The Twin Towers have collapsed just two years ago. The conflict in Iraq is rampant and American special forces are on the trail of Saddam's stockpile of chemical weapons. However, what lurks underground should really frighten, where the conflict does not even exist and the history of the first civilizations unfolds. For the third chapter of the Dark Pictures Anthology the guys from Supermassive Games have raised the bar, trying to tell a dark moment of our recent past, going fishing in the recesses of the legends of millennia ago.
Without distorting a style that is characterizing a particular and courageous experiment like this horror anthology, The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes tries at the same time to point its feet and search for a narrative substance totally absent in Men of Medan and feeble in the discreet Little Hope.
House of Ashes is a chapter that will divide the fans, who will also be able to displace thanks to a total upheaval present in the final phase, but which certainly brings a pinch of courage from the team. It represents that turning point of the anthology that could change it, or bury it forever.
Let's find out why in ours review di The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes.
A curse from the past
That the guys from Supermassive are great fans of a certain type of cinema is now clear to everyone. The attention given to more or less rampant quotation has always been the basis of their projects. After a hugely successful teen horror and the first two chapters of the anthology, this time the team takes us to the Mesopotamian and Sumerian legends, staging the best of the plots in the series so far.
In 2003, the American special forces are in full enemy territory, in today's Iraq. A group of soldiers led by officer Rachel King is awaiting developments regarding a satellite system capable of silently intercepting the enemy. Rachel has been married for years to Eric, chief designer of the Kletus system and a colonel visiting Iraq to take the reins of the operation and vanquish the Saddam Hussein's stockpile of chemical weapons.
On the other side of the barricade, soldier Salim is about to celebrate his son's birthday, ready to give up his uniform even for one day, except to be called directly by his captain to take part in a sortie to intercept and defeat the attack. US.
Something goes wrong, there is no trace of Saddam's weapons and a settling of the ground causes both factions to sink into the bowels of the Earth. It is difficult to understand where you are, except to recognize the ruins of an ancient temple, probably of Sumerian origin.
We have deliberately avoided telling you the prologue of the adventure itself, set several millennia ago, so as to leave room for the imagination and what the group of protagonists will be called to face. In the four or five hours it takes to conclude a single passage in history, House of Ashes will be able to grasp the taste of a certain type of fan. The contrast between the futility of today's war and something greater and unknowable that comes from the past is the basis of a successful plot and certainly more mature than the previous ones. We are certainly not talking about a title that will change the fate of the medium, but House of Ashes knows how to entertain with the right amount of action and fascinate with a staging and some touch of great class, which culminates in a final phase so close to the atmosphere. Alien and Prometheus, which for the writer was as positive as it was alienating.
Gameplay what?
It's almost trivial to say that anyone who buys a Supermassive title for a great gameplay experience is clearly going completely astray. Despite this House of Ashes implements for the first time a free camera, a fundamental prerogative of the dark setting that is the background to the story. It is no coincidence that the protagonists can now move freely, turning on and off a torch that is used to make their way through the ruins of the temple. Although in our opinion the choice turns out to be prudent and almost obligatory, it is also true that the control system it remains woody and plagued by a delay in the response of the models to our inputs, which in some situations generates a hint of discomfort and the breakdown of identification.
The same happens because of ascreen interface really too invasive during QTEs, which would require an overhaul, or at least the possibility of modifying and reducing the size and design of the interaction elements.
On the other hand, compared to the past, the game immediately appears more fluid in the presentation of events and continuity change of point of view between the characters - which for some may be chaotic and difficult to digest - is precisely the aspect that we most appreciated, capable of always keeping the pace at a more than sufficient level.
To act as an internal glue between one visit and another and to give some other moments of leisure and growth to the player they think about it the usual collectibles: mysteries to be discovered here and there on the map, as well as tablets through which to undergo the inevitable premonitions. In short, nothing new under the sun from the point of view of contents, but on the other hand we are talking about a type of adventure that does not leave much to chance and that ends in its desire to tell a story, no matter how successful it may be.
Difficult relationships
House of Ashes, for the first time in the series, uses war to put us in command of different factions. It is precisely in analyzing the relationships between the five protagonists that he delves into the psychology of the characters in a much better way than in the past. This does not exclude some choices and reactions that clash with immersion, but the whole emanates a much more inviting smell than what happened in Little Hope and, above all, in Men of Medan. It is difficult to tell you about interpersonal relationships without ruining elements of a game that bases everything on narration and intertwining, so we will limit ourselves to telling you that never before in the Dark Pictures Anthology did we happen to become fond and hate some protagonists, thus ending up for making difficult choices, sometimes necessary for the common good.
As always they are present several endings and you can get to the end by saving everyone or none, leaving the player the ability and will to play with the lives of the five unfortunates. To give you an idea of our path, we can tell you that we reached the end credits with three characters still safe and with a fourth expert in the very last bars in a heroic and poignant way.
Technical aspect
House of Ashes picks up exactly where Little Hope closed its doors. The technical skills of the Supermassive guys continue to be largely spent on reproduction of models faithful to the originals, including a Hollywood actor as always. This time it was the turn of Ashley Tisdale, hired to take the features of the female protagonist Rachel, but failing to outclass the others, rather staying on the sidelines and limiting herself too often to follow the flow.
In general, House of Ashes presents itself more than well on PS5 - where we played it - not always fully convincing in the textures and interiors of the aseptic cave, but giving the best of itself in the final stages, when also theartistic flair of the creatives managed to soar in the settings, clearly outclassing the previous chapters.
Good sound and mix, with a Spanish dubbing certainly improved compared to the past. Net of some imperfect cuts and some intentions in the totally erroneous voices, House of Ashes is also enjoyable in our language, without prejudice to the advice to live it in English, so as to better grasp the acting of the actors.
Comment
Tested version PlayStation 5 Digital Delivery Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store Resources4Gaming.com7.8
Readers (10)7.2
Your voteHouse of Ashes is a decent step forward for a series that still requires many adjustments to hit the target. We are happy, however, that net of some shortcomings and a general cleaning of the controls that we hope to notice as soon as possible, the third chapter of the Dark Pictures Anthology grows better narratively and in the writing of reports and dialogues, or the most important aspects of these productions. If you have enough of interactive films, it will certainly not be able to change your mind; if, on the contrary, you were hoping to see a qualitative leap for the series, House of Ashes is a decent extension. Throw in a handful of horror quotes and that's it!
PRO
- The free room is interesting and necessary, although it can be improved
- Writing and plot much better than the previous ones
- The two warring factions give rhythm and unpredictability even within the group
- Performance capture that still needs some refinement
- Some reactions to events less consistent than others
- QTE interface really too invasive
