The Excavation of Hob's Barrow

About The Excavation of Hob's Barrow

The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a narrative point-and-click adventure by Cloak and Dagger Games, published by Wadjet Eye Games in September 2022 for PC, Mac and Linux and later on Nintendo Switch. It is set on the isolated moors of rural Victorian England and draws on real English folklore.

You play Thomasina Bateman, an antiquarian writing a book on the barrows of England. A letter calls her to the small village of Bewlay to dig into Hob's Barrow, but when she steps off the train the man who wrote to her is nowhere to be found, her assistant never arrives, the landowner refuses to let her dig and the locals distrust a woman travelling alone. Then the dreams begin.

It plays as a traditional adventure: you walk the village, the pub, the vicarage and the moors, talk to suspicious villagers, a sickly vicar and a stubborn squire, collect items and use them to clear the way to the barrow. The interface is simple, fast travel between places saves walking, and the puzzles are mostly logical. The whole game is fully voiced.

The horror is a slow folk horror in the spirit of old British films: mist on the moor, a village that knows more than it says, strange sights in the dark and a mounting sense that the dig should never happen. It has few jump scares and leans on atmosphere, its pixel art and its music. It suits players who like story-rich adventures such as The Last Door and want dread rather than shocks.

How to play The Excavation of Hob's Barrow

1. Click on people, objects and exits to walk, look and talk; the game is played with the mouse or a controller.
2. Talk to everyone in Bewlay and choose dialogue topics to learn about the barrow and the village.
3. Pick up items and combine them or use them on people and places to get past each obstacle.
4. Use the map to travel quickly between the village, the moors and other places you have found.
5. Check Thomasina's notes when stuck; they record what she needs to do next.

Tips

• Ask every villager about every topic; small remarks often point to the next puzzle.
• Look closely at the scenery, since many useful items are small.
• Revisit places after the story moves on, as people and objects change.
• Play with headphones; the music and voices carry much of the mood.

Questions