The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Review — Late to the Game
Story
House of Ashes is Supermassive’s third entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology. Like its predecessors, House of Ashes is an interactive story, where you control five characters and make decisions that will affect their fates.
Rachel (voice by Ashley Tisdale, aka Maddie from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Candace from Phineas and Ferb) is a no-nonsense CIA Field Officer commanding a US base in Iraq during the 2003 invasion. Eric, Rachel’s estranged husband is an Air Force Lieutenant who is taking control of her forces to search for a hidden chemical weapons cache. Nick is one of Rachel’s soldiers and is haunted by past mistakes. He is also her secret lover. Jason, the epidemy of a good marine, is Nick’s squad leader and close friend. Finally, Salim is a member of the Iraqi Ground Forces who just wants to get home to his son.
During a battle, the five playable characters get caught in an earthquake that traps them deep underground. There, they find the remains of an ancient Mesopotamian temple. As if fighting each other and trying to escape weren’t difficult enough, something else has awakened in the dark, something ancient and hungry.
Can the soldier’s put aside their differences and work together to survive? You decide. Based on your decisions everyone could live to see sunlight again, or all could perish in the dark.
In addition to surviving the mystery of what lurks underground, you explore each character’s backgrounds, and possibly help them resolve some issues. Will Rachel and Eric get back together, or will her new flame win out? Will Nick come to grips with the ghosts of his past? Will Salim ever make it home to his son? It’s all up to you.
Like in previous games, your guide through the story is the Curator. He offers insights and hints to help you along your journey, and even lets a few things slip that bring his own existence into question. Who or what is he, and what is his endgame? We might learn more as the series progresses, or maybe we’ll never know. One thing’s for sure, he always lingers nearby when one of your characters faces a potential death.
Gameplay
House of Ashes gameplay is divided into two main parts. The first is selecting dialogue choices, since the game is largely like an interactive movie. The decisions you make have overarching consequences, as what you say or do, or how good of a relationship you have with the other characters could literally determine who lives and dies.
Once the action starts, you perform quick time events to fight off assailants (be they human or otherwise), leap over chasms, or hide from imminent threats. Unlike the previous Dark Pictures games, House of Ashes offers a difficulty selection to determine just how hard those quick time events will be. Most of them weren’t too bad, and the game is generous, often requiring you to fail multiple times before your characters suffer irreversible consequences.
There’s also some light exploration where you look for clues to piece together what’s going on. Randolph Hodgson’s journals of his expedition in the 40’s are particularly inserting. And of course, you can find mysterious pictures that give you glimpses into possible futures for your characters.
Final Thoughts
House of Ashes may be my favorite game in the Dark Pictures Anthology so far (I’m still having a hard time deciding between it and Little Hope). The story and characters are compelling, and although the mystery isn’t as deep as past entries, a few twists and turns along the way keep you on your toes
In my opinion, Supermassive’s entries are among the best horror video games, and House of Ashes is one of their best. My only complaint is that the game’s graphics were often subpar, but that doesn’t detract from the overall experience. While horror and interactive story games aren’t for everyone, I highly recommend The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes to anyone who is interested in either.
My Rating 5/5
