Barrow Hill is a horror/thriller adventure game; told from the point of view of the player using a first person perspective. Set in mysterious Cornwall, the players will unravel many mysteries, after being stranded on the lonely road to the 'barrow'. This ancient burial site, from pre-history, sits shrouded amongst the watching trees of the hill.
Hidden inside the aging forest of the barrow (ancient burial mound), the stone circle has stood since 2500bc. Amazingly, this monumental site has yet to be surveyed, while Stonehenge has become almost vain through overindulgence:
“There are wild stories regarding why the circle has yet to be surveyed, everything from bad leylines to murderous neo-druids” says Conrad Morse, “I don’t believe a word of it, and I intend to press on with the work, with Shadow Tor Studios recording everything along the way”.
As well as recording the archaeological site in thousands of photographs, Shadow Tor plan to film both daytime and night time footage of the picturesque Cornish countryside, record audio soundscapes of the landscape, and reconstruct many of the landmarks and buildings in 3D. From ancient pagan springs, to elegant ruined chapels, the art department have their work cut out. Working with real-life locations has its challenges:
“It’s a daunting task” says Shadow Tor boss Matt Clark, “and I’m not just talking about the scale of the project. There are wild, and sometimes scary, stories circling as regards the stone circle. It’s a developers dream to be invited to record this dig, and recreate the land for gamers to enjoy. The legends, myths and folktales are fascinating, and will be driving the game in many creepy directions. The team are unaware that many long, lonely nights await them, huddled on the moors with only a flask of coffee and a laptop computer!”
“Barrow Hill”, definitely has its fair share of horrors and mysteries. Two construction workers vanished in 1967, while building the nearby service station. Many feared the two men lost to the moor, but one managed to make his way back to civilisation. Sadly he was in terrible shock, and has never spoken of his experience. Scratches and bruises scarred his skin, and his mind was broken. This tale is not the only story to taint the barrow’s long history, and Shadow Tor Studios plan to bring many of them into the gameplay:
“The website will be launching in the new year, and will cover both Conrad’s excavations at the stone circle, and also our research into the legends of “Barrow Hill” says Matt Clark, “the 3D artists will be exhibiting their work online, and inviting people behind the scenes on the production. I love creepy adventure games, so this title is going to be a pleasure to produce, and hopefully give a few gamers sleepless nights”.
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