The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Reviews
The new installment in the series got its horror stripped down to a level that probably won’t make you hesitate to play it alone at night, it will get you through a story that escalated fast to uncover a big lore that was weirdly shortened to end the story. Even though it was fun sometimes, House of Ashes is a broken mirror of what it could have been.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
If you can stick through some wooden voice acting and awkward animation, there is a decent B-movie thriller here that is easy to digest if you’re looking for some video game pulp horror this Halloween season.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is yet another excellent offering from the masters of horror at Supermassive Games. While not every facet of its choose-your-own-adventure style narrative works, its compelling cast of characters and immense replayability will keep you coming back for more. I’ve played through the game twice in the past week, and I’m already dying to return to the underground with four friends to experience Movie Night mode. If that’s not a testament to the game’s lasting power, then I don’t know what is.
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes is unfortunately a step backwards compared to the previous episodes of the series, at least in terms of the script, atmosphere and technical realization. The affordable price makes it interesting for those who don't want to miss a single chapter of the anthology, but others should turn to the previous chapters or wait for a possible fourth episode capable of bringing the horror series back on the right tracks.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Unlike the previous two games in The Dark Pictures Anthology, I was pleased with how things played out with the core narrative, but this game had my least favourite cast of characters in all three of the games.
After Man of Medan and Little Hope, Supermassive Games doesn't manage to surpass Until Dawn with House of Ashes either. This is not due to the unfamiliar setting, but to the characters in it. Completely overdrawn and clichéd, the player is rather happy at the beginning if he accidentally gets rid of one. To make matters worse is the technical quality, which from the graphics to the control is hardly convincing. Thanks to a strong last third, House of Ashes still manages to turn things around and brings it to a positive conclusion.
Review in German | Read full review
If you enjoyed the first two games, there is some fun to be had in House of Ashes, but glitches, a predictable story structure and some boring jump scares holds it back from being a truly worthy sequel.
House of Ashes might not offer anything groundbreaking for horror fans, or those used to Supermassive Games, but it doesn’t really need to. Those interested in this knows they are getting a cinematic, horror game that is just as fun watching, as it is playing. It won’t win anyone over who’s expecting a groundbreaking experience, but for those wanting a bit of some B-Horror action in their life, especially with Halloween around the corner, this might just be the game for you.
Despite some aesthetic grievances, House of Ashes is most definitely The Dark Anthology’s strongest showing. An immersive experience that doesn’t market an engaging display, but rather an engrossing narrative that will shock you into disbelief. The bloody, the brutal and the absolutely jarring set pieces that manage to manifest and unfold over your journey will leave you with goosebumps, and some toe-curling scenery.
House of Ashes tell us a story set in the Sumerians. Similar to other games of the saga, but the least scary of the three in The Dark Pictures Antology. For approximately 4 hours we can enjoy a game playing alone or with someone. The perfect companion to have fun this Halloween.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
House of Ashes is a gripping dark monster-filled adventure that you'll want to play over and over again.
Supermassive Games fails to understand that they can’t direct their art with such indignation. Rather than letting consumers enjoy their titles in sometimes unintended ways, they’ve come to limit the gameplay experience as a means of controlling the community. In the process, they have damned the conversations that could have risen, with House of Ashes acting as yet another middling product, free of the soul that leaves a lasting impression.
Strap in for the best ride in The Dark Pictures Anthology, as House of Ashes delivers the most complete and finest horror story yet.
House of Ashes is a welcome entry for The Dark Pictures Anthology as the action-horror pivot really works for this series. With the addition of several mechanics, it draws you into the story with its slightly creepy start and goes all out as it escalates the title all the way to its rip-roaring finale. The combination of likable characters and a semi-serious horror adventure leans into many of its tropes and embraces its campy nature, allowing you to have fun with it.
The third The Dark Pictures Anthology game manages to up the ante by providing its audience with a whole new world of horrors and frights. If you liked the previous offerings of this series, House of Ashes would make you very happy and if you are a fan of horror stories in general, you must put this on your shopping list right now.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Speaking for myself, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes starts very strong, takes an instant nose dive, and then meanders to one of the conclusions. Linear paths, obvious secrets, blatant choices, and more take so much out of the experience. Sure, players are still rewarded with so many tiny details, it just isn’t interesting enough to warrant the ride. It’s hard to go from a man in a golden mask taking the life of a woman before his people are brutally killed by monstrous beasts to getting orders about how this insurrection is going to play out and then three hours in a hole looking for more interesting things to do. It’s a shame too since the interesting things are there, it would probably just work better as a movie than a game.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is the most action-packed game in the series, at the expense of reducing the horror part. Players who love the genre and those who want to have fun with their friends should not miss this game.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
House of Ashes does just enough to deliver the basic goods for horror fans, marking a modest step forward for the underwhelming franchise.
House of Ashes is the best entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology. It has taken its predecessor's weaknesses and offered an overall balanced experience this time around.
The Dark Pictures franchise continues to produce high-quality narrative horror pieces. For fans of the genre, they are well worth exploring. The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes shows that the developer is learning from player feedback and that there is still room for improvement with each new game. It is expected that Bandai and Supermassive will continue to invest in polishing the experience and strengthening the series with each new game.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review