In The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, we are introduced to Thomasina Bateman, an antiquarian engrossed in writing a book about burial mounds in England. A mysterious letter compels her to journey to the remote village of Bewlay. However, the letter’s sender fails to appear, and the titular burial mound, The Hob’s Barrow, proves surprisingly difficult to access. Thomasina soon discerns that the situation is more complex than initially perceived, and her investigations take a darker turn as she experiences increasingly disturbing nightmares.
As a long-time enthusiast of Point-and-click adventure games, I appreciate the resurgence of retro-style titles within the genre. The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow features detailed graphics reminiscent of classics such as Monkey Island and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Originally released for PC, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is now available on Nintendo Switch, which is the platform used for this review. Porting mouse-and-keyboard-centric mechanics to a controller can often present challenges, but The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow executes this transition effectively. The button mapping is intuitive, with dedicated buttons for examining objects, performing actions, accessing inventory, and highlighting interactive elements. The left trigger provides a quick-save function, and double-clicking allows the character to move more rapidly across the screen. The resulting control scheme provides the player with precise and adaptable movement.
The narrative is compelling, drawing upon elements of English folklore. The story unfolds at a measured pace, making it easy to become immersed in the unfolding mystery. Full voice acting is provided for all characters, and the soundtrack effectively enhances the game’s atmospheric tension.
The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow performs admirably on the Nintendo Switch, with short loading times and clear visuals and text on the built-in screen. The game lends itself well to portable play, and the use of headphones is recommended for optimal immersion. The game remains fully playable without audio due to clear visual cues. One minor issue is the fixed text size when playing in docked mode. The text appears quite large on a television screen, which can become somewhat distracting over time.
In conclusion, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is an engaging and well-crafted point-and-click adventure that is ideally suited for the Nintendo Switch. It earns a strong recommendation, and for enthusiasts of the genre, it is a must-have title.
Wadjet Eye Games provided a review code for this evaluation. Provision of materials does not influence our editorial assessments.
