The Dark Pictures Anthology is back with a new story – House of Ashes – which is perfect not only to test adjustments in the game system of the series, but also to make the new generation of consoles look much more than you thought.
Supermassive He had done a good job with the previous installments, but something was missing to stand out or make the experience that much more attractive. Let’s say that the first titles laid the foundation and now with House of Ashes everything learned is applied and even tests more.
The scenario is far from resembling the previous ones, you would even think that this becomes a kind of Call of Duty because of how the scenario unfolds. As you progress, you find a story that is going to stress you out, because it is a unique threat that is not so easy to overcome.
Is it worth it for you to buy The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes? You better wait for an offer? Doesn’t fear ride a donkey? We will answer the first questions in this review, the third no longer …
What’s The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes about?
If you missed our previous advances, we tell you that The Dark Pictures Anthology: House Of Ashes is a graphic adventure game whose scenario is set in the Allied War against Iraq. Not the one from the early 90s, the one from the beginning of the new millennium.
In it, a group of US soldiers are searching for the chemical weapons that Saddam Hussein had hidden. On the other side, they find out that the ‘gringos’ are going to attack them and will be waiting for them. Now, this is not the focal point, but what happens in the middle of this duel in which a tremor buries both sides in graves.
From here the formula of The Dark Pictures Anthology, you follow the story of the characters and you have to prevent someone from dying on you. Although the idea sounds like a simple task, your decisions and, sometimes, reflexes to react to ‘quick time events’ are what dictate what will happen.
As it is about your decisions, you are the one who chooses someone can come. That is the winning formula of this franchise and the one that sustains it. Thanks to the stage is that the gaming experience is shining and innovating at least a little. The point here is that to sustain a good story you need solid characters.
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Plot and drama between the characters of The Dark Pictures Anthology: House Of Ashes
As we discussed, the characters are the ones who sustain the story and the base is the threat that is waiting for them. First we have a separate couple: Rachel and Eric King. The first is a CIA agent while the second is an air force lieutenant. Beyond come Marines Jason Kolchek, Nick Kay, and eventually an Iraqi lieutenant named Salim Othman.
Everyone involved has a story full of drama, suspense and survival. On some occasions you will have to investigate, on other occasions you try to compose a relationship and in the rest, you only seek not to die because the antagonistic creature does not even let you breathe.
The variety of individuals and each of their conclusions is created in a very solid way. Supermassive does not joke around and tries to put you in the complicated decisions when it deserves it. This means that there will be times when you don’t want to pull the trigger even though it is necessary.
It is not easy at all to build the scripts, the possibilities and the results that the players will obtain and Supermassive makes a commendable effort to make all actions consistent. That gives a lot of value to this installment and makes it something you must play.
A different enemy
Yes, it all starts out as a kind of ancient curse buried under Iraq, however, there is something else and that causes some action and despair in the player. Let’s say that beyond the Iraqi soldiers willing to finish off the Americans we have a creature with certain abilities.
This adds new game mechanics, because it is not the same to fight some supernatural force to a being that moves with almost the same ability as a Xenomorph. What kinds of adjustments do you get The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes?
Now you have more quick time events which have to do with how you dodge the attack of the creature that goes after your bones, also a series of shots, because you are using Marines and many more puzzles because it is a buried tomb and not all the Answers are in plain sight.
The result is that you have a really fresh and sustained gaming experience throughout the entire game. Each of the elements adds future visions that make you think of the worst, there are also collectibles and the traditional measurement if you are using your heart at the head when making decisions.
Flawless presentation worth applauding
In addition to its good game mechanics, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes offers in its PC version a barbaric visual improvement that will leave you speechless, especially in pre-rendered videos. The way the characters look is formidable. We could not say that it is the most demanding game of all, but, using an RTX the experience in front of your eyes will be the best.
On the other hand, the quality of the animations also has improvements that are noticeable. Supermassive did a very worthy job in developing this game which already feels like the next generation. Of course, there are also some problems with the physics, because now you have a much more open camera that is not so easy to control.
The stages also have an attractive construction. Of course! It is a linear world that is guided by choices, but for it to really look it is necessary that there are many details everywhere and that at every moment you feel trapped. That is the magic of this The Dark Pictures Anthology.
The dubbing, at least on PC, gives us voices in Spanish for Europe. Here we could enter a matter of appreciation because surely in Spain they are happy with the result, but in Latin America not so much. With all this, it is time to tackle the important question.
Should you buy The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes?
Thanks to the fact that the anthology does not depend on you having played Man of Medan before House of Ashes, you can go without problems for this title of The Dark Pictures Anthology. Finally they are separate stories. In other words, there is no lose.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes It is a notable improvement over the past installments of this franchise. The development of the story is engaging, the setting catches you, and the conclusions leave you with a stomachache. This must be a horror game that seeks to entertain you beyond the traditional scares that make you jump.
The visual presentation and all the production values make The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes, is a must for fans of this genre and the franchise as well. Supermassive He got it right and now his next game for this anthology will have to surpass what was done in this installment.
We play The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes on PC using a code provided by a representative of Bandai namco in the region.
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