The Autumn Equinox seems a fitting date for the Steam release of supernatural point-and-click adventure game Barrow Hill: The Dark Path, developed by Shadow Tor Studios and published by Iceberg Interactive. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, the original Barrow Hill title, ’Curse of the Ancient Circle’ also re-emerges into the light, as the classic will now be available on Steam for the first time.
Celtic myth meets modern technology in The Dark Path, as an ancient Bronze Age deity is let loose upon the Cornish landscape. Baibin, a shamanic, mythical creature, is angry; archaeologists have disturbed her tomb and removed precious items. The Equinox is upon us, when day and night are equal, and Baibin won’t rest until she finds what is rightfully hers, no matter what the cost. Lives are at stake, including your own, during an endless night of Pagan ritual and Celtic ceremony.
Lead developer Matt Clark says: “It’s been a very nostalgic journey, making another Barrow Hill game. Returning to the old locations, to write the new story, was a trip down memory lane. Some locations, especially the ancient sites like standing stones and megaliths, barely change with the passing millennia; they are a stark reminder of their immortality and power. Other locations, such as woods and wild places, have become even more wooded and wild, a neo-pagan or white wiccan playground.” He continues to say: Fans of the original game will find the game very familiar, if all new, as I’ve tried to capture the spirit of the first Barrow Hill. It’s a classic, retro point-and-click adventure, with lots of returning characters, as well as the actors who played them. It was brilliant to get everyone back, to reprise their roles, no matter how small. So, expect DJ Emma Harry to keep you company, through the night, as well as a whole host of characters on the airwaves.”
Barrow Hill: Curse of the Ancient Circle, including its soundtrack as free DLC, will release at $ 7.99 and the all new The Dark Path at $ 14.99.
About Curse of the Ancient Circle
Somewhere deep within the woods of Cornwall, a timeless force is stirring. Unseen beneath the ancient burial mound, known locally as Barrow Hill, a forgotten myth awakens. Following in the footsteps of the wellknown archaeologist, Conrad Morse, you will discover that the barrow is more than just a collection of forgotten standing stones. Experience the detailed and immersive storyline yourself, in this classic point-and-click adventure.
The eerie Cornish landscape is brought to life like never before. Arriving during the Autumn Equinox you have one night to unravel a sinister story. Explore the well trodden pathways across the land, seek clues in almost forgotten shrines and experience the ancient forces which exist in the standing stone monument known as Barrow Hill.
Ancient Celtic Monuments: Standing stones are, perhaps, the most mysterious wonders of the ancient world. There are still no satisfactory explanations as to what they are, how they were built, and who constructed them. A detailed, and spellbinding, story is woven through the very fabric of Barrow Hill, offering possible explanations, further mysteries and a chance to get beneath the surface of archaeology like no other game before it.
Dig deeper: Use real archaeological techniques, and practice, to unearth forgotten artefacts and delve into the Celtic legends which haunt the green lanes of the hill. Cornwall boasts itself as the home of many sorcerers, ancient kings and mythological characters. From the piskie folk of the hedgerows and clifftops to the beasts of Bodmin Moor. There isn’t a corner of England’s most western county that
isn’t rich in folklore, magic and danger!
About The Dark PathIt has been 10 years since the ‘Barrow Hill Incident’, a terrible, unsolved mystery, when several people lost their lives to the force inside the hill. No-one knows what really happened, except you. Something to do with the ancient standing stones, the old Druid Circle.
It was built by pagans, millennia ago, for purposes that we can only guess at. Until now.
It is the Autumn Equinox, when day and night are equal, exactly as they were a decade ago. You have returned to the scene of the crime, seeking answers. Could such an event happen again? What trials and offerings await? As you leave the car behind, and step into the dark world of the old woods, you wonder whether you seek the truth, or you are following the Dark Path.
Joining you on your adventure, once again, is kooky amateur late-night DJ Emma Harry. She is worried for her teenage friend, Mia, who has been behaving suspiciously. Emma has heard rumours of rituals, ceremonies and Devil Worship near the old Barrow Hill Service Station. Could Mia be involved? She may have good reason, Mia’s brother Ben was among the missing, 10 years ago. Is time repeating itself?