Critics Say Dark Pictures Anthology House of Ashes Is the Series Strongest Entry

Critics Say Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes Is the Series’ Strongest Entry

Contents

Reviews for Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes have critics split, but most agree the narrative horror tale accomplishes what it sets out to do.

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Critics Say Dark Pictures Anthology House of Ashes Is the Series Strongest Entry

With the spooky season now upon us, gamers looking for something horror-themed to play this Halloween might have already had their eyes on the newest installment of Supermassive Games’ The Dark Pictures Anthology series, House of Ashes. It is the third entry into the series, with Ashley Tisdale leading the charge of House of Ashes’ cast, continuing the trend of Supermassive bringing actors of TV and film into their unique world of horror.

The reviews are out for House of Ashes and the general consensus amongst critics seems to be mostly favorable, but some feel that the anthology series might be showing signs of stagnation when it comes to its gameplay structure and implementation of its scares. Other than those worries, critics also have a lot to say about the game’s narrative and setting, with some disagreement about how well Supermassive pulled it off.

How Scary Is The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes?

Critics Say Dark Pictures Anthology House of Ashes Is the Series Strongest Entry

Supermassive has released a slew of horror games since 2015, but after all that time, can the studio still keep players on the edge of their seats? According to IGN’s Ricky Frech, the answer is yes. In his review, Frech writes that what “House of Ashes does do well is the same thing that made Until Dawn so special. Supermassive excels at building tension throughout its best moments, and it subtly uses the environment to help do that.” Frech highlights how the developers “use tight camera shots as the characters are sneaking through tunnels to add an extra sense of claustrophobia…You never know what’s going to be around that next bend, and Supermassive is superb at mixing in both jump scares and other ways to keep you on your toes.”

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Other critics have discussed how House of Ashes often works against its own terror. Richard Wakeling of GameSpot expressed that “House of Ashes is never particularly scary…The narrow confines of the temple’s labyrinthian pathways intentionally restrict both your movement and field of vision, creating what would be a harrowing sense of claustrophobia in almost any other horror game. The problem is you’re never in any danger when directly controlling a character. Peril only exists during quick-time events, so aside from a couple of well-timed jump scares, navigating the game’s cramped arteries is relatively fright-free. The creatures are also shown early and often so any fear of the unknown is extinguished fairly quickly.”

Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark

Critics Say Dark Pictures Anthology House of Ashes Is the Series Strongest Entry

Supermassive has captured a certain blend of classic horror B-movie narratives without them ending up as schlock in their past titles, and it seems Houses of Ashes veers into that familiar territory. In their review, Tom Orry of VG247 wrote how Houses of Ashes’ plot is “largely a bit cliche, especially in the opening stages. You’re given some backstory about an ancient terror living underground in a Sumerian temple. Fast forward to the Iraq War and we get to meet a bunch of war movie stereotypes whom you can only shape a certain amount.”

A larger point of discussion is House of Ashes’ setting and characters, taking place in Iraq in 2003 as the Iraq War is underway, with the playable characters including soldiers from both sides. Wakeling of GameSpot enjoyed this direction, noting how “the Middle East is rarely used as a video game setting outside of your typical jingoistic military shooter, and those games usually aren’t interested in presenting both sides of the conflict. They often perpetuate anti-Arab sentiments instead, playing into stereotypes and dehumanizing tropes that paint Arabs as little more than blood-thirsty insurgents. One of the playable characters in House of Ashes is Salim…Rather than lazily branding him a villain for being on the opposite side to the Americans, Supermassive does an excellent job of humanizing Salim and making him someone you’ll care about and want to guarantee survives.” Not everyone was impressed with Supermassive’s handling of the subject, however. Orry of VG247 felt that the game’s “attempts to make the whole thing feel less Oorah comes across as a bit forced…The game tries to touch on difficult subjects, even 9/11, but it’s rather surface level.”

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Is a Game of Choice Still Fun?

The gameplay for Supermassive’s horror games has mostly followed the decision-based design laid out in 2015’s Until Dawn, with a few new mechanics added in throughout The Dark Pictures Anthology titles. This is another dividing topic amongst House of Ashes’ critics — does this formula still do the job, or is it becoming a tired loop?

Eurogamer’s Ian Higton outlines this split, writing that “not everyone will be into the tale House of Ashes is trying to tell and indeed the way that it tells it – if you’re the type of person to roll your eyes at QTE segments in games you might not find this to your liking. The series’ incredibly patient approach to choice and consequence might well lead some to frustration. Some choices you make have clear and immediate consequences…but other outcomes will not become apparent until literal hours later in the story..”

Frech of IGN feels the stagnation is much more prominent, reflecting how “the facial capture is still mostly great, though sometimes the characters’ necks look like they’re made out of liquid. Environments look stunning at times while others will remind you that Supermassive is no longer working with a big budget from Sony. Movement is clunky even though we now have full control over the camera during exploration. The bulk of the gameplay in House of Ashes’ six-or-so-hour runtime comes down to making choices and performing different types of QTEs. It’s a formula that Supermassive has used to varying success over its last three Dark Pictures games, but in the right circumstances it still pays off.”

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/critics-say-dark-pictures-anthology-house-of-ashes-is-the-series-strongest-entry/

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