I only saw the original Wicker Man film a few years ago during an October run of watching scary movies. The folk horror classic had been overshadowed in millennial minds by the American remake starring Nicolas Cage. What he and director Neil LaBute would parade out was a terrible update thanks to Cage’s notorious acting style clashing with the worst sensibilities of 2000s filmmaking. Also: not the bees!
But the 1973 original from British director Robin Hardy painted a fantastic portrait of a remote town at odds with the world around it, and the unstoppable, inevitable trainwreck of a stranger arriving on a mission. The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is the only game I’ve played that is able to take the folk horror baton from The Wicker Man and recreate the dread-filled experience of exploring a village that has ventured down its own fateful path.
Developed by Cloak and Dagger Games and published by Wadjet Eye Games in 2022, The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is a point and click adventure game created in Adventure Game Studio that will immediately feel familiar and accessible to fans of the genre. The game is exploration and conversation focused for most of its playtime, saving its big puzzle gauntlet until the last act. This gives the plot plenty of time to stretch out and dig into you before revealing its final trick.
You play as Thomasina Bateman in the late 19th century, an archaeologist specializing in excavating barrows across England. Barrows are ancient burial mounds that can reveal secrets about the culture and people of their time. My only experience with barrows before this was the admittedly confusing chapter in The Fellowship of the Ring where Frodo and his hobbit friends were trapped in the barrow-downs, to be rescued by Tom Bombadil. Yeah, that whole section was cut for the movie.
Thomasina is writing a book about barrows, and at the beginning of the game arrives by train to the remote village of Bewlay. Both the new train station and Thomasina’s visiting become controversial subjects with the villagers: some welcome her with open arms while others are suspicious or downright hostile of her invading Bewlay. And while I think she has the right to visit, I’m not unsympathetic to those who call her actions grave-robbing. I suppose that’s one of the fine lines of archaeology.
In her few days away from London, you’re tasked with guiding Thomasina to find the local inn, meet her contact who invited her, and find Hob’s Barrow to excavate it, naturally. Bewlay is filled with a cast of friendly but suspicious folk, but also surrounded by mysteries. Seemingly magical things begin happening, from small animals being killed to locals being attacked by the fauna. Thomasina is a staunch atheist and skeptic, causing her to clash with the villagers and struggle for an explanation when fantastical riddles present themselves.
The main plot is backdropped by numerous, short flashbacks to Thomasina’s childhood with her father, an archaeologist who ignited the spark within her at a young age. Her father has been comatose since a mysterious incident in Thomasina’s youth, giving her a reason to go on, but also whiplashing her back into the past at certain moments. As the game progresses, it begins to become clear the events of her life so far are all connected. I will not spoil the ending, but the echoes of the past will have you scrambling for safety once the credits roll.
Hob’s Barrow’s art style features a muted color palette most of the time, which allows the flashbacks and final act to shine. The flashbacks feel filled with color, contrasting the sallow present. Meanwhile the final act is entirely cast in purple, giving it an eerie hue unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There are also many insert shots of static or animated paintings of the current scene scattered throughout the game, their unearthly art style not betrayed in the least by their low resolution.
The game’s difficulty never strays into absurdity, though I had to look up two puzzles to continue progression. A built-in hint system would have been welcome, though there is a convenient quest tracker so you know what to do after taking a break. There’s also a hotkey to hold to show all interactable objects in the current room, something I wish had existed 30 years ago! The game runs great on a controller too, I played mostly on my docked Steam Deck, it’s also available for the Nintendo Switch.
I can’t recommend The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow enough. Wadjet Eye Games continues their streak of never missing, and I can’t wait to see what Cloak and Dagger and designer Shaun Aitcheson do next. Facing the supernatural across the British Isles is absolutely having its moment right now between this, The Seance of Blake Manor, and Angeline Era. Hop on the train while the getting is good.
