It wasn’t a dark & stormy night when SuperMassive Games released “Until Dawn”, but the overall creepiness & horror the game created left gamers wanting more chances to make life or death choices for famous Hollywood actors playing horny teens. Rather than stick to the cabin the woods nature of “Until Dawn”, its spiritual successor took to the high seas with fewer recognizable faces portraying would-be survivors, and more in regards of giving the player the most it could in smaller chunks.
While not as revolutionary or memorable as its predecessor, “Man of Medan” seemed to be the beginning of an escalating series of better installments to come – and “to come” was last year’s ghost town of a sequel, “Little Hope”. Providing a very interesting story, setting and better gameplay, “Little Hope” set the bar higher for the developers to outdo. Considering how much I enjoyed “Little Hope” – actually getting a platinum trophy weeks after finishing the main story both by myself and with a friend – the belief SuperMassive would deliver again was understandably strong.
Did I Complete “The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes”?
Like its predecessors, “House of Ashes” gives gamers the ability to control five different characters during various sequences as the protagonists are thrust into the depths of the Middle East during the Iraq War’s formative years. It doesn’t take long before a majority of the game’s mechanics are introduced from character movement, to object interaction, to performing quick-time events and story-defining choices with the latter providing pathways to the game’s various endings including who lives or dies.
During my first playthrough solo on the normal difficulty (a new implementation where quick-time events are actually made more difficult or easier to complete), I was able to, surprisingly, get everyone out of their potential grave alive while picking up several trophies including all of the collectibles that were a lot easier to attain than in either “Man of Medan” or “Little Hope”. Playing with a friend locally in “Movie Night” mode allowed me to use only “Head” choices that truly shook up the team’s stability and resulted in several deaths (and a few more trophies). After nearly twelve hours of play, the platinum trophy isn’t that far off with some necessary achievements being connected to very precise scenarios & decisions that may only be accomplished by utilizing backup saves if something goes wrong – most likely adding another ten or so hours to this haunting experience.
Did “The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes” Live Up to the Hype?
SuperMassive Games has created a formula in regards to its games’ presentation and is sticking to it while wisely adjusting the control scheme and player-friendliness in regards to character movement & the in-game camera. Thanks to the setting and enclosed environments, character movement doesn’t feel as slow & lethargic even when pressing the “Walk Faster” button as it did in “Little Hope”, though their robotic nature will cause odd moments especially when someone is trying to turn around and focus on a particular object. Unlike the last two games, the camera is fully controllable with 360 degrees of movement; making it easier to see pathways and identifying collectibles. The implementation of a tactical flashlight on the characters’ guns also help alleviate issues seeing in the darkened areas.
Beyond the aforementioned changes, a majority of the gameplay systems from the previous games including those seen in “Until Dawn” return here including shooting segments, platforming quick-time events, and branching dialogue choices. “Little Hope’s” gameplay influences are, thankfully, more profound here including quick warnings when a QTE is about to happen, switching between active characters during those more hectic quick-time events, and the heart monitor QTE that, if the player fails, will most likely alert the enemy of a cowering character’s whereabouts.
The previously utilized “Head” or “Heart” choices also dictate the personality trait changes of every character including the squad leader going from “headstrong” to “understanding” when interacting with her lover. Unfortunately like the games before it, certain choices seem significant in “House of Ashes”, but really aren’t; while other moments can actually result in a character’s death. Players have to be on their toes at all times and using a backup save may be for the best just in case due to an incredibly fast quick save system that automatically saves after any major choice.
What is different is the story presentation mostly thanks to its setting and characters. Taking control of battle-hardened protagonists like CIA officer Rachael King (Ashley Tisdale), her estranged husband Eric, and even an Iraqi Republican Guard Lieutenant Salim Othman allows for some interesting moments of emotional tension and political intrigue during a time when patriotism turned into xenophobia. With that being stated, some dialogue options will create eye-rolling moments from the player especially when it results in the protagonists reacting unnaturally. Also in regards to unnatural for human understanding is the adversaries. The previous “Dark Pictures” games alluded to something horrific terrorizing everyone, only to be undercut by disappointing revelations – “House of Ashes” avoids this narrative pitfall early on and sticks with the soldiers’ antagonists being fearsome foes that only get more interesting as the story unfolds.
The co-op options are where it’s at when playing “House of Ashes”. Having quick discussions or arguments over potential terrible choices made can make for a memorable experience during “Movie Night” mode. “Shared Story” mode actually adds to the story when playing online with a friend as certain moments are actually solely connected to “Shared Story”. Not only that, but “Shared Story” mode hides the decisions of the other player that could too change the fate of an entire playthrough. Sadly, players have struggled to start online games with friends weeks following the game’s release – a problem that, hopefully, will be patched sooner than later.
The plethora of collectibles return here including pieces of information that adds to the game’s lore and special pictures that potentially reveal the fates of certain characters; as well as a tease for the “Season One” finale that is scheduled to come out next year. Technical issues beyond the aforementioned “Shared Story” inabilities are sound & graphical glitches usually reserved for the early hours including flickering characters and helicopter noise continuing throughout a scene. But once the characters hit the underground, those technical hiccups pretty much go the way of the ancients.
SuperMassive Games is getting better in executing the premiere horror experience in their catalogue with each release. “House of Ashes” sticks to what worked, adapting to what made their older game stumble, and embracing what they didn’t with “Man of Medan” and “Little Hope” in regards to storytelling; making “House of Ashes” the best offering in “The Dark Pictures Anthology” yet.
Should You Play “The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes”?
Not surprisingly, “House of Ashes” doesn’t shake things up to the point of alienating fans of the genre and SuperMassive’s previous games; opting to simply improve upon its gameplay mechanics and storytelling. The story is a lot stronger here than either “Little Hope” or “Man of Medan”, though the dialogue choices may leave something to be desired during certain moments. Though “House of Ashes” may be the best game in the “Anthology” series so far, gamers who didn’t enjoy the previous entries or the genre as a whole won’t find anything worth enjoying here. But other gamers looking for a solid fright with the intent of replaying the game a few times either by oneself or with a friend will be happier than a soldier who just outran a creature looking to suck his blood.
