The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Reviews
House of Ashes doesn't offer a new unique tale that I found with Little Hope or Man of Medan. I did enjoy my time playing through another The Dark Pictures Anthology tale, but it hasn't left an impact on me as a player as Little Hope did. Choices often felt inconsequential, and few and far between. Character development for all of the characters outside of Salim was underwhelming and disappointing, even though the backdrop of the Iraq War in 2003 was ripe for compelling character development.
House of Ashes is, in some ways, the best game in The Dark Pictures Anthology yet, but the series still feels like it has unmet potential.
We take a look at Supermassive Games' new horror thriller, House of Ashes, and see how it stacks up to the previous Dark Pictures games.
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes is the best entry in the series yet, packed with gripping storytelling, compelling characters, and solid performances. Your choices feel impactful, and seeing your relationships grow or fall apart based on your decisions carries a lot of weight. With tons of collectibles, an improved camera, and solid pacing, House of Ashes will keep you glued to the screen until the credits roll.
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
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is Supermassive's best horror game since Until Dawn made it famous.
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
House of Ashes adds little to the Dark Pictures formula, and doesn't seem to progress anthology's overarching plot. That said, it's still a great adventure with some jaw dropping visuals and action-packed set pieces. A solid addition to the franchise.
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 gets closer to being a silly 00s survival horror than previous Dark Picture Anthology games, but it's still trying to be too serious for its own good, especially with the paper-thin political theming.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes might not be very frightening, but it absolutely nails a tense atmosphere where every choice really does matter. With gorgeous visuals and a satisfying, well paced story, Supermassive has finally found their footing.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is easily the best of the series so far. There are clear improvements in gameplay, such as difficulty options and complete control over the camera, which help push this forward. The writing also takes strides forward, with an excellent cast of characters, more realistic writing, and a satisfying narrative throughout. Add the already exceptional abilities of Supermassive Games at building atmosphere, and you have a recipe for a great game - something that I firmly believe House of Ashes is.
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes certainly changes things up for the anthology, with a cliché over the top story and a new tone that returning fans may not enjoy. But the strong cast and some interesting choices help prod the adventure along, even as its awkward new camera and dated visuals try to get in the way.
The Dark Pictures Anthology still needs to iron out a few things before it can produce a truly classic entry, but thanks to a strong and fun story with a lot of twists, welcome difficulty options and stronger choice-based gameplay, House of Ashes shows the series is still striving to make notable improvements when it comes to crafting scary and entertaining tales.
House of Ashes doesn't always land but it can be an exciting "check your brain at the door" thriller. Its largely toothless scares will disappoint horror fanatics while inviting a broader audience
While House of Ashes takes a minor departure from pure survival horror, it manages to maintain its roots and tells a somewhat compelling narrative with a solid cast of characters. It's ultimately held back by a few technical issues and story loopholes that don't quite make sense.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is another fun horror romp from Supermassive games. The game improves upon its predecessors by finally removing the fixed camera, and I found several of its characters to be endearing and worth caring for. Though it still falls into some of the same issues as past games in the franchise, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is worth playing if you’re a fan of the interactive horror/drama genre.
That basically sums up The Dark Pictures: Episode 3 - House of Ashes. It's a cheesy action-horror movie, except you can help characters survive (or die) with your button presses. It's not my favorite of the lot, but I was relatively engaged. It's an enjoyable enough B movie and feels like it would thrive the best as a multiplayer party game. If you've enjoyed the rest of the franchise so far, you'll enjoy House of Ashes because aside from some quality of life changes, it's largely in the same mold.