The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Review: A Decent Descent
Over the last few years, developer Supermassive Games has gained a reputation for delivering playable horror movies in the form of Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology. The team's latest game, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes, follows that formula pretty closely, but offers a tale that's much different from what we've seen thus far. The new game likely won't win over anyone that hasn't enjoyed the developer's previous work, but fans of the series will be happy to know that House of Ashes offers a compelling new storyline worth checking out.
Set in 2003 towards the start of the Iraq War, House of Ashes centers on USAF Lt. Colonel Eric King and his estranged wife, CIA officer Rachel King. The war has put a strain on the couple, but Eric believes that finding Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction will lead the war to a swift end, and help the two rekindle their relationship. When Eric discovers a series of tunnels in Iraq, it seems like it could be exactly what he's been looking for. Eric dispatches a team to investigate, which includes Jason Kolchek and Nick Kay, the latter being Rachel's secret new lover. The team finds themselves in an altercation with the Iraqi Republican Guard, which includes reluctant soldier Salim Othman. A sudden cave-in sends a mix of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers into ancient tunnels, where there are no WMDs, but instead an ancient evil that threatens them all.
The first thing that struck me about House of Ashes is that it features a very interesting setting. Supermassive Games opted to place the game during one of the most controversial wars in American history, but the developer does a fairly good job avoiding a lot of potential pitfalls: the Americans are never portrayed as flawless heroes, nor as villains. Instead, we get a group of three-dimensional characters that find themselves forced to confront the mistakes they've made, and their prejudices. The relationship between Salim and Jason, in particular, is a highlight. In Jason, Supermassive Games finds a way to channel much of the jingoism of the era, but the character is given an opportunity to grow, should the player embrace that path.
Speaking of the player's choices, the gameplay in House of Ashes is mostly what everyone has come to expect from the series: a third-person adventure game that predominantly tasks players with making decisions that impact the storyline. Sometimes, players will make seemingly small choices, but those decisions can have a ripple effect on the rest of the game. Having to quickly make decisions adds a lot of tension, especially knowing that some can result in the death of a character.
If I had to make a comparison, the plot of House of Ashes feels a bit like The Descent. The game rarely offers that same sense of claustrophobia, but its vampiric villains and caverns feel somewhat reminiscent of those in the horror film. Beyond that, the game also offers a level of consistency in its storyline that I felt Until Dawn lacked. While that game started out as an homage to slasher films, it pivoted to creature feature at the midway point, resulting in a storyline that just felt messy. House of Ashes sticks with one horror genre, and it benefits from doing so.
Sound in the game is mostly strong. The voice actors do a good job of bringing these characters to life, most notably Ashley Tisdale as Rachel. On the negative side, Khemmis' song "Conversation With Death" returns yet again for this entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology, and it remains just as cheesy as it did in the last two games. For better or worse, it does seem to fit in well with House of Ashes' 2003 setting, but there's no excuse for that in the next game!
Graphically speaking, House of Ashes is one of the better-looking titles from Supermassive Games. I had the opportunity to review the game on Xbox Series X, and everything looked noticeably sharper than in previous games. There are still some awkward character movements that feel decidedly "last-gen," but it's a step in the right direction for the series. The vampires that appear are also delightfully creepy, and their subterranean homes offer more diversity than one might anticipate.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is a strong entry in the series. Players that haven't been able to get into the last two games likely won't be won over, but Supermassive Games has delivered an enjoyable experience that horror fans will want to check out for themselves. Setting the game during the War in Iraq was a risky move, but it works well, and it's an important part of the story. With the next entry in the series already confirmed, hopefully the Dark Pictures Anthology will continue to find strong stories to tell.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. A code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review, and it was reviewed on an Xbox Series X.