Released in 2021, House of Ashes is the third title in the Dark Pictures Anthology, following Man of Medan and Little Hope. The main timeline is set in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The gameplay utilizes quick-time events (QTEs), meaning the choices you make determine the course of the story and how many protagonists survive.
This third-person survival drama is more video than game–at least for the first hour. The title opens with a flashback set in the former Akkadian Empire territory that existed in ancient Mesopotamia. The prologue takes place in 2231 BC in the Akkad temple, built by god-king Naram-Sin to appease the gods and end the ongoing famine. The gods didn't get the memo, and as a Gutian army prepares to invade the city, Naram-Sin orders a mass sacrifice.
Two survivors, Akkadian general Balathu and Gutian soldier Kurum put their differences aside as they flee into the temple catacombs to escape the creatures. Balathu and Kurum are quickly overwhelmed and presumably killed.
Between narratives, we're introduced the Curator, an omniscient NPC that assists with the story's narrative effects and provides information about gameplay, decision-making, and pictures.
Ashley Tisdale makes a celebrity cameo as Rachel King, a field officer for the CIA. Though married to USAF Lieutenant Colonel Eric King, Rachel is in the process of ending a complicated situationship with Sargeant Nick Kay.
Eric arrives at Camp Slayer in Baghdad to debrief a Marine Force Recon team about a village raid in the Arabian Desert. Eric believes he has found a facility underneath the village that stores Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Republican Guard soldier Lieut. Salim Othman returns home, carrying a birthday gift for his son Zain, but his commanding officer Captain Dar Basri forces him to intercept the raid led by Eric. Salim's squad ambushes the US troops when they arrive, but several sinkholes plunge both sides into the ancient Akkadian temple, now buried beneath the sand.
Inside the temple, both Iraqi and American forces are attacked by the vampiric Underworld creatures, which sound eerily similar to the Clickers in The Last of Us. Based on your choices in the prologue, you'll encounter either Balathu or Kurum.
Rachel is separated from Eric after a stand-off with Dar, and falls into a blood-soaked pit.
Rachel and Clarice climb out of the pit but due to Clarice's worsening health, Rachel must choose whether to abandon Clarice or continue accompanying her to medicate the illness. Rachel reunites with her team in the temple and the group is violently assaulted by the vampires. As they escape toward the catacombs below, the Americans again encounter Dar, who is now joined by Salim. Salim suggests they unite to fight the monsters chasing them, to which the others reluctantly agree. The vampires continue attacking the catacombs, killing Dar and separating everyone again.
After the assault, Salim teams up with Jason and the player can choose whether to be cooperative-but-distrusting to one another or become close friends. Salim and Jason explore deeper into the remains of the alien spaceship, where they find the partially preserved remains of either Balathu or Kurum. Once the survivors flee from another close encounter with the creatures, they further explore the spaceship and learn about the vampires' origin.
The survivors talk about a gigantic nest of hibernating vampires in the spaceship and agree to incinerate it with explosives. As the cocoons burn, the characters escape to the surface to await extraction by a rescue team. They escape the temple but a total solar eclipse allows the vampires to attack until the eclipse ends and the dispatched team arrives.
In the post-credits epilogue at Camp Slayer, the protagonists are transported—and interviewed. The US military, planning to cover up the entire incident, begins analysis of the vampires.
This title is perfect for those who enjoy slow, cinematic gameplay.
