The Dark Pictures Anthology has been shaking up the horror genre in gaming ever since players boarded the ill-fated Man of Medan in 2019. The spooky tale of ghost town Little Hope followed soon after in 2020, and now, in 2021, we’re trapped underground in a Mesopotamian temple in the early noughties as the Iraq war blazes overhead. It’s been a delight to see the Dark Pictures Anthology surprise players with unexpected twists and turns with every new instalment, and House of Ashes is no exception.
Metroid Dread reviewPublisher: Bandai NamcoDeveloper: SupermassivePlatform: Played on PS5Availability: Out October 22nd on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X and PC
In House of Ashes, you switch control between five characters who find themselves trapped in long-lost ruins after what should have been a routine mission goes wrong. Soon enough, they find themselves stalked by something lurking in the darkness. As is now tradition with this series, all of these core five characters can either survive or die depending on what you do and what choices you make.
The characters are introduced broadly at first, but you don’t need to conform to the descriptions given of them. Even those who seem brash or irritating in the beginning have the potential to grow on you by the end – House of Ashes leaves plenty of time for you to get to know everyone and there are no weak links in the cast. Personal favourites were CIA officer Rachel King – played by Ashley Tisdale – and Iraqi Army lieutenant Salim Othman. There are additional characters outside the core five, who are often the wild cards of any situation the longer you can keep them alive.
House of Ashes Review – Dark Pictures Anthology House of Ashes PS5 Gameplay Watch on YouTube
Mechanics-wise, players who have played a Dark Pictures game before will know what to expect here. As you progress through the game, you’ll be given choices on what to say and how to act, and then at key moments, there’ll be a variety of quick time responses you’ll need to give in order to overcome obstacles. Mash a button quickly to close a door on an enemy, for example, or find a target on screen and react before the window of opportunity is lost. Beware though – sometimes doing nothing at all is the best way to keep everyone alive.