So far in The Dark Pictures Anthology we have been hallucinating on ghost ships in Man of Medan and been accused of witchcraft in Little Hope. Today sees the third instalment release, House of Ashes on Xbox, PlayStation 4 and 5 and PC.
This time around we are beneath the Arabian desert in 2003 towards the end of the Iraq war. But we’re not alone down there. An earthquake has opened up an ancient Sumerian temple, along with a horde of hungry predators. And you are next up on the menu.
As with the other games in the anthology, every single action you choose has an impact. What might seem insignificant rarely is and can lead to major consequences when it comes to resolving your tale.
House of Ashes also continues the trend of replaying these games with friends. Once again, Movie Night is available for up to five friends to pass the controller between them and play individual characters. Online co-op is also present again for two players to play through simultaneous sections of the story, including sections that wouldn’t otherwise be available during the single-player story.
House of Ashes also represents the first release on Xbox Series X|S consoles with improved visuals and Ray Tracing included. Or turn that feature off if you don’t want to see in even more clarity just exactly what horrors are waiting for you. We won’t judge here.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is on the Xbox Store now priced at £24.99. We will have a review coming very soon, once we’ve dared to open our eyes again. Have you played any other the others? Let us know which is your favourite in the comments below.
Game descriptionThe Dark Pictures Anthology is a series of standalone, cinematic branching horror games where the decisions you make in the game determine the story and the outcome you receive. House of Ashes is the third game in the series. Iraq, 2003. As the conflict draws to a close a Military Unit, accompanied by CIA field operative Rachel King, is ordered to investigate a suspected underground chemical weapons facility in shadow of the Zagros Mountains. Arriving at the coordinates, the search party is ambushed by a local patrol led by Sergeant Salim Othman. During the battle, an earth tremor opens sinkholes in the ground, pitching both sides into the ruins of a buried Sumerian temple and, in the darkness beneath the Arabian Desert, something evil is awakened. Savage and unstoppable, a nest of ancient and unearthly creatures have a new prey to hunt. Horrific discoveries and impossible decisions face the Unit as they strive to navigate a subterranean labyrinth and escape the terrifying threat. Will they each prioritise their own survival, or put aside their fears and their personal rivalries to fight together as one?
