Trying to review games like this is a little weird because they are hardly typical 'games'. We all know they're basically like interactive movies, where you watch back to back cutscenes (albeit rendered in real time engine) and every so often it asks you to make a decision, or complete a quicktime event. Thats the bulk of the 'gameplay' in these titles. There are parts where you do get to control characters in third person and walk around relatively small arenas, doing simple things like investigating points of interest and rarely solving some minor puzzles, but beyond that its all about the story, writing, and characters. I've already beaten and reviewed the previous two games, and this one is just another extra piece of content for that same formula, there isnt really anything new in terms of gameplay here, its just another episode so more of the same.
Where the excitement comes in from a 'gameplay' aspect is almost entirely due to the co-op aspect. It features 2 player online co-op, and even 4 player local co-op. I'm not sure how the local works, but online has each of the players randomly playing as any of the multiple characters. The drama, stress, and tension comes from the fact that at a moments notice you or your partner can make the wrong decision or fail a quicktime event which drastically alters the outcome of the game, and frequently results in a character dying, basically ruining the ending. Luckily, you can pause the game at any time to review what choice you should make and talk it over with your co-op partner. A large part of what kept us engaged in the 'gameplay' is just this. Being worried about fucking up the story, and at every decision pausing the game and talking about what we should do for the best outcome. Usually its the obvious choice of just being as nice as possible to everyone and not stirring shit, but other times it isnt clear which choice is going to work out the way you intend. It does have some complex choices like at one point theres this girl infected by the virus/parasite and you can try to save her but she ends up turning into a monster and if you keep her around she kills healthy people so you have to try to navigate that whole ordeal and put her down at the right time. Admittedly, there were multiple times when we blatantly messed up and either got someone killed or screwed up multiple quicktime events or mad the wrong dialogue options and we chose to quit to main menu and reload last checkpoint (Usually costs you atleast 15+ minutes of unskippable cutscenes) because we really wanted to save all the people, so I guess the characters and plot invested us enough to care to actually save them all.
Since there isnt much gameplay to review here I guess I have to treat these games as almost movie reviews? Like, the whole co-op aspect and having to strategize with your friend what options to pick is fun and all, but beyond that the main thing keeping you interested is how good the writing and characters are. Well, this time around the plot, at least at first, has you playing as these ancient Egyptian (?) type people deep in some tombs where you and your partner are playing different roles, one is obeying some King guy, the other is enslaved in a cage. Eventually you two meet up and it turns out youre enemies but end up working together because youre being attacked by these big bat-like monsters. After a brief prologue adventure the game suddenly cuts to modern day and you're these American soldiers going on a mission to the Middle East in some war. So its a very strikingly different tone and type of plot than the previous games, at first it feels more like "We want the Call of Duty audience" setting or something. Theres lots of tactical military bro jargon and scenarios at first, you have some quicktimes doing a gun battle against Iraqi (?) soldiers, but sooner than later you find yourselves underground in these very same old ancient tombs. From there, the general plot is that youre trapped underground in these creepy ancient tombs and you start getting attacked by monsters and its this quest to find your way out alive, or at one point you even willingly go deeper into the monsters den to then blow them all up with explosives and somehow manage to make it back out alive in one piece for a final showdown as a solar eclipse happens, then, if successful, you all fly off into the sunset happily ever after. The plot is fine, but it feels generally less creative and influenced than previous titles. I get that Little Hope was basically inspired straight from Silent Hill, and this one feels like a mix between Tomb Raider, and especially in the second half, Alien/Predator. The last bit of the game when you delve deep into the alien cave has lots of scenery that looks straight out of an Alien movie, complete with the parasites, eggs everywhere, andd strange high tech architecture. It's a mostly compelling and interesting adventure, just at times feels like "I've seen this all before" vibe. At times the game can feel a little bit snoozy with how slow paced it can be, crawling around in the dark tombs investigating handfuls of points of interest for the dozenth time, so maybe the pacing could of been a bit better, but again it is a movie game so it almost comes with the territory that it might get a little sleep inducing here and there as the plot unfolds. There are a few parts where you have to do this heartbeat quicktime where you tap A at the right time, and if memory serves correctly its less stressful than previous games because atleast this time around it doesnt change the button prompt abruptly mid way through. Parts like thi scan be really intense, because one wrong press and youre toast.
As for the characters, you have 5 or so 'main' ones. I say 'main' because I think a few are guaranteed to die, like the zombie girl, although shes with you for a good chunk of the game. You have Rachel, which is this strong commanding independent leader type, but also is mixed up in a love triangle with the other character Jason and Eric which serves a little interesting sub plot as the game goes on to try to either get back Erics marriage or go on with the new romance with Jason. Most of the characters arent really that in depth or complex, theyre kind of one dimensional tropes of typical military guys for the most part...you do end up working with an enemy soldier by the name Salim which probably has the most interesting writing in the whole story, this tale of working together with the enemy against all odds and forming a genuine trust and relationship with eachother as the plot progresses, which seems to be the main narrative and 'moral of the story' of the game, that in some situations its best to work even with your enemy and you may find they're not so bad afterall.
There were a few moments when the quicktime events were really bullshit and had me yelling at the TV because we kept chosing to quit to menu and redoing the last scene, wasting 30 minutes after 30 minutes. One of these scenes was this part where you have to aim your gun and press on a very specific part of the screen, its like this Pillar where an enemy is hiding, but its dark and the game doesnt make it clear at all where it wants you to aim, so I kept aiming in the wrong spots completely ruining the whole plot essentially. A few moments like this really brought down the excitement for the game, some of these quicktimes could of been more clear with what it expects you to do. As always, the graphics in these games are very impressive with very high quality models, textures, and lighting. Especially the facial animations, something you'd hope they'd nail, is for the most part very well done and is one of the main reasons these games work so well and are engaging. Oh yeah, and the whole Traits system and collectables we pretty much largely ignored, it just seems kind of superfluous filler mechanic that doesnt really mean anything, like all you really have to do is choose the nice options and try to make rational choices about survival if you want the characters to survive, the traits system is a neat idea but I feel like they could have done more with it. But overall, House of Ashes serves as another respectable release in this episodic series, these games are like episodes in a grander TV show, and they've hit a consistently entertaining formula that keeps me coming back, and each of the stories I'd say are equally as enjoyable, maybe Little Hope so far edges out as the most interesting story but this one has its moments too.
7/10
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