The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

Supermassive Games! Ah, the developers are all obsessed with their interactive film concept! After the teasing Until Dawn and the first two installments of the Dark Pictures Anthology, Man of Medan e Little Hope, We are now almost at the end of season 1, with only one episode after House of Ashes awaiting us.

This year's adventure will take us to Iraq in 2003 and to the best episode so far.

A Dirty War

Iraq, 2003. Just a couple of years after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Americans are determined to make Al-Qaeda pay in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq (one could debate the merits of the latter, but this isn't the time). Americans are still searching for the dictator's weapons of mass destruction to justify their presence. The breakthrough could be the arrival of a new satellite system capable of seeing underground structures, developed by a top brass military man, Eric King. The man has indeed found a structure and can't wait to see if his system works. He then takes command of a small unit of soldiers, led by his almost ex-wife Rachel, and heads to the location indicated on the maps. Meanwhile, a regular Iraqi army soldier, Salim Othman, returns home to find his son has gotten into trouble. And that's not all; the American raid has been anticipated by Iraqi forces, determined not to surrender to the US occupation. Against his will, Salim will be dragged onto the battlefield. What begins as just another war story from the early 2000s, however, will soon take a dark turn. What is hidden in the subterranean ruins forgotten for millennia?

Interactive film, once again

House of Ashes, like all its predecessors, is more of an interactive movie than a true game. You start by choosing one or more of the 5 available characters. The game strongly recommends sharing the experience with friends, either in online multiplayer or, much better, by passing the controller to someone else on the couch. We will all have to make choices, playing as four Americans and one Iraqi, in order to progress. And, as usual, our choices and mistakes will have a substantial impact on each of their chances of survival. House of Ashes will have us play in turns, with a clear indication of who is in control. Every choice, every dialogue, every interaction will alter the team's balance as we try to figure out how to escape from what could be described as a mix of The Mummy, Tomb Raider, Alien, and Prometheus, all with a good dose of Black Hawk Down. Just to say that you are not at all ready for the dark and menacing atmosphere of this game!

The gameplay is, we believe, intentionally simple. When it's our turn, we can either move in very limited spaces to pick up objects, read documents, and occasionally talk to our companions. Or we'll have to survive more classic QTEs: pressing the right button at the right time, dodging, pressing in rhythm, and not much else. The video game part is, as always in these cases, the weakest part of the production. On the other hand, it's clear that Supermassive wants to offer an experience as close to cinema as possible and that the formula is not well-suited to the video game medium, especially regarding the pace at which the story is told. This limitation, however, in our opinion, is not problematic for this series of games as it is absolutely instrumental in achieving the desired experience. House of Ashes is a gripping action-adventure film that absolutely kept us glued to our seats on a Friday night from 6 PM to 12:30 AM, with just a three-quarters of an hour break for dinner. House of Ashes has it all: action, jump scares, mystery, discovery... undoubtedly (and by everyone's admission) it is the best chapter in the series. As the years have passed, in fact, Supermassive has refined the recipe and now the game is more action-packed, more dynamic even in switching control between players, especially during the more frantic phases.

Fortune and glory, Short Round!

We played House of Ashes on PlayStation 5, and the game is technically very beautiful, especially regarding the lighting effects that provide magnificent chiaroscuros and wonderfully soft lights. We thoroughly enjoyed every set piece, every structure, and every environment. From lost temples to structures that are a bit more... how should I put it... otherworldly, the level design of House of Ashes is truly extraordinary. Regarding the protagonists, the development team continues to push its technique of presentation as realistically as possible. This time, we find actress Ashley Tisdale, playing Rachel, to be the standout character. And unfortunately, here we are not at the levels we would like, with the uncanny valley still present. The faces are very good; however, there's still something off, as if the face isn't properly connected to the rest of the head. Some characters are then more realistic than others, and it's not immediately clear why. That said, it's not that it's particularly serious, since the experience remains absolutely enjoyable. The game isn't all super cool, though; there are some less beautiful environments than others, we noticed some texture pop-in and some excessive loading for a PS5, but nothing transcendental.

Great for an evening with friends

If you enjoy mystery and adventure stories, House of Ashes is the game for you. You can finish it in one evening or, if you're not in too much of a hurry, even two, and it's best played with friends. The story, if it were a Hollywood movie, would be considered good. A bit like the immortal Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser, exciting but not absolute masterpieces. But the fact that we are the ones deciding what happens, the ones choosing one direction over another, is what elevates the experience offered by Supermassive. Replayability isn't outstanding, even though we can achieve different outcomes for different characters (and lose some along the way too!), but the story will always remain the same.

In short, take it for what it is: a fun (and at times exhilarating) “board game” for a different kind of evening with friends. Undoubtedly, the best of the three games released so far.