- Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
- Release Date: Oct 22, 2021
- Also On: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
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- By date
- Unscored
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Oct 25, 2021Supermassive Games is responsible for the most compelling interactive movies around, and House of Ashes proves that the Dark Pictures Anthology is on solid footing after a divisive second entry. While it shares the same basic structure of the previous two games — a mismatched group explores an abandoned location, discovering the secrets of what happened there — it’s so wildly different in tone and theme that it feels nothing like the others. This was a big swing in a few different ways, and I’m glad to say that they knocked it out of the park.
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Oct 21, 2021The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is easily the best of the series so far. There are clear improvements in gameplay, such as difficulty options and complete control over the camera, which help push this forward. The writing also takes strides forward, with an excellent cast of characters, more realistic writing, and a satisfying narrative throughout. Add the already exceptional abilities of Supermassive Games at building atmosphere, and you have a recipe for a great game - something that I firmly believe House of Ashes is.
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Oct 28, 2021While House of Ashes lacks polish thanks to an off-putting 360-degree camera and inconsistent visuals, these are likely to be fixed in the future – it’s just a shame poor Ashley has been done a little bit dirty in the process (and that’s not because she’s covered in blood half the time). All in all, House of Ashes is the standout of the series so far, and if the increase in quality is anything to go by, Devil In Me is likely to be the best entry yet.
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Oct 21, 2021The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes is a perfectly timed release. Put yourself into a Horror movie in time for Halloween and enjoy the thrilling ride.
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Dec 6, 2021House of Ashes proves that even an annual anthology release that’s so iterative in its gameplay mechanics can still evolve in significant ways. The changes evident here, and perhaps the developer’s maturation in storytelling, result in what may be the series’ strongest entry yet.
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Oct 21, 2021In many ways, The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes is significantly better than its predecessors. One can even say that it's the most thrilling and action-packed offering from Supermassive Games. Unfortunately, it's also plagued by technical and design issues, as well as a borderline ridiculous twist.
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Oct 21, 2021The best thing I can say about House of Ashes is that its story didn’t make me feel betrayed in the end. There is no “it was all a dream” twist that creates a dozen plot holes, and it doesn’t pull away from the supernatural elements at the last second to reveal that the characters were hallucinating. Rather, it uses its monsters to connect together its themes and create a closed loop that only the best horror stories can effectively execute. For once it feels like The Dark Pictures bit off exactly as much as it can chew, and House of Ashes is so much better off for it. This is where I would recommend newcomers start with the series, and it's a great indicator that the anthology is just going to keep getting better.
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Oct 21, 2021The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is another fun horror romp from Supermassive games. The game improves upon its predecessors by finally removing the fixed camera, and I found several of its characters to be endearing and worth caring for. Though it still falls into some of the same issues as past games in the franchise, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is worth playing if you’re a fan of the interactive horror/drama genre.
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Oct 21, 2021Great monsters, stunning locations and a quality mystery makes this one of Supermassive's best.
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Oct 27, 2021The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is quite a jump in quality from other games in the franchise. The narrative development is attractive, the scenario is engaging, and the conclusions will give you goosebumps.
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Game World Navigator MagazineNov 30, 2021Don’t come in expecting a suspenseful horror or a psychological thriller. This time around, Supermassive Games treats us to an action-horror with adrenaline-filled scenes and great camera work. [Issue#256, p.28]
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Oct 29, 2021The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is the most action-packed game in the series, at the expense of reducing the horror part. Players who love the genre and those who want to have fun with their friends should not miss this game.
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Oct 29, 2021House of Ashes does not distort the philosophy of Supermassive Games. While retaining the cinematic staging of The Dark Pictures saga, this third episode now offers a 360 ° camera and better integrated QTEs. Thanks to its controlled rhythm, its claustrophobic atmosphere and its interesting plot, it surpasses its predecessors despite its flaws (uneven writing, cartoonish characters, frozen shooting phases…). For anyone who enjoys interactive experiences of the genre, this latest iteration of the anthology is worthy of curiosity.
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Oct 21, 2021While House of Ashes takes a minor departure from pure survival horror, it manages to maintain its roots and tells a somewhat compelling narrative with a solid cast of characters. It's ultimately held back by a few technical issues and story loopholes that don't quite make sense.
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Nov 19, 2021A thrilling adventure for a couple of nights. You’ll probably see all of its major plot twists a mile away, but the clash with horrors lurking in an ancient temple is definitely worth your time.
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Oct 28, 2021House of Ashes comes close to “Until Dawn”-level quality, and for the first time after finishing a game in this series, it has me genuinely excited to see the next entry.
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Oct 26, 2021I have a lot of complaints about this game, but even with its flaws, I enjoyed it. I just think it could have been so much better. That being said, I’ve watched so many campy horror movies that have done much worse than House of Ashes. They might miss the mark on story elements and character decisions, but I can’t help but like the experience as a whole.
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Oct 21, 2021It's not a problem that House of Ashes tells a different story than the one I imagined. But a good story to replace it would have been nice. In the end, however, I was left dissatisfied, and the technical flaws are not even taken into account, they are added. With Man of Medan and Little Hope, I found it easier to forgive these stumbling blocks as the plot grabbed me more.
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Oct 21, 2021The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is an utter disappointment and not the redeeming game developer Supermassive so desperately needed it to be. Where its accessibility options offer to draw more players in, just as many will be repelled by its poor and offensive political themes, shoddy camera handling, uninspiring cast and buggy nature. Hoping to be a thrilling ride with some political intrigue, it's instead a sloppy affair that'll leave players feeling like they're going through the motions. Supermassive fans deserve better. The horror genre as a whole deserves better. No recommendation can be provided for this dark plunge.
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Oct 22, 2021Nonsensical characterization is the order of the day throughout House of Ashes.
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Oct 27, 2021House of Ashes doesn’t make any great leaps in gameplay or structure, but in terms of narrative, it relentlessly swings for the fences. There are times when the writing doesn’t quite land, but the awkward moments rarely stick around for long thanks to the game’s expert pacing. It’s a fantastic horror social experience, just in time for Halloween, and it’s enough to get me back into the deep lore and hidden secrets of the Dark Pictures Anthology.
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Oct 21, 2021The tissue-thin layer of political commentary in House Of Ashes mostly serves to get in the way of what is almost a decent horror romp. It has real monsters! A big length of iron thrown at head height! Flashbacks to the past with a creaky old English voice! A cool combined knife and flare fight! Mushrooms! For God's sake, stop trying to say something meaningful beyond, "the member of your group who has been bitten cannot be trusted." By going back to being a silly 00s survival horror, House Of Ashes has taken a step firmly in the right direction compared to other Dark Pictures Anthology games. But what it really needed was the cast to be two cheer squads from different schools, who were on their way to regionals when they fell into a vampire nest. I'm sure you could come up with another way for them all to have massive guns. [RPS Bestest Bests]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 125 out of 173
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Mixed: 31 out of 173
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Negative: 17 out of 173
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Oct 23, 2021Very good game. I love the story. So much better than overrated gta games with nothing special. But everyone specially ignored it. Very sad.
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Oct 23, 2021Great addition to the series, like being thrown into a movie. Your decisions matter and can/will save lives or take them.
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Nov 1, 2021