The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Reviews
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: 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.
House of Ashes, as this review will show, is the best title in The Dark Pictures Anthology thus far. However, there are a few flaws that prevent it from being perfect. Though it excels in the cinematics department, it struggles to adequately blend gameplay in a way that makes the experience truly immersive.
With House of Ashes, The Dark Pictures Anthology continues to grow, to improve, but does not allow Supermassive Games to reconnect with the success of Until Dawn. The staging contrasts with the previous episodes and is a success, especially during two passages, but the same defects accompany this new story of the Curator (strange reactions, abrupt transitions, scenes not long enough, lack of naturalness of the characters in terms of modeling and animation, marked choices ...). A nice adventure for an evening, but which will not rise in the essentials of your collection.
Review in French | Read full review
House of Ashes presented a wonderful story and civilization that combined action and horror and was of a different nature from the usual parts of the series, followed by beautiful representation and expressions of the characters, but the beauty of the experience was hindered by its voice acting, I personally enjoyed it.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
For fans of the Anthology, or for fans of horror in general, House of Ashes is definitely a must-play considering its relatively short playtime. Here’s to hoping that the next instalment in the series, The Devil In Me, brings along some characters that are a little more developed and likeable. The Until Dawn shaped hole inside me hasn’t been filled yet, but I have faith it will be soon.
Actually, there's not much left to say. You don't play House of Ashes because it looks good or because of its innovative game mechanics - you play it if you like well-paced stories with minimal self-involvement and a bit of horror (in the broadest sense). If you're looking for something between cinematic and classic gameplay principles and consider yourself a fan of the genre, the third chapter of Dark Pictures Anthology is worth checking out. Undecided fans of cultivated horror will probably not be completely convinced by the title, though, as there are still too many problems at once.
Review in German | Read full review
While House of Ashes may fall just short of eclipsing Until Dawn's brilliance, it's easily the best entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology, representing that significant bump needed to move the genre forward in a meaningful way.
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
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is a game with a good narrative, but that's the only thing that keeps the title interesting. The gameplay, as well as other mechanics, could have been improved, as they are points that make all the difference in an annual series.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Another entertaining entry in this prolific series, one that doesn't really move the needle as much as reusing the old mold to tell a different tale.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
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.
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.
Overall, House of Ashes, while not perfect, (or even scary truth be told) is a good installment in the series as it provides gorgeous graphics along with its interesting premise.
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.
Overall, House of Ashes is a fun horror romp. There's nothing subtle to be found here and the game is all the better for it, with exciting set pieces and a fast-paced story. It has its issues, both technically and with not really having anything interesting to build into its Iraq War setting, but it's still a hoot to play.
Although it may lack the over-the-top thrills of previous entries, House of Ashes is perhaps the best entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology to date. The cast of characters is strong across the board, and the story boasts a satisfying conclusion previous titles struggled to provide.
It's limited, but oh so entertaining. It's a bit sad that the focus on action takes some horror, but at the same time we appreciate that the story and the environments are very different from the previous titles of the anthology.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
Gameplay-wise, not much has changed since Little Hope. You'll spend much of your time walking about, inspecting objects, talking to people, making decisions, and taking part in quick-time events. The formula works, and the six or seven hour running time means that the rudimentary controls don't outstay their welcome.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is the franchise's best entry yet, acting as a playable horror film. But it still shows room for improvement.