Ever since it found great success with the slasher-horror game Until Dawn, Supermassive Games has doubled-down on its cinematic games that blur the line between video game and feature film. It has continued Until Dawn's legacy with its anthology series The Dark Pictures, which has so far consisted of Man of Medan, Little Hope, and soon The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes, which will offer a new cast of characters, a unique setting, and more. Supermassive Games recently showed off The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes in more detail, giving fans an idea of what to expect when it launches later this year.
The Dark Pictures fans that have completed Little Hope and stuck around for the secret ending have already gotten a glimpse at what The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes will have in store. Essentially, the game is set in the Iraqi desert in 2003, at the height of the Iraq War. Rachel King, played by Ashley Tisdale, arrives in the arena with her team of soldiers, comprising of Jason, Nick, her husband Colonel Eric King, and some others.
Unfortunately, the team finds themselves trapped below ground in a bizarre, ancient temple that just so happens to be crawling with monsters. This event will lead the group to team with Iraqi Salim Othman, who will serve as one of the five playable characters thrust into this hellish situation.
Horror Inspirations
Just like previous iterations of The Dark Pictures took inspiration from existing horror franchises, so too does The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes. The footage shown by Supermassive Games made a direct reference to Mesopotamian demon Pazuzu, who is perhaps most famously known for being the demon that possesses Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist book and movie. However, the horror influences don't stop there.
Supermassive has specifically named Aliens, Predator, and The Descent as other horror movies that have influenced The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes. And based on the gameplay footage shown, it's clear to see how these franchises influenced the game. The group of soldiers is well-armed and facing an entire "nest" of monsters, which calls back to the atmosphere of Aliens. The way the monsters are virtually unseen and are picking off members of the team from the shadows is reminiscent of Predator, while the underground setting and the look of the creatures (from the brief glimpses Supermassive afforded fans) are clearly inspired by The Descent. Supermassive has also cited H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountain of Madness as inspiration.
Whether or not all of these ingredients add up to something truly compelling remains to be seen. So far, it seems as though this installment of The Dark Pictures will finally lean into the supernatural, as opposed to previous iterations that have always found some kind of "logical" explanation for the fantastical goings-on.
Gameplay Improvements
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes is going to be instantly familiar to anyone that played The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan, The Dark Pictures: Little Hope, or Supermassive's Until Dawn. It is essentially a playable movie, where player choice has an impact on each character's fate and various plot points in the game. But while House of Ashes isn't exactly rewriting the book on The Dark Pictures, it is still bringing some important gameplay improvements to the table.
The most notable gameplay improvement in The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes is easily the new 360 degree camera, which controls like a more traditional video game camera as opposed to the fixed camera angles used in previous installments. Supermassive's goal with this camera was to make the gameplay more immersive, and it definitely seems to be accomplishing that goal, based on the footage shown. It looks as though it will help to draw players into the game world in a more impactful way, though players will need to get their hands on the game for themselves to be sure of how truly effective it is.
Other gameplay improvements include the new Flashlight button, which allows players to sweep the area for secrets and hidden paths. Players can also adjust the difficulty setting this time around, addressing one of the main complaints fans have had about The Dark Pictures: the QTEs. Easy, Medium, and No Holds Barred difficulty modes are all available, determining the speed of the QTEs and making them easier or harder depending on player preference.
There's also going to be a next-gen version of The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes on PS5 and Xbox Series X, offering some enhanced graphics but no gameplay improvements. If The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes is using the PS5 DualSense controller in any unique fashion, it wasn't mentioned by Supermassive Games.
Regardless, it's clear that The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes is making some major strides when it comes to the gameplay. While there are some key changes, fan favorite modes will also return, with the game offering the usual Shared Story, Movie Night, Theatrical Cut, and Curator's Cut options. As is typical of The Dark Pictures, the Curator's Cut will be a pre-order bonus, offering fans some alternative scenes and perspectives not found in the Theatrical Cut.
While The Dark Pictures games certainly have their fans, they haven't escaped criticism. Both The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan and The Dark Pictures: Little Hope reviews were mixed compared to Until Dawn, so here's hoping Supermassive can find its footing when The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes releases later this year.
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes will launch in 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.