Through the eyes of Thomasina Bateman, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow plunges you into the mysteries of the rolling countryside of Victorian England. The game is a point-and-click puzzle that takes place over her three days, but feels like reaching for something bigger.
Hob’s Barrow is a cute 8-bit pixel art style. It creates a retro atmosphere that matches the atmosphere of the good old days. The design style loses a bit of the grandeur of the vast English countryside, but the impact is strong when you jump to very close shots of rats and devastated faces.
Thomasina is an antiquarian with a passion for archeology, and was commissioned by a mysterious man to excavate Hobbs Barrow. He is not there to greet you when you arrive. Find an inn, book a room for yourself, ask the village what’s going on there.
At first there are only walls. All the locals claim they haven’t even heard of Hobbsbarrow, even though there isn’t much else going on in the village. I warn you.
The characters you interact with are really funny. It’s clear that a lot of effort went into crafting their backstories and relationships. There’s clear evidence that they know it’s going to cloud the information they’re looking for in a dramatic drama.
The puzzle actually begins on the second day after you’ve taken your bearings. Only after buttering the relevant villagers will the information become clear. Considering what they want and what they want requires paying attention to what they say and what they need.
There are moments on the second day when the task assigned to me feels more like a fetch quest than a puzzle. After unlocking all the areas and discussing the first round topic with everyone, you’ll still end up flying around the village trying to figure out where you can get some milk. It’s pretty easy to do, so if you pay attention and work hard, you’ll be fine.
There’s a hint in the top corner as to what you’re looking for at any given moment in case you get distracted, but ultimately you’ll have to figure it out yourself.
As we learn about Barrow, we also learn about Thomasina as a character and her family. She experiences flashbacks about her father, who inspired her to pursue the career of her choice and was tragically unwell for a long time. As much as it is lore-based, this sense of dread about the fate of Thomasina’s beloved father adds another layer of depth and trauma to the game.
The amount of work you have to do on day two will be in preparation for the puzzles you’ll face when you finally excavate Barrow. It takes a lot of attention to unlock all its secrets, but there is a sense of accomplishment at the end.
There is only one story ending, but there are many choices throughout the game that I feel could have been more influential. But the feeling of losing control of Thomasina’s decisions is part of the horror and feels like it makes sense. is short and unsatisfactory. The excavation of Hobbs Barrow is short but unsatisfying.
