The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is a significant change of scenery from its predecessor, Little Hope. Departing from the haunting New England woods, you instead follow five soldiers who have, quite literally, fallen into ancient Sumerian ruins deep underground of Iraq during a skirmish of the Iraq War in 2003. Going into the preview, I thought that taking the role of five seasoned combatants brandishing firearms may lessen the fear factor. However, as I scurried around the tight, shadowy corners of the decrepit ruins, I found myself jumping out of my skin along with the characters as they realized bullets are futile against the creatures in the dark.
The monsters this time around are much more reminiscent of the Wendigo from Until Dawn—agile, incredibly powerful, and bloodthirsty to boot. They’re twice the size of our protagonists, appear to have wings, and are dark enough to blend into the spaces where your flashlights don’t reach. Their kryptonite appears to be that they have poor vision and rely on auditory cues to hunt. I found myself comparing them a lot to the creatures of A Quiet Place, in appearance, and with the low clicking that they both emit as they search for prey.
As previously mentioned, they seem impervious to most weapons, and I watched helplessly as members of the squad were unexpectedly yanked into the dark, leaving behind only a blood trail. The scares in House of Ashes feel much more visceral this time around—unlike the strange specters of Little Hope, there’s no time to think, “Why are they following the characters? What are their intentions?” Instead, you hear the clicking cacophony that they echo, and you instantly know that it’s time to go.
House of Ashes appears to have more fun with cinematography than previous entries, crafting a sense of dread with shots peering at the characters from behind pillars and rocks, as if from the point of view of the creatures getting ready to pounce. Despite taking place during the day, the environment is pitch dark, with the only sources of light being sterile white from flashlights or a menacing red glow sparking from flares. Chase sequences are all the more intense through the narrow passageways, and to make matters worse, the ruins are actively crumbling as you meander through them.
One immediate aspect of the preview build that jumped out to me is the indication that Supermassive Games has listened to fan feedback from previous Dark Pictures entries. Three different difficulty options are accessible before starting a new file that can be changed any time during the game. This seems to be in direct response to criticism received in the past in regards to near impossible quick-time events (QTEs), and when trying the “Challenging” and “Lethal” difficulty options, I noticed a significant difference in the QTEs.
Additionally, another quality of life improvement that fans will surely appreciate is a much more fluid and open camera system. In most settings, you’re free to pan the camera around 360 degrees, which made exploring the nooks and crannies of the temple much easier.
While the tone is very serious, there is some relief that comes from the characters with brief interjections of humor and even a little romance, depending on player choices. I noticed a dramatic change in dialogue between scorned lovers Rachel (Ashley Tisdale) and Eric during my two playthroughs; one, in which they playfully flirted as I tried to rekindle their romance, and the other, where they quarreled like teenagers as I had them snap at each other—both were entertaining respites between the moments where I was trying not to be eaten alive.