Barrow Hill. Pleasantly surprised.
 

Hi,

After some bad reviews of this game i got a little worried about pre-ordering it.

Glad i didn't cancel as have been playing for a few hours last night and this morning and am really enjoying it:)

It feels very similar to the original Dark Fall. There is an initial feeling of being alone and not knowing why in both games.

The atmosphere is creepy and there is some good use of sound effects. I've also read about the poor graphics but it's all looking pretty good to me. They are crisp and sharp and everything is easy to spot. The interface is as good as Tunguska's IMO.

The puzzles (so far) are quite easy but i still felt a sence of triumph each time:D

Best of all though, for me, is the setting. Apart from the car's numberplate at the start everything fits with the Cornish setting. Which is cool.

I also like being able to pick things up that have no use. Taking a bite of a Jam Tart and squirting a spray bottle are little details that are welcome.

So all in all i'm impressed. Especially for only £11.99:D

That´s what i thought as well, as i discovered this article on the official website for Barrow Hill: http://www.barrow-hill.co.uk/news/we...orningnews.jpg.
It turns out that the folks who made Dark Fall and Barrow Hill know each other, they´re collegues.That´s why the games are so alike.:)

Agreed.Barrow Hill is a very good game, i´m glad i bought it.

I just bought it from EB for the sum of ~€25. I think I'll finish Voyage and Aura before I start with it though.

yah!
I finished the game and enjoyed it.
it had a great gameplay, although a little short but it was great!;)

I can't even install it (just finished Voyage and don't feel like playing Aura)... ;(
The game just won't give me any install options. The DVD just keeps spinning. Nothing happens.

I had the same problem. On 2 different drives:frusty:
Once the disc is spinning (and not doing alot as you already know) press eject.
You will get an error popup. Close cd tray again and press continue.
It should then start the installation process.

Just make sure you disable autoplay first!!

Thanks I'll try that. I just got a new drive so I was a little confused. Anyway after giving up on Barrow Hill I tried Myst V again. With this drive it works fine :) so I'm gonna play it first and then return to Barrow Hill.

I only had one problem with Barrow Hill, and it's impossible to say it without giving an almost complete spoiler. Besides that, it had a great plot and a very eerie feel to it.

Spoiler:

The "monster"... It just felt silly. The way it moved around was almost comical.

Just finished the game and i gotta say that i really loved Barrow Hill.One of the best adventure games i´ve played in a long time!
The game is a bit similar to Zak McKracken:

Spoiler:

near the end of Barrow Hill when you "mend" the medallion by putting the pieces on the altar.There´s a scene just like it in Zak McKracken.

Homage or rip-off? Hmmmmm. ;) :D

I hope we get to see more games from the creator of Barrow Hill.This guy is talented.:kiss:

Well I highly disagree, the game was pretty weak. Yes the atmosphere was excellent, possibly one of the best ever, the gfx was great, the whole woods in the dark thing, perfect, and abandoned diner, even more perfect.

But the atmosphere was not used as an advantage at all, this game could've been hella scary, but no, no scary moments at all, no suspense, no nothing.

Spoiler:

I mean the monester is a rock? what the hell, a rock?. After all those phone whispers, I was sure I was going to get one hell of a scare, but a flying rock???!!. When viewing the Video tapes, and the car parked, ... Bam a flying rock, I nearly laughed. That could've been a masterpiece moment if there were a proper intity

One more bad thing, the way the characters move (not you), what the? feels like a game from 1980.

Spoiler:

Since after a while of playing, u know ur character will not ever speak, so when he talks or calls some1, u know 100% something will happen, so that ur not in a situation to talk

This could've been one hell of a game imo, but it wasn't.

I haven't played that much, but I'm inclined to agree. So far I too am disapointed, but then I've only played for around 30 min so I'm hoping it will change.

Yeah I have to agree,

Spoiler:

when I saw what happened to the people in the car at the gas station,

I completely lost interest in finishing the game. I went ahead for a while longer, but for me the game was over when I saw what I would be facing for the rest of the game.

Spoiler:

I also hated the lack of interaction between anyone and anything. All the dialogue was prescripted and I had no choice or say in the matter at all.

Several first person adventure games are like this; Dark Fall and Amerzone, for example.
Perhaps the game creators think this will make the player feel like he/she is the person in the game, since you never see what the character looks like, or get to hear his voice.

Is the team who created Barrow Hill working on a new game?
I really, really loved Barrow Hill, and would love to see more games from them. :)

Me too! Me too! :9~

I loved every minute of Barrow Hill!

I should finish this one. I started playing it on the heels of Scratches, and wasn't quite as taken with it as I was with Scratches. Some little things irked me here and there, like having to enter the door codes every time I wanted to go back in the rooms, the node-based movement, feeling I was going in circles in the woods. Then some other games came along and I stopped playing it. But I do like the premise and the atmosphere very much, so I'm sure I'll finish it one of these rainy days.

I didn't have any problem with the nodes. I think they enhanced the level of graphics capable in the game without making the computer do too much work.

I played Barrow Hill, and loved it.

Same here. Scratches, I could stand because it managed to actually scare me a bit (at least once). Barrow Hill, not at all. The best thing about it was, for me, the educational part in which you get to learn something about ancient Celtic Cornwall.

Yes, The Lost Crown - a ghost hunting adventure. It should be out in March in North America, not sure when/if it will be sold here in the UK.