Underground Horrors
From the creators of Until Dawn, the Dark Pictures Anthology of standalone horror games has been a breath of fresh air for the oft-maligned interactive drama horror genre. Both of the previous titles in the series, Man of Medan and Little Hope, have earned critical acclaim for their atmosphere and innovative local multiplayer systems. The Dark Pictures Anthology’s widely varied settings and casts is set to continue to diversify with upcoming title House of Ashes, due to release some time in 2021. In the lead-up to a gameplay reveal on May 27th, developers Supermassive Games have released a teaser trailer that oozes atmosphere to get us in the spooky mood for scares.
House of Ashes will be set in 2003, at the height of the Iraq War. When a unit of battle-hardened US soldiers come under fire from Iraqi forces, the ensuing destruction reveals an ancient Sumerian temple. Trapped in the ruins, with communications severed and their allies separated, the team will have to work with their former enemies if they’re to escape the underworld before it’s too late. But something else is down there with them, something ancient, evil, and hungry…
In the trailer, we seem to see the team’s plight from the view of the monster that hunts them. With a mostly monochrome palette that can see even into the darkest shadows, it’s safe to assume that the monster will be tracking the team through echolocation – an aspect of gameplay that’s sure to deliver some premium scares as the slightest sound could alert it to the team’s presence.  We’re certainly excited to get spooked – Here’s hoping House of Ashes can live up to its predecessor’s high-octane horror.
Although no release date has been announced yet, we can expect to see one along with the May 27th in-depth gameplay reveal. House of Ashes will be launching on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5 and PC.