I found House of ashes to the first (and only?) time that Supermassive didn't try to recapture Until Dawn. Its aesthetic palette is completely different and it drops the player in an environment that's VERY different from anything Supermassive had done before I liked it a lot
I disagree with this, I don't think any of the darkpictures anthology meant to remake Until dawn, the quarry for sure did, but none of their other games. Every game has a very distinct color pallet, vibe, horror subgenre, character archetypes, etc. The only thing Until Dawn and man of Medan have in common are general game genre (horror game where u make the choices to keep characters alive).
@nikolaiflyd4548 I agree, but they still felt like they were in the same lane. Man of Medan obviously less so, having less of an emphasis on teenagers haha. And the colour palette stayed fairly close honestly, all those blacks and blues and greens
@@camillaquelladegliaggettiv4303 I mean the reason until dawn was blue was because cold, and man of media was because ocean, they have wildly different vibes lol.
I agree it feels super tonally distinct! In terms of characters, setting, palette, even soundtrack. It’s a refreshing take on the system the studio had settled into, and stands as one of their best outputs as a result of it.
Reasons why it's my favorite horror game: - unique, rarely used setting (Arabian desert + wartime) - a twist on the vampires being aliens - likeable characters with believable motivations, past, and future - moral of the story is easily recognizable yet impactful (enemy of my enemy = friend) - protagonists actually fight back instead of running all the time - Salim
These are pretty much exactly my reasons too, so well done on doing what I could never do and making the point succinctly and in under an hour haha The setting and monster design points are so true, I love how it feels so familiar but also so unique
Two words: Jason and Salim. These guys are two of my favorite characters of all time. I love them so much I can overlook the shitty love triangle, which I really despise in media. Jason confessing to Salim about the checkpoint and almost breaking down was one of the most fantastic scenes I've ever watched. Really got me in the feels.
A good friend whose a historian played it for the first time in July. He was impressed that it juggles an ancient poem, an allusion to the Howard Carter expedition, and the early days of the Iraq War so well. Also its a great slow escalation in information on what you are even fighting. Also Salim is literally the best. Definitely the best Dark Pictures game.
I do love the game, but it handles military dynamics horribly. I know someone who served during the same time, and the way they casually disrespect their commanders (eric, Rachel) is horrifically untrue to reality.
@nikolaiflyd4548 Said friend was in the military, although it was Afghanistan, tanker, well trained at first with the Abrams, but given a Bradley. Oh yeah there were some aspects of military command structure that made him go, wait what oh whatever.
Yeah, I love how well it balances the themes. But as stated above, the military stuff is iffy, they claim they had consultants, but there’s a lot of little details that just seem wrong. Even beyond the blatant insubordination towards Eric, which I can look past as being narratively useful, there’s just flat out wrong stuff about the US Military in this game. Jason’s rapid rise through the ranks makes him eligible to be captain America.
Being from the Middle East, I went into House of Ashes almost certain that I'd dislike it and the first half an hour after we meet our actual cast made me think I was right on assuming that. I'm so glad that I stuck around, not only is it the supermassive installment that uses the different plotlines from history the best but it's just so well realized. It's like it knows exactly what it wants to be and never strays too far from it. Some of your comments on Eric are exactly why I like him so much, his observant nature erases the posssiblity of a dragged-out, miscommunication filled "will he find out about the affair?" scenario. Salim and Jason deserve all the praise they get and I really like that you pointed out how Salim had his own predijuces as well. The fandom does have a habit of portraying Salim as squeaky clean but what makes me appreciate his character writing is the fact that he isn't tokenized (not sure if that makes sense but I mean that his writing doesn't play into the passive aggressive "oh don't worry, he's one of the *good* ones" trope). This game also manages to have a twist regarding the supernatural monsters without actually undermining the core themes of the narrative which seems to be consistent struggle for SMG. My only criticism for the game would be the use of Egyptian Arabic instead of Iraqi Arabic though I assume that decision was made because of the former having more speakers. On an unserious note, the single funniest moment in the game is when Rachel reunites with the group and hugs Eric, causing Nick to LITERALLY GROWL. The Life is Strange Soundtrack truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
Nick went beast mode Thanks for your insights into Salim, it’s always great hearing from people with lived experience that ties into the themes being explored
I LOVE this game. Still think about it semi-regularly 3 years later. Jason & Salim’s characters are so damn good, and the scene with the warrior who’d been preserved in the goo was genuinely horrifying. It took a super ballsy turn with the alien stuff, but it WORKED. Wish it’d gotten more praise and recognition!
