The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is the third installment of the horror anthology from Supermassive Games, this time set in 2003 during the Iraq War, where a group of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians accidentally uncovers an ancient underground temple hiding something far older than human civilization. The gameplay builds on the series' well-known formula: the player moves through a linear story full of branching dialogues and quick-time events, where decisions and failed reactions can lead to the deaths of individual characters and different variations of the ending. The novelty here is the emphasis on the tense relationships between hostile soldiers who are forced to cooperate in order to survive, and their mutual distrust is reflected in how easily they decide to sacrifice one another.

The underground setting, full of excavations and ancient architecture, gives the game a claustrophobic character different from previous entries, which took place mostly outdoors, and dark corridors lit only by flashlights heighten the tension from unseen creatures lurking in the shadows. On PlayStation 5, the game benefits from detailed motion-capture acting and cinematic camera direction, making it feel like an interactive horror film. The music combines Middle Eastern instrumental motifs with a dark orchestral backdrop that underscores the feeling of being lost deep underground, far from any help on the surface.

The entry continued the popular format of the series' previous games and expanded the option for cooperative play and online multiplayer, allowing players to follow different versions of the story with friends. Critics praised the more gripping pace and better character relationships compared to the previous entry, Little Hope, even though some mechanics have remained part of the series since its first title. House of Ashes remains one of the anthology's stronger entries thanks to its untraditional setting and the tension to which the combination of wartime conflict and supernatural threat significantly contributes, forcing hostile sides to seek a common enemy.

Why play it: For fans of interactive horror played with friends, it offers an untraditional wartime setting steeped in supernatural threat and a more gripping pace than the previous entry in the series.