This series has always been about choice. Sometimes that can be a daunting mechanic for players. A simple answer may butterfly its way into killing a character further in the game. It’s hard to tell which choices matter and which lead to dead ends. That’s part of the fun about House of Ashes and The Dark Pictures Anthology as a whole though.
These titles are like choose your own adventure games with tons of branching narratives to give every player a unique experience. For those that want a little cheat, these are some mistakes to avoid while playing the game. There will be some light spoilers for House of Ashes in order to properly explain why certain actions or choices do and don’t matter.
Some spoilers will be included.
6 Mistakes Before Starting
There are a couple of things people should know before starting this new entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology, House of Ashes. Some players may prefer to play their games with no subtitles, which is fine except for some instances in this release. The default option in the menu has subtitles set for “minimal.” Keep them that way because they keep Salim’s subtitles on and that’s it.
There aren’t many situations wherein Salim speaks his native tongue but there are enough scenes to justify warning players not to fiddle with this option. It’s also good to point out that the stone tablet clues players can find are almost pointless. The images are so brief that they probably won’t help many people make choices in the game. It’s safe to say that collecting them is not necessary.
5 Don’t Antagonize Anyone
Giving players choices in games is great. That’s what this series as a whole is built on. Compared to other entries, or games with choices in general, there is a rule of thumb players should follow in House of Ashes: Do not antagonize anyone. The situation these characters find themselves in is dire.
There is no time for petty squabbling amongst the group. Realistically even if Rachel and Eric, for example, are having marital problems, those issues should be tossed aside in the middle of a monster threat. Salim is the most reasonable character in the game so make sure to keep his ideas sound and to make everyone not be so antagonistic toward him. No goodwill comes from angry choices.
4 No Need To Always Take Action
It’s also good to note that not every button prompt in the game requires action. Sometimes the best choice is to not do anything at all. For example, there is an early scene with an enemy soldier running away from Jason. Not taking the shot will make Salim trust Jason easier which is very important toward the end half of House of Ashes.
Another critical choice concerns Eric cutting or not cutting a rope Rachel is attached to. No matter what players do, Rachel will fall but will survive so there is no need to worry. If players cut the rope though she will notice and that will create unwanted tension later on. Not all actions need to be taken but it’s always a good idea to reply to verbal situations. Silence rarely works out for the best.
3 Don’t Save Clarice
Who can die and who can be saved in House of Ashes? That’s perhaps the biggest question of all. The easy answer is that only the five main characters of Eric, Jason, Rachel, Salim, and Nick can survive. Some characters such as Merwin and Joey can be in the story longer if the right choices are made.
The side character players may be most curious about is Clarice. She has a somewhat bigger critical decision for players to make. Clarice will find Rachel after she falls from the rope scene. After that, players can decide whether or not to leave Clarice behind. She is clearly already dead and there is no way to cure her disease. Sadly, keeping her alive is a bad choice which can lead to many unwanted moments.
2 Avoid Save Scumming
The best piece of advice players can bestow to newcomers in House of Ashes is to embrace death. It might feel terrible to get characters killed due to poor word choices or poorly timed button responses. As gamers, winning is seemingly everything.
However, the point of this series in particular is to create personalized experiences. One player’s game should differ from a friend's, and part of the fun is discussing what happened in their adventures. House of Ashes, and its predecessors, are very much like social games. Don’t make the mistake of going into this game seeking to have the perfect first run. If bad choices are made, don’t scrub back to earlier saves.
1 Play The Game Alone First
One of the coolest features in House of Ashes, and the series overall, is its co-op gameplay. Friends can pass the controller around in a five-player couch co-op, having each user control one of the five main characters. The other version is an online co-op with one other person.
Like multiplayer in other games, this feature should be taken as a supplement to the single-player experience. It’s almost impossible to get the best ending in either of these co-op scenarios. It’s more fun to treat these co-op runs as the more disastrous experiences. That’s when embracing death really comes into play. Playing the game in co-op the first time around may burn players. It’s all a matter of personal preference but this warning still deserves to be said.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes was released on October 22, 2021, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.