House of Ashes is the third entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology, and it completely blindsided me. Going in, I expected another slow-burn supernatural mystery in the same vein as the previous games. What I got instead was something entirely different; and honestly, I loved that.
Like every game in the anthology, House of Ashes opens with a prologue set in another time period to establish the story's central mystery. This time, though, Supermassive goes way back, roughly 3,000 years, to the fall of the Akkadian Empire. It's an incredible opening, and it immediately sets the tone for everything that follows.
What surprised me most was how quickly the game appears to reveal its monster. My immediate reaction was, "Really? They're showing their hand already?" I assumed that would rob later encounters of any suspense.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
The story then jumps to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, where a group of American soldiers—and a few unexpected companions—stumble upon the ruins left behind by the catastrophe you witnessed in the prologue. From there, the game quickly transforms into something far larger, stranger, and more ambitious than I ever expected.
Let's break it all down.
Aesthetic – 8/10
This is easily one of the most visually unique entries in the anthology.
Minor aesthetic spoilers ahead.
The Akkadian Empire is a setting I never expected to see in a horror game, and Supermassive makes the most of it. The opening sequence feels grand and tragic, and it's refreshing to see an ancient civilization explored rather than yet another Victorian mansion or abandoned asylum.
The remainder of the game takes place beneath the Iraqi desert, and this is where House of Ashes truly comes into its own. Exploring the massive underground temple is consistently fascinating. Ancient ruins give way to abandoned archaeological camps from the 1940s, which eventually transition into something much larger and far more unsettling.
By the final act, the environments become genuinely breathtaking, striking an impressive balance between awe and horror. Massive underground structures create a sense of scale that none of the previous games managed to capture.
That said, I do have one major criticism: the portrayal of the military.
As someone who served, the dialogue often felt like it was written by people whose primary exposure to soldiers came from Hollywood action movies. The Marines constantly speak in clichés, overuse "Ooh-rah," and deliver lines that simply don't sound authentic.
One moment in particular had me laughing when a Marine announces they have "four clips of 5.56 FMJ" remaining. Nobody talks like that. (My fellow veterans know exactly what I mean.)
The tactics are equally questionable, though that's hardly unique to this game. Characters seem to possess bottomless magazines, only reloading when the plot requires it, and tactical decision-making often takes a back seat to cinematic spectacle.
Thankfully, once the story moves deeper underground, those issues become much easier to overlook.
Sound Design – 7.5/10
Like most Supermassive games, the audio is a mixed bag.
The voice acting is noticeably stronger than previous entries, and most of the performances feel believable. Unfortunately, the environmental audio doesn't always keep up.
Considering how heavily the game leans into military action, the firearms are surprisingly underwhelming. Most weapons sound oddly similar, lacking the punch you'd expect, and explosions often feel muted. There are even several cave collapses and rockslides that occur with little or no accompanying sound, making certain scenes feel strangely unfinished.
Where the sound design truly shines is with the game's primary creatures.
Minor creature spoilers ahead.
The creatures navigate using echolocation, producing rapid clicking sounds through the fins on their heads. It's a brilliantly unsettling audio cue that instantly builds tension whenever you hear it echoing through the darkness. Even before you see them, you know something is hunting you.
The music, however, never quite finds its identity. At times it's atmospheric horror, at others it's orchestral action, heavy metal, or even an unexpected burst of '80s-inspired synth. Individually, none of these choices are bad, but together they create a soundtrack that feels somewhat disjointed.
Story – 9/10
This is where House of Ashes really surprised me.
Unlike Man of Medan and Little Hope, this isn't primarily a mystery. Instead, it's an all-out survival horror action story.
Once I stopped expecting another psychological puzzle and embraced what the game was trying to be, I had an absolute blast.
There are still plenty of twists and surprises throughout, but the focus is much more on the relationships between the characters and their desperate fight to survive than on unraveling some elaborate hidden truth.
Speaking of the characters, this is by far the anthology's strongest cast so far. Every member of the team has clear motivations, believable conflicts, and meaningful character growth. I found myself invested in nearly all of them, and for the first time in a Dark Pictures game, I actually managed to keep everyone alive.
That felt less like luck and more like a testament to how much I genuinely wanted each of them to survive.
The ending may not reinvent the wheel, but it's satisfying, exciting, and wraps up the story well. The post-credit scene also left me desperately wishing Supermassive would revisit this setting someday, even though I know the anthology isn't built that way.
Graphics – 8.5/10
By now, Supermassive has established itself as one of the industry's best studios when it comes to cinematic character models, and House of Ashes continues that trend.
The characters look excellent, facial animations are generally convincing (with the exception of Rachel in some scenes), and the creature designs may honestly be the studio's best work to date (unless we're counting Until Dawn).
The environments are equally impressive, particularly the enormous underground chambers later in the game. Every new area feels distinct and memorable.
The only blemish is an occasional low-resolution texture that sticks out against the otherwise gorgeous presentation. It's a minor issue, but one that appears in every Supermassive title I've played.
Final Thoughts
House of Ashes is easily the biggest departure The Dark Pictures Anthology had taken up to this point, and I think it's better for it. Rather than relying on another slow-burning mystery, Supermassive fully embraces action-horror while still delivering plenty of tension, memorable set pieces, and meaningful player choices.
Its portrayal of military life occasionally borders on caricature, and the sound design can be inconsistent, but those shortcomings are outweighed by a fantastic cast, some of the series' most imaginative environments, and creature design that is genuinely terrifying.
I went in expecting another interactive horror movie. I came away feeling like I'd just played a love letter to films like Aliens, The Descent, and classic creature features, all while still feeling unmistakably like a Supermassive game.
For me, this is the strongest entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology so far, and one I would happily play again.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
