Barrow Hill: very well done in all aspects

I just had a pleasant Saturday and Sunday playing Barrow Hill, the brand new suspense/adventure game from Matt Clark, the creator of Harvest. The game arrived in my Friday's mailbox and made my whole long weekend much more enjoyable.

I won't go into any long review because the one written by Inferno says it all much better than I can. The game is a classic point and click, slide show format but the sounds, music, graphics and overall ambience is light years better than anything Mr. Clark has done to date. The game play and suspense reminded me of Dark Fall 1, The Journal, except that the action takes place outside much of the time versus being inside a creepy haunted hotel.

The gameplay and the puzzles are very well integrated and are logically placed. There are no hard to locate hot spots either. The game is mostly non-linear but there are some areas that are not "open" to explore until you have accomplished some prior tasks. Best of all, the single DVD loaded up perfectly on my WIN XP Professional laptop that has the minimum video graphics capability and it played absolutely error-free - - a very rare thing these days. If you need a walkthrough, there is an excellent one by MaGtRo on this site. I didn't have to use it much at all because the gameplay makes it clear as to what needs to be done.

So, if you are looking for an independently, professionally produced adventure/suspense game that is available at an excellent price from the game creator, you will not be disappointed in Barrow Hill. Remember though that the game is only on DVD, not CD. You can order the game at the Barrow Hill website: www.barrow-hill.co.uk. Enjoy!

Hi Bruce, I have to agree it was an awesome game. Quite impressive that you played in a weekend, it took me awhile to complete.

I did want to point out though that Michael Clark created Harvest not Matt Clark.

I'm glad you enjoyed the game, it has to be one of the top Indie games I ever played.

Ana

I've heard nothing but good about this one!

Thanks for your thoughts Bruce

Hi

This is on my "to play" stack and your favourable review only adds to the anticipation

Thanks !!

Cheers.

Mad

Got Game has to update their site, they only say that Barrow's Hill is 'coming soon' when I try to click on Buy.

TopherAce, I think it says that because it is not quite out yet through Got Game, but it will be.

I hope you get to play it.

Thanks. I most likely will try to play it.

Hi

Played Barrow Hill now and thoroughly enjoyed it !!

Hope we will get more games from this very talented developer

Cheers.

Mad

It's great to find little gems, isn't it.

Ok I know I'm behind the times but that's what happens to some grandmas. And we get behinder and behinder as time goes by. Bless those little grandangels for sometimes keeeping us up to date. However, question?

They make dvd players that play games on computers now? Or do you use some sort of add't stand alone game component to play them? Is it like playing a regular game on the computer?

I would like to buy barrow hill (sounds just up my alley) now that I have time to get back to playing games but this is out of my understanding. Al my grandsons want me to do is play kill-em-dead with lots of horrible weapons and race horrendous car/motorcycle/jet-plane crashing thingies. shudder

Hey Fizzypops -- it's standard now for the latest computers to come equipped with DVD drives instead of (or in addition to) CD drives. Unless your computer is a few years old, there's a good chance it already has a DVD drive.

However, if your computer doesn't have a DVD drive, not to worry! In August Got Game will be releasing Barrow Hill on CDs in North America, so you will be able to play it even if you don't have a DVD drive.

Oh, fizzypop, you lucky grandma! You will love the game when it comes out on CD if your computer doesn't have a DVD player.

My grandson is always trying to get me to play his "shoot 'em up games" too. I just tell him Grandma like to play games that make her think too!

Just finished the game. It is a short game, with the story taking place in one night only, but the storytelling and the overall presentation is top-notch, including the first person perspective graphics, the characters, animation, immersive touches of detail to enrich the game world, the ambient music, and the simple but adequate voice over acting.

I actually like the ending, even though it was a short and subtle ending it was satisfying for a horror story. Emma Harry was a very likeable NPC. At one point I was actually concerned for her safety. Story wise, the plot is a bit far-out to me but I like it - it is different from other horror stories.

The puzzles in this game are not too hard. (I am a "walkthrough person".) I like the way the puzzles are linked to uncovering the mystery bit by bit and the big multi-part puzzle involving the offerings.

Enjoy this game like you would enjoy a well prepared dinner with wine. For those who prefer engaging and detailed stories with character development, you are not looking for a good dinner meal but for "an overseas 3-day dining experience vacation trip" so you should look elsewhere, for one of the detective series or a classic game on our List.