I also just wanted to add that your wording from 1:12:05 - 1:12:20 is *chef’s kiss* perfect. I hadn’t put that together myself, but it really just adds so much extra depth to Jason’s character. Incredible video & analysis, Ratat!
it really baffles me that this game is so good. like... why is it so much better than the others? not that i dislike or even hate the other SMG games, but they have a LOT of problems (with the exception of Man of Medan. i REALLY don't like that game). but this game is pretty solid. why? is it lightning in a bottle like Until Dawn? regardless, i'm pretty happy with this game. it's got everything you'd want in a blockbuster. charismatic characters, a tight plot, a good central theme, and a kick-ass finale.
Man of Medan is definitely the worst of the Dark Pictures Anthology games AND it also ruins Little Hope by having the same twist and being released before it I think House of Ashes is fantastic because it's the only game that doesn't feel like "hey we're Supermassive Games, we did Until Dawn, here's another game that feels like Until Dawn but worse!"
Yeah, as stated I think this game is great because of the focus, it just feels really tight. Whereas Man of Medan meanders, Little Hope knows what it is but wobbles a bit in execution, and Devil in Me is a game I really don’t look forward to relaying for its video.
I watched a streamer play it, I forget who, but I remember being really engrossed by the characters and how well they were humanized. After so many "shoot the brown people and/or Russians" modern military shooters it was refreshing seeing the enemies-turned allies of the American military being given the same kind of attention to detail and memorable personalities as their American counterparts. Even the newer Modern Warfare games that tried to humanize middle eastern freedom fighters just ended up with boring token caricatures. House of Ashes had me just as invested in people whose culture, religion and allegiances are foreign to me as the American soldiers who I have more in common with. That's no small feat, especially with how ingrained islamaphobia is in American, Canadian and a lot of European culture. This game and stories like it are medicine for the intolerance and prejudices we have baked into us from a young age. Seeing how so many people including both liberal and conservative media have been talking about Palestinians and the people speaking out against the war crimes and ongoing genocide they're forced to endure just goes to show how easy it is for people to drop all empathy and paint the victims as "the real villains" when the victims are Muslim. Stories like House of Ashes are crucial in this political climate.
I think by scaling things back to just being fundamentally about a few people rather than being a sweeping narrative about cultures does wonders for how digestible this games message is. Usually when trying to write sympathetic characters who are of a certain group writers lean towards creating planets of hats wherein everyone is ultra good and virtuous. A more realistic take will show all aspects of humanity within each group, whilst understanding how a broader cultural context will shape those individuals. Salim and Jason are both products of their environment, whilst still being distinctive people. I don’t know if you’ve ever read Maus, but it does this well too.
16:11, I can't remember if it's the parasites themselves, or the aliens, but from what I remember we know more about their origin than we believe! Directive 8020 takes place in the Cetus Constellation, which is HEAVILY implied to be the home system of one of the two, so it seems we're going to learn more about the species in general. It also takes place during the collapse of Earth, further supporting your "teamwork is the backbone of society's success" theory. Overall, seems like you nailed the themes and ideas in this game well, very solid analysis and I can't wait for season 2 of TDPA to kick this genre back into the limelight.
I played House of Ashes with a friend and we both expected it to be the worst of the four. At the end we liked it the most. We were genuinely surprised how well the characters worked for us. Especially when Jason had his "Leave no man behind" moment at the end we were really surprised how well that all worked. And we always cheered when Salim came back to the point where we were like "Damn. He is better and more likeable than all of you." So it was really nice that the game game acknowledged that at the end. Salim was just MVP :D
House of Ashes is genuinely such a good banger that took me by total surprise from the Supermassive Anthology. The series really went: Mid disappointment (MoM), Irritating disaster (LH), GOATED (HoA), then mid again (DiM). Supermassive seriously needs to rehire Khurram for future projects because that man knew what he was doing with House of Ashes
For sure, it’s far and away the best and they should continue to strive to follow its example. Not make the exact same game per se, but to try and be as focussed and concise as possible.
There's a lot I love about House of Ashes, the characters and atmosphere right at the top, but I just /love/ the final battle. A group of people, back-to-back in a circle, holding fire, fending off monsters in the dark. It's such a strong scene to me. It's primal, and it hits my drama bone /just/ right.
This game really surprised me after Man of Medan and Little Hope. I really enjoyed it and really genuinely cared about the relationships. I managed to get Eric and Rachel back together, and I liked that even despite Nick being totally screwed over he still fought alongside them. Salim is best character for sureee, and like you said it is refreshing to see a story that isn't just 'Iraq bad, America good' !!! Great video!!
