Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle

"An Enjoyable Afternoon's Diversion and a Genuinely British Game"

Intro

This game is effectively your typical night time point and click adventure game. In the wilds of Cornwall an archaeological dig at the eponymous stone circle has uncovered something it shouldn't and now unknown forces have escaped and anyone who dares remain in the vicinity. It is up to you to assemble clues and obtain artifacts and eventually assemble a number of offerings in order to appease the unseen enemy in the usual point and click manner and ultimately save the day.

Plot / Game play

The plot is quite an original one and the Britishness of the whole game really shines through. Much of the story is told through various diaries, posters and leaflets that you find lying around the place in and there are really only two other characters that you will meet in the game. The first is a man called Ben who works at the local petrol station, who despite being quite nervy is your main point of contact for the first part of the game. The focus then switches to the other character, Emma Harry, the (quite sultry) voice of Barrow Hill Radio, and it is through interaction with her that you will explore the majority of the Barrow Hill area beyond the Petrol Station.

The plot takes you to several areas beyond the petrol station, though it is one of my main gripes about this game that the petrol station seems to be used much more often than any other area and that those other areas seem to be in existence simply for one puzzle rather than as a place you would visit several times as you built up information.

Despite being a point and click game, the plot is not as linear as you might expect, there are certain things that need to be accomplished before one can move into certain areas but many of the required objects can be found at any point in the game and you are not led by the nose through collecting the offerings.

Given its somewhat limited number of characters the plot is not overly complex, but the absence of people does add to the desolate atmosphere of the game and the fact that there are many written artifacts that have no direct bearing on the plot means you can get as involved in the local area as you wish.

Graphics

The graphics are of the typical point and click style, static images around which you move in ninety degree turns. However the renders are of a decent quality and are supposedly taken from real areas in many instances and upon closer inspection of the game this seems like it is more that probable. The game has plenty of interactive graphical elements, many more than you would need and the occasional little scare just to keep you on your toes.

Many of the individual items in the game are recognisable instantly as items from everyday British life and this modern outlook the game presents adds to the feeling of realism.

Sound

The sound is limited in this game but that is definitely a good thing. There are some examples of music, but those are mostly confined to Emma Harry and others radio Broadcasts. There are some humourous Radio advertisements and a number of Answer phone messages and the like which provide some light relief. The BGM in general is very minimal, consisting of the occasional musical phrase or clattering as someone or something knocks a pan or whatnot over. The absence of continuous music creates a rather haunting feel to the game, somewhat reminiscent of the BGM for Equinox on the SNES for those of you who are that old!

Overall

I would have to say that whilst this is quite a polished game it does give the impression that it was created in someone's bedroom and that their mates provided the voice-overs. Personally this merely adds to the charm of the game as it ensures the characters have genuine regional accents and, as the game is set around the area in which the developers live, much of what you encounter in the game can be visited in real life, albeit under a different name.

This all adds up to give the feeling that whilst you are playing the game you are in the midst of a ghost story of the type that might be told late at night in front of a campfire by a small group of friends on a lonely Cornish beach outside the tourist season and I don't think that is that bad a thing.

The only real downside is the length. If you ensure you read everything and take notes on what you have read and are told then it is perfectly possible to finish the game in only six or seven hours. As such I would say this is probably a game for younger players who are looking for a quite chilling game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/09/07