The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

I’m reviewing The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes today. House of Ashes begins in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Akkad in 2231 BC, with a compelling prologue that takes inspiration from the “The Curse of Akkad. then jumping to taking place during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, its setting is a far cry from the ghost ships and witch trials. Fortunately, House of Ashes uses the Iraq War as more than a simple backdrop for jump scares, focusing on both sides of the war as allegiances fall by the wayside in the face of a more terrifying threat.

A meaningful choice-and-consequence system makes a second or even third playthrough alluring. Particularly when playing online co-op, where you each control one character and independently make decisions with the potential to fuck everything up.

When I played, I did a co-op run with a fellow streamer. She played the first character and I played as the second character choice. It is centered around a cast of young diving wannabes who end up stranded on a mysterious WW2 freighter, it does a great job of building tension with its grim atmosphere and regular sudden shocks. I never play until dawn before this. it was recommended to me by my stream friend, Handsomejesse.

Here are five playable characters, with the story jumping between each of them at certain intervals. Eric and Rachel are seemingly the weakest of the bunch, mainly because their relationship with one another. The pair are married but have been separated for over a year. Eric thinks now is the best time to work out their issues and get back together. The dynamics between the rest of the ensemble are much more compelling.

The background is really cool. Fixed camera angles mean directing characters through doorways is awkward. I made comments of this when playing through it on Twitch. Which became a little irritating when I was lost. There was this sense of labyrinthian disorientation. Straightforward repercussions: if you are kind to a character, you will see that reflected in their actions – they’ll save you in a bind, for example – and they won’t if they absolutely hate you. These deaths did feel odd because quick-time events play a big part.

If you like this review and want to see more, you can click here.  My snapchat is Cara_lynn97. Twitter and Instagram are the same. I stream on twitch multiple days a week! Be sure to follow me to see the live playthroughs of games and anything else I might do and post online.