While the name might not be familiar, Cloak and Dagger Games has been steadily making a name for itself in the point-and-click genre over the last half-decade with a series of idiosyncratic short-form adventures, primarily within the realm of horror. A few of them, including deliciously creepy early title A Date in the Park, with its expert ratcheting of unease, can be played for free. The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow is Cloak and Dagger’s first new title since 2019’s Lovecraft-inspired freebie The Terrible Old Man, and follows the Victorian-era adventure of antiquarian and author Thomasina Bateman as she arrives in the remote village of Bewlay after receiving a mysterious summons concerning its ancient barrows. Cloak and Dagger’s Steam page promises a “dark, complex and evolving storyline” featuring elements from real English folklore, plus a cast of intriguing characters, evocative pixel-art graphics, and more. The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow actually caught my eye during a Steam Next Fest earlier in the year, and its wonderfully atmospheric demo (sadly no longer available) completely won me over, so I’m eager to see how its story unfolds. Wadjet Eye - which also recently announced its own internally developed new point-and-click adventure Old Skies - hasn’t given a final release date for The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow just yet, but expect to see it arrive sometime later this year.
