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The Excavation of Hob's Barrow

PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, Mac, Linux • 2022

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Quick resume

The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a folk horror narrative-driven adventure. Explore the isolated moors of rural Victorian England as you uncover the mysteries of Hob's Barrow. The answers lie in the soil...

Global score

92/100

Genres

Adventure, Puzzle, Point-and-click

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    Pros

    • Strong narrative and atmosphere
    • Excellent voice acting
    • Logical and fair puzzles
    • Immersive folk horror setting
    • Quality pixel art and sound design

    Cons

    • Linear story with fixed ending
    • Some puzzles are easy or slightly convoluted
    • Limited player agency and customization
    • Short game length
    • Lack of replayability beyond commentary

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

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      "Players can explore various locations, solve puzzles, and make some dialogue choices, though story progression is mostly linear."

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    • Competence

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      "Puzzles are logical and intuitive, providing moderate challenge without excessive difficulty or frustration."

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    • Competition

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      "No competitive elements; gameplay is single-player, story-driven, and focused on personal exploration."

      Capsule for The Station The Station

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    • Continuation

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      "Players report engaging story and atmosphere that encourage long sessions and replaying for achievements."

      Capsule for Yesterday Origins Yesterday Origins

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    • Cooperation

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      Capsule for Resonance of the Ocean Resonance of the Ocean

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    • Creativity

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      "Players engage in puzzle solving and some inventory combinations, but within predefined story and environments."

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    • Domination

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      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are narrative-driven."

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    • Escapism

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      4

      "Strong atmospheric horror and immersive storytelling provide an escape from reality."

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    • Expectation

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      "Players engage voluntarily driven by interest in story and genre rather than obligation."

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    • Experimenting

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    • Exploration

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    • Expression

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      "Minimal customization or self-expression; players follow a fixed protagonist with preset appearance and story."

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    • Fantasy

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      "Game features Lovecraftian horror, surreal narrative, and imaginative fiction elements."

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    • Fellowship

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      "Single-player game with minimal social interaction or community involvement."

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    • Growth

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      "Players develop problem-solving skills and progress through story-driven puzzles."

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    • Health

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      "Sedentary gameplay typical of point-and-click adventures."

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    • Idle

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      "Requires focused attention on puzzles and story; not designed for casual or background play."

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      "Requires focused attention on puzzles and story; not designed for casual or background play."

    • Intimacy

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      1

      "Some emotional engagement with characters through story and dialogue, but limited to narrative context."

      Capsule for The Wolf Among Us The Wolf Among Us

      "Some emotional engagement with characters and story, but limited to narrative context."

    • Leadership

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      "No leadership or group management roles; player follows story paths."

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    • Progression

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      "Progression through story advancement and puzzle completion, but no item collection or upgrades."

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    • Relaxation

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      3

      "Slow paced and atmospheric gameplay provides moments of tension release and flow."

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    • Sensation

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      2

      "Enjoyable pixel art, animations, voice acting, and music provide sensory pleasure without intense stimulation."

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      "Enjoyable pixel art, sound design, and voice acting provide sensory stimulation without intense excitement."

    • Status

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      "No social status or recognition systems present."

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    • Story

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      5

      "Strong narrative focus with meaningful themes, character interactions, and atmospheric storytelling."

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    • Strategy

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      1

      "Puzzles require some problem solving and logic but are generally straightforward."

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      "Puzzles require some problem solving but are generally straightforward and logical."

    • Thrill

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      2

      "Psychological horror and suspense create mild thrill without jump scares."

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    • Value

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      4

      "Players report good value for time and money due to extensive content, replayability, and quality production."

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    • Violence

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    • Survival

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    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Fellowship, Expression. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Thrill. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Last update: 30/04/2026