THE DARK PICTURES - HOUSE OF ASHES [2021] STEAM PC REVIEW

🏆   MUST PLAY   🏆

The positive:

💗 USMC & CIA combined task force makes for a refreshing cast

💗 Some choices have unforgiving consequences

💗 Superb in-game MOCAP & animations

💗 Good Enough in-game dialogue & acting

💗 Finally, we get a 360 camera while exploring

💗 The mythological monsters are actually sci-fi-based aliens

💗 Loved the underground Sumerian temple setting

The negative:

👎 Supermassive thinks black bars are cool

👎 Cutscenes every two steps kill the pacing and exploration

👎 The gunfights between Iraqis and US Marines are plain dumb

👎 A fundamentally flawed plot, with plenty of inconsistencies and holes.

👎 Safe during the restrained linear exploration, the only danger is during QTE.

House of Ashes was released in 2021 and proves that the Dark Pictures Anthology is on solid footing after a flawed second entry. By focusing on a USMC & CIA joint task force deployed in Iraq, we get a refreshing cast of soldiers, and thanks to its controlled rhythm, its claustrophobic atmosphere, and its improved plot, it far surpasses its predecessors despite its many flaws and shortcomings. It’s so wildly different in tone and theme that it feels completely apart from all supermassive games. These changes, and the developer’s maturation in storytelling, makes House of Ashes the series’ strongest entry.

INFAMOUS BLACK BARS

Why? 💔 Why black bars on a videogame? Wasn't it enough to see a behemoth like The order 1886 have a colossal failure mainly because of those infamous black bars, why keep trying? Man of Medan and Little Hope were also criticized for that! I'm about to become an activist against those damned black bars. So, to be able to experience House of Ashes on Full Screen I used an app called "border remover" which is simple to use and really works! But I hate supermassive games for putting me on a search for the tool and endangering my computer with software that usually works in mysterious ways. 

BEST OF THE SERIES

This time, you switch control between five main characters, all fit for combat,  as they are part of a USMC & CIA task force. House of Ashes unfolds in 2003 Iraq and uses the United States’ controversial invasion as a backdrop to tell its story. While searching for Saddam Hussein’s supposed chemical weapons, the squad gets deployed deep in enemy territory, and after everything goes wrong our characters get trapped in long-lost buried Sumerian ruins. Soon enough, they find themselves stalked by an ancient horror "that comes in indescribable forms and shapes" lurking in the darkness. All of these core five characters can either survive or die depending on how you fare during QTEs and what choices you make.

This military approach to storytelling and the developer’s maturation in writing along with a more likable cast of characters makes House of Ashes the series’ strongest entry.

The characters are introduced broadly at first, they are still cliches but far more likable than the protagonist of previous anthology stories. 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. There is a proper execution of the empowered female CIA officer Rachel King and Iraqi Army Lieutenant Salim Othman. My favorite ended up being the southern and resentful towards 9/11 aggression USMC Young Lieutenant Jason Kolchek. They are all heavy cliched characters but they do the work to keep you invested while the mystery unfolds. 

As our unfortunate protagonists descend further into the ruins, they become amateur archaeologists, with the soldiers following in the footsteps of an old WWII-era expedition. Not as curious as I would like, they just kinda roll with it. House of Ashes continues the anthology's concept of playing with real myths and historical events: this time it centers on Mesopotamian legends and the 'Curse of Akkad', a poem detailing the destruction of the Akkadian Empire around 2200BC. In the poem, the gods got revenge on King Naram thanks to an invasion from the Gutian people, which is depicted In House of Ashes' prologue. 

As far as gameplay mechanics, pretty much the same as before. As you progress through the game's linear corridors, 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 events that you need to get right in order to overcome obstacles. Mash a button quickly to close a door on an enemy, or to escape their grapple. As far as the linear exploration, the underground mysterious Sumerian temple makes for an intriguing setting, too bad there are cutscenes every two steps of the way, killing the pacing or any hope of agency away from QTE. 

CONCLUSION

House of Ashes is not about survival horror like its predecessors, it's more action-horror and a respectable thriller that should make for an entertaining journey alone or with up to four friends passing the controller. Despite its many flaws and shortcomings. It’s so wildly different in tone and theme that it feels complete apart from all supermassive games. These changes, and the developer’s maturation in storytelling, makes House of Ashes the series’ strongest entry and my personal favorite.

LAUNCH TRAILER