Yeah, it’s considered the best, it has a lot of positive press, but it doesn’t have the same dedicated fanbase of Until Dawn or even The Quarry, simply due to its lower visibility
Great video! It really encapsulates why I love House of Ashes so much and why I think its my favourite supermassive game. What makes me very hopeful about Directive 8020 is that Willy Doyle is leading the development once again and that the setting is similar House of Ashes in a way that is more mature and seems to play a lot into the concept of trust. House of Ashes really handled choices, characters and relationships the best in my opinion, so i hope that with D8020 being published on supermassives own terms they get go flesh it out even more :)
I’m very cautiously optimistic about Directive 8020. I’m just always glad that, for all their faults, supermassive has always tried to be conscious of fan feedback in the DPA. They don’t always hit, but if they do it’ll be a banger.
Thank you Khurrum Rahman, and thank YOU Ratat for giving me an even deeper appreciation of my favorite DPA game, I hadn't even considered how deeply Perception is part of Eric's characterization nor did I know just how well done and fitting the historical references of this game were, amazing video as always!
Wow, I'm incredibly impressed by how much research you did for this video! The idea that the parasite vampires are roused by conflict is such an interesting idea, I love it!
I love this games very unique take on vampires, combining traditional vampire lore with weird cosmic alien stuff. The research was fun! As with all my videos the objective was to educate myself as much as I educate anyone else, so it was cool learning all this stuff about Akkad!
This was the only DP game that I’ve actually liked to be honest and your video really hit the nail on the head for why. It is such a good game with truly solid writing.
i’ve been waiting for this!! i hope this doesn’t sound silly but i teared up watching this video. house of ashes is one of my comfort games and hyperfixations and as it’s not a majorly known game i don’t really get to discuss it often and i feel like even the people who do know the game doesn’t put that much thought into it. so seeing someone talk about it with the same passion i have for it really did touch me. jason and salim are like top 5 fave fictional characters for me. it’s very funny to me how jason is indeed like you said a satire of american patriotism post 9/11 and yet you can so easily empathize with him once you get to know him (i’m nowhere near american LMAO but i just love this man). i appreciate all your analysis of the characters, most of which i do agree with, and your research that gave me even more insight. thank you very much for this video.
@ i really did enjoy it!! i’m gonna add my two cents here from things that you didn’t mention in the video. a really interesting thing about jason is that in game, it’s said that he’s a really bad liar. when jason denies the fact that shooting the civillian affected him, nick says something very interesting to him. he says “you’re a bad liar jason. you always say things twice when you lie”. so, even if he says things he doesn’t necessarily believe in, he is so deep into that adotped persona/mentality that he can even surpass that. maybe he wants to believe what he says, for the sake of fighting for what “he believes” (or what he wants to believe in), or perhaps maybe even to fit in. i think his hat is super interesting because jason has a bunch of tattoos, yet when it came to the motif on the hat it seems like he deep down he always knew that wasn’t the real reason he was there and he just kept it in a non permanent way. about the rachel killing salim thing. i also think it’s super interesting that rachel only kills salim in that scenario IF salim comes back to the elevator without jason. rachel genuinely believes salim killed jason in cold blood. that’s such a crazy scenario to me
Listening to you talk about things you hate is great /genuine, but since it's been so long since Lightning in a Bottle, I forgot how wonderful it is to hear you talk about what you like! Your passion clearly motivated you to delve into this game further than most youtubers and it gave you a really impressive analysis. I straight up didn't know about the original curse of Akkad or how important it was for House of Ashes to reimagine the Gutians. Plus, I missed, like, all the characterisation AND the theme! Hearing you bring out the theme and outline how everything ties back to it almost gives the story a machine-type feeling (in a good way) where every single turn is intentional and makes the picture very tight! Again, I love when you talk about stuff you hate and I have been loyally watching all your videos (thanks for pointing out how Laura is a child murderer in The Quarry btw, nobody else ever notices how weird it is that she murders a child and then just doesn't say anything) so keep making whatever content you wish! Just. I really liked this one.
Haha this makes me feel like that Until Dawn video was a lifetime ago. It’s refreshing to give more positive critique, as (as I think I stated in my quarry video) I generally try to find the good in everything and really don’t want to become a channel that just churns out hate reviews, I want to be positive where possible I’ve just tethered myself to a studio that frequently disappoints me.
