The Excavation of Hob's Barrow (2022)
Released in late September, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow returned me to the comfort of old-school point-and-click adventures. It is the seventh adventure by the small studio Cloak and Dagger Games, and it is published by a true genre icon, Wadjet Eye Games. That partnership ensures excellent voice acting, and the characters left a favourable impression more broadly. Built on ancient belief and folklore, the story is a horror piece set in 19th-century northern England. A young archaeologist arrives in a small remote village to investigate an ancient barrow and is met with conflicting attitudes. Who is who, and who can be trusted? The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow does not settle for a happy ending; instead, it leaves the player wounded, alone with their troubled thoughts.