House of Ashes is the latest entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology. This series began in 2019 with a standalone episode rehearsing on a yearly basis. Every game in the series has been reviewed well enough for the types of fans that enjoyed story-based adventure games.
Some reviews thought that the last game, Little Hope, was a letdown. The reason why is in regard to the story which would be a spoiler to discuss thoroughly. House of Ashes is a good redemption from that misstep though. What exactly is so compelling about this quick game and are there things the developers should take note of to fix in future sequels?
8 Best: A Terrifying Set-Piece
House of Ashes has one of the most unique set-pieces in the series. The game begins in brightly colored desert landscapes and areas but eventually, players will stumble into a lost underground city. What makes this maze of ruins especially scary is the lightning.
There is true darkness below the surface and should make players feel uneasy. The more powerful the console running the game is then the more haunting the setting will feel.
7 Worst: Takes Awhile To Get Going
The first episode and this new one both take a long time to get going. The second game started much quicker. House of Ashes feels like a different kind of experience for the first hour or so like some sort of adventure game-based Call of Duty game.
That actually sounds like an intriguing idea for that series to test out. As for House of Ashes, the beginning military setting can feel out of place in a series known for its horror. Again, once players get into the ruins the game will start getting better.
6 Best: Co-Op
This series has some of the most unique co-op experiences in video games. There are two modes players can try out. Movie Night Mode is a couch co-op mode where House of Ashes urges people to have one person control each of the five characters. If gamers can get together a set of five friends then the experience turns into sort of a role-playing scenario.
There is also a two-player co-op mode which is online only. The campaign is split into two perspectives that operate during the same timeline. Having two different people make decisions can create a more dynamic story since one person isn’t just trying to game the system by themselves.
5 Worst: The Most Unlikable Characters Ever Assembled
House of Ashes has one of the harder casts of characters to like in the series. That’s kind of the point of horror games and movies. It is a well-known fact that in the Friday the 13th movies, for example, almost everyone in the cast is going to die. Why bother making them likable then?
The point is to show the darker sides of humanity and in a way, House of Ashes does this well. It’s hard to empathize knowing that fact. There is one exception, Salim, who is just trying to do his best in a series of bad situations.
4 Best: Accessible Options
There isn’t much in terms of gameplay in this series. There are moments when characters can move around select items, but for the most part, this is a quick-time event-heavy experience. The sudden prompts on screen can vary meaning that it is almost impossible to get a complete playthrough the first time around.
That’s why it’s nice that House of Ashes features some accessible options for gamers that aren’t as fast on the draw. The response time can be slowed down and prompts can be changed to a single button.
3 Worst: Dead Eyed Puppets
The pure jet blackness of the dark along with the set design is, once again, a sight to see. What has always plagued this series though are its characters. The models themselves look decent but this game, and the others, have issues with the faces.
The eyes look hollow like there is no soul there and expressions can look robotic at times. It can take players out of the experience and make them care even less about the cast when they make their choices.
2 Best: Sound Design
The sound design deserves as much praise as the ruined city as a set piece. If gamers don’t have a surround system at home then it is recommended to play House of Ashes with headphones on. This will enhance the experience further in what is already a standout horror game.
It might also help actually playing the game as noises can clue players into finding objects or which paths to take. Every little bit of advice should help keep the team alive better.
1 Worst: Character Movement
The character models have had another flaw since the very first game: movement speed. How fast a character walks or runs is dependent on the situation. More often than not players will be forced to awkwardly walk around.
There are big environments to cover too and without a run button, getting around can be frustrating. There is also the fact that characters feel like they are weighed down by a ton of bricks, or something.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes was released on October 22, 2021 and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.