The third installment of The Dark Pictures is releasing this year and is shaping up to be another hit. Normally, we would have been able to play House of Ashes on one of the many conventions but sadly that’s still not possible. Instead of playing it, we watched an exclusive video where Will Doyle, the game’s director, reveals some of the first actual gameplay. Time to explain why this might be the next big hit!
House of Ashes
For those unfamiliar with The Dark Pictures, it’s an anthology series focussing on classic horror stories. The first game Man of Medan took place on a haunted ship while the second entry Little Hope focused on a haunted village. House of Ashes explores a new mystery, one that is older than anything you ever faced in The Dark Pictures before. As the original teaser of House of Ashes already gave away, you’ll play this one in the Middle East. The game is set back in 2003 where a high-end military force is looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The team is sent to a location where the weapons should have been hidden, based on satellite images. Sadly, they fell under attack by Iraqi forces the moment they landed on the spot. It’s here where the true story of House of Ashes kicks in. The firefight triggered a giant earthquake, sending both sides underground, to discover a vast underground temple dating back to an ancient kingdom. Our heroes went looking for weapons of mass destruction but they discovered something far worse. They’ll quickly learn that the temple is home to countless bloodthirsty monsters that won’t hesitate to bring you down in mere seconds.
The story isn’t just based on fiction but takes inspiration from history. The Akkadian temple belonged to the self-proclaimed god-king Narām-Sîn who reigned over his people for years. Narām-Sîn is said to have put a curse on his people by violating a temple of another god. The temple you just discovered is a temple built by Narām-Sîn as a peace offering, which sadly falls on deaf ears. The temple got buried underneath piles of sand, only to be forgotten for years. It’s here where your story kicks off. Not only will you discover the secrets of the mysterious temple, but you’ll also need to take out two different types of enemies. The ones of the temple, and the ones that got stuck in the temple with you. We don’t know a lot of the story just yet but from what we’ve seen so far, this is by far the most intriguing and ambitious story yet.
Gameplay
At its heart House of Ashes remains an exploration horror experience where a group of experts is facing an inhuman threat, it’s a story about loyalty, duty, and trust. Just like in the first two entries, the characters are at the true heart of the game and will have to make important decisions. Just like before, those decisions have a huge impact on the story since some can trigger events yet to come. If a character dies, he/she is gone forever and the story will adapt to the new circumstances. It’s something we’ve seen in the earlier games before so it’s not surprising to see this mechanism return in House of Ashes. That doesn’t mean the game comes without innovations, however. The team really listened to the fans of the genre and changed a couple of things to make this one even more enjoyable.
One of the biggest changes is without a doubt the camera perspective, which traded the fixed camera for a fully controllable 360 camera, increasing your immersion. To make it even more immersive, the team added a flashlight you can use to sweep your environment for clues. Watching the gameplay of House of Ashes, this really elevates the horror feeling, making it a lot closer to the modern Resident Evil games while remaining a third-person adventure. In the earlier games, I often struggled with the fixed camera perspective so I’m very glad to see this change, I think it will enormously benefit the overall experience. On top of that, this one will also be the first entry with different difficulty settings so you can enjoy the horror just the way you like. House of Ashes will also be the first entry with an enhanced version on the new generation of consoles.
The rest remained rather the same, including the innovative multiplayer modes just like the other two entries. As a pre-order bonus, you’ll also be able to play through the Curator’s Cut, which lets you experience certain events through the eyes of certain characters, revealing scenes you normally wouldn’t see.
Early conclusion:
House of Ashes looks like a very promising entry in The Dark Anthology thanks to its mysterious theme and more modern gameplay mechanics. It feels like the next logical evolution for the franchise and after seeing it in action, I can’t wait to get my hands on the game itself. If you’re a fan of horror experiences, this one should be on the top of your list.
