Dark Pictures Anthology – House of Ashes review: Ancient Evil

Title: Dark Pictures Anthology – House of Ashes
Developer: Supermassive Games
Publishers: BANDAI NAMCO
Platforms: PS5 (reviewed on), Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: October 22, 2021

I will be the first to admit that I have been very critical of the Dark Pictures Anthology releases. With terrible controls, strange motion capture and gameplay that hates dyslexic people, I wanted to have fun but had a hard time with it. The stories have been really good (google the real story of the Ourang Medan) and the best thing about Supermassive Games is that they have been listening to the criticisms that players offer.

Man of Medan was rough but Little Hope saw mechanics improvements. With the release of House of Ashes, I wondered if Supermassive Games would continue the trend of listening to players and improving.

All of the games in the anthology have started similarly. First, we visit the past before ending up in the present. The same rings true for House of Ashes. I don’t want to spoil anything from the beginning, but just keep that flow in mind as we end up in the early 2000’s. America is deep in the “War on Terror” and the military is searching for WMDs in Iraq. During a search and ensuing gunfight, a group of American soldiers and an Iraqi soldier find themselves falling into an ancient Sumerian temple hidden underground. As they try to find a way out, it becomes clear very quickly that they aren’t alone in the temple and whatever is there isn’t friendly, you can tell by the large claws and the sharp, pointy teeth. Their trek to exit the temple becomes a fight for survival to escape.

As usual, you will bounce from character to character as they make their way through this temple, making decisions that will determine whether they live or die. When Man of Medan was released, the QTEs were difficult to the point of pure burning rage. If you were directionally dyslexic, you might as well just run the credits because all of your characters were going to die. If you accidently pressed the wrong button once, that was lights out.

Little Hope saw improvements with a warning system before a QTE and they added a little extra time. It was friendlier to us folk. House of Ashes gives you a difficulty option which is fantastic. I am able to experience the story and have enough time for my brain to make a choice, flip flop the buttons and then let me to realize and flip flop them back.

These game mechanic changes allow people of all levels to experience House of Ashes how THEY want to experience it. Have dyslexia? Go for an easier level to give your characters a chance. Want pure anxiety and adrenaline to guide your way? Sure, pick the hardest difficulty and hope for the best. You can play alone or with friends making it an experience. Having no control over what some characters will do gives the story a bit more realism.

There is always a familiar face or two at the forefront of these interactive Supermassive Games stories and House of Ashes stars Ashley Tisdale. The character model is spot on but for some reason, her character moves as if she is a rusting tin man. Not all of the characters in House of Ashes move that way but for some reason, she moves around like she needs to visit a chiropractor real bad. Add to that the fact that the teeth on the characters never look quite right and her character gives off an eeriness that the others don’t. You will also see some recycled character models from past games as well.

The environment of this installment is above and beyond both previous games. Sure, a ghost ship is scary and a ghost town is also kind of scary but winding your way through an ancient Sumerian tomb is just AWESOME. It tickles the parts of my brain the way that The Mummy and Indiana Jones movies did. Making your way through the crumbling ruins with just a flashlight is terrifying. In the past, the characters moved as if they were making their way through setting Jello but House of Ashes offers smoother and quicker movement.

All of that is great but the unfortunate camera angles do have a tendency to take you out of the action. Some of the camera angles are so damn tight that you can’t see where you need to go and dog forbid that you try to turn a bit to see because then your playable character will do a 180 and change direction. The controls are improving but still need some work. Same goes for the load in between choices. Sometimes there is a bit of a stall, but it’s a bit better than previous games.

I have found the stories of the past games hard to connect to. They were bad stories but they just weren’t engaging quick enough. House of Ashes is intense and engaging from the moment the game starts and keeps at a fairly solid tick all the way through. I know the previous releases may have left a bad taste in people’s mouths but I definitely recommend trying this one. It’s a smoother experience (unless you’re Ashley Tisdale), a better story, a more engaging environment and a new big baddie. No more angry ghosts, we’re on the first train to Monstertown. Choo choo!

Dark Pictures Anthology – House of Ashes (PS5) Score: 9

While not perfect, Supermassive Games hears players and House of Ashes is the best release in the Dark Pictures Anthology to date. The improved game mechanics, environment and story make it a creepy experience that is perfect for Halloween.

A copy of this game was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. All scores are ranked out of 10, with .5 increments. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.