horror fans who like gore (this game has none...)
-People who have a lot of free time and want a game they can really sink their teeth into for a long while...

Absolutely GREAT game!

Spookily Fun!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 26, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've played many of the adventure games (Syberia, Orient Express, etc) and this one was absolutely the most FUN. "Fun" is the keyword here. None of the puzzles required a degree in abstract philosophy... there are clues everywhere (take lots'a notes and print out the map). And the clues don't generally come up in sequence... so don't worry about finding things in the proper order. And there are distractions; they can be fun too. Though the graphics are minimally animated, they are very good... and "creepy" might describe them best. The music and the sound effects are perfect and kept me "looking over my shoulder". And... it is possible to get killed... although the game will simply start you back up just prior to your death.

The endings (both- good and bad) were pretty anti-climactic, but the journey was worth the destination. All in all, this is, to date, the most FUN adventure quest I've ever played!

Fun, but that's it?

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

Atmospheric and spooky, at least at first. I like this kind of game, but found that I certainly didn't have to try very hard to uncover clues and solve mini puzzles even before the real mystery presented itself! Before I knew it, half the game was solved with very little effort. I thought the story and setting were intriguing, though the ending was a bit abrupt and unsatisfying. I enjoy a good lengthy hunt, so was basically disappointed with the ease I was able to piece together the overall "mystery" and solve it. This may have something to do with the small area avaialable to search since the entire setting is fairly confined. Though I rarely judge a game by its length alone, I must say that just as I was starting to get interested in the mystery and characters, it was over- I honestly couldn't believe it. Some of the inventory items weren't even necessary to finding the intended clue! I'm not completely disappointed, but think I'll just pass this on to my ten year old who may have more fun with it.

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

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.

Short but sweet

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Barrow Hill is one of those rare independently developed games that jumps to a professional level of quality. The setting is genuinely creepy. Every element of the game contributes to a general sense of unease. The graphics, while outdated, are utilized in such a way to be extremely effective. The sound is probably the most striking part. Crickets, rustling leaves and birds are all represented in the game with stunning execution. The locations are very detailed and feel very realistic. Players will explore and interact with a large number of objects, but only a very small number of these have any purpose in play. While this helps create atmosphere, it may also confuse the player in some cases.

The story is excellently developed and allows the player to roll into it, rather than forcing their hand. This presents the player with a real sense of accomplishment and control that isn't always present in other adventure games.

The game does have some weak spots, unfortunately. Without spoiling anything, the game does lose some fear elements when the player finally encounters the primary antagonist. Additionally, the game may be far too easy and consequently too short for an experienced adventure gamer.

For the price paid, I feel like I got a good amount. There's some bonus materials including a large amount of additional content concerning the game's real world setting of Cornwall, England. Additionally there's some behind-the-scenes information on the game's development.

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.

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