The Dark Pictures Anthology is a series of branching narrative horror games where the choices you make determine the storyline and how it will end, House of Ashes is the third game in the franchise.
In this latest plot which is set just before the end of the Iraq war as a group of special forces soldiers are searching for weapons of mass destruction accidentally something much worse, they find an ancient Sumerian temple that has become infested with terrifying creatures. To survive through the night, you will have to put aside your combat with your Iraqi enemies and join forces to stand a chance of making it through the threats that you face in this ominous underworld. As you pass through the subterranean labyrinth, you will have to battle against hordes of deadly monsters that are hunting you.
The successful two multiplayer modes that have been so popular in the Dark Pictures Anthology have returned, so you can share your storyline with one of your friends or join a local 5 player mode and pass the controller to each other.
Designed to Scare and Share
Supermassive has added some new difficulty options but other than that they have still maintained the best parts of the franchise such as the fantastic facial capture and completely stunning environments that are all key to the game, What House of Ashes achieves is the use of the sinister and tight camera angles to give you the sensation of claustrophobia which maintains the level of tension throughout the game and increases the scare factor, you will never know what is waiting for you around the next corner, Supermassive are experts when it comes to giving you jump scares and an ominous undertone that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the gameplay. This is a perfect game for those of you that love gory deaths and on the hardest level of the new difficulty options, the QTEs are even harder, but for the more nervous among you, the level can be turned down to easy mode for a fun night with your mates. Either in the same room via Movie Night or online, as this is a game built to scare and share.
5 Main Characters
In House of Ashes, you switch the control between 5 main characters who have been trapped in some long-abandoned ruins of a Mesopotamian temple after their mission goes astray. Quickly, they realize that there is something deadly skulking in the darkness, and whether our five protagonists die or survive depends on what options you choose and which actions you take. With the opportunity to get to know the characters well like CIA agent Rachel King who is voiced by the talented Ashley Tisdale or an Iraqi lieutenant called Salim Othman to name just two, plus there are also additional personalities who act as wild cards if you can keep them alive for long enough.
There is No Going Back
The fantastic thing about House of Ashes is that often, no matter which options you pick, it might come down to an intense instant reaction, this adds a pressurized and menacing atmosphere that you will not get from any other game. House of Ashes is a mighty impressive serving of horror which will keep you fidgeting on the edge of your seat all the way through. This is a game that is all about the choices that you make, some are immediate and obvious while others can take literally hours before they come to fruition, and they can be so important, but are never just black or white, good or bad. So choose wisely as it will be a decision of life and death, and there is no going back.