This video is very special to me. I was first surprised that there was a new and long analysis video in recent days about this game that was released three years ago. (It just so happens that I've been playing and studying House of Ashes myself lately). Then, I agree with a lot of your points, and your analysis is much deeper than my thinking, and there are a lot of places in this video (especially the analysis of main characters, such as Eric's observation, the reason why Nick antagonizes Eric, Jason's original traits) that make me feel “Wow”. I wanna say a big “thank you” to you, sincerely. 👍
I like that it being part of the action horror survivor genre definitely made it feel different from the others in a choice based game where the games typically has the characters work well in a horror survival.
I have played through it a few times tinkering with different options and it is the best of the series and I dare say better than Until Dawn. Even now ill occasionally watch a no commentary playthrough of it and enjoy it like a movie because I enjoy its tone, the characters and it's overall story. The gameplay isn't the best and its still just a series of QTEs and it'd be interesting to experience if it was a full on action game but I guess that would interfere with the pacing. Great analysis!
My first gameplay of house of ashes I actually got so attached to the game. Its perfect, definitely deserves the hype until dawn and the quarry got. The character development, setting, vampire aliens, use of history. I adore this game so much.
Oh excited to watch this one, I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamic that Salim and Jason had and how genuinely likeable they were. I also absolutely would not have predicted where it ended up at all, but somehow despite feeling very out of left field it didn't take me out of the game at all. I feel my only gripe was how some areas were incredibly 'brown, brown and more brown' colour-wise, but I suppose there isn't really a lot of room for huge colour variation in some of the set pieces. Definitely do agree that this is one of the stronger Supermassive games and doesn't get talked about as much as it should within the general 'interactive movie' sort of game, hugely enjoyed it.
My biggest issue with this game is it's replayability and its plot armor. It is by FAR the second most unreplayable SMG game (behind TQ, but that's only low bc of reasons involving save files). HoA has very little branching, the story is always the same. You cannot get Nick Jason and Salim killed before the last 20 minutes of the game, and that SUCKS when replaying. With all of the other SMG games, when replaying you can have a lot of slight differences due to characters not being there, but HoA just doesn't have that. Overall, I fucking LOVE this game, Im a HUGE Supermassive games fan (I literally have over 40 hours in all the games, this one I have 56.6 hours LOL). I also prefer horror over action overall, and knowing all the branching, it makes what should be some really intense games not even fun at all, like for example: the horror, the scene where everyone is together and the ancient one comes out and the vampires kill Dar. That scene was INSANE on a first playthrough, but on replays its extremely anti-climactic because ONLY rachel and eric can die here, despite a whole segment as Salim where you need to shoot vampires coming straight after you, and Nick having his head get crushed being the ancient one. If there was less plot armor, I genuinely think this game would move so much up for me, Like if Salim and Nick could die in the Horror, then it'd be significantly better.
I think this is a fair take, I had similar thoughts about Sam and Mike from Until Dawn, as you say it’s brilliant on first playthroughs but can be difficult to reconcile upon replays. I don’t think the game is utterly unrepeatable due to this, as stated I feel the character dynamics are variable enough that death doesn’t have to be the only outcome we measure the game by, but at the same time your suggestion to make the midpoint battle a potential last stand is compelling. It would be cool if everyone could die save for Jason who gets pulled away, leading to the entire remainder of the game being his solo mission in the city.
This is the only one that i can say that I am truly passionate about. I LOVE House of Ashes, while I didn't give the love triangle story much thought (though this video shed light on that for me too!), Salim and Jason's dynamic will always be a stand out for me. It's so rare to see this kind of nuanced character writing. I will always defend this one in particular till the end of my days because of how great just these two in general are. I'll never forget Jason telling Salim to tell his son happy birthday for him.
I cover non supermassive games sometimes! I’ll check it out and perhaps make a video but I have a backlog of projects I need to get on top of at the moment haha
So glad to see this game get more well deserved love! And thank you for not sleeping on Eric! Also was that Life is Strange music i heard? Would love to hear you talk about that someday lol
I love life is strange for how corny and dramatic it is, great bit of dumb fun with some genuinely touching scenes and a beautiful OST. Eric was a major focus of this video primarily because he’s so often overlooked in discussions around this game, usually being reduced to just ‘cuckold husband’.
did you use life is strange background music for the bg of this video essay? because if so im LIVING for it (as well as for the whole video: love this game and love seeing it get the analysis it deserves! thanks for the hour of entertainment!) edited: you have the music credits in the description duhhh im silly. either way still love it
I thought House of Ashes was the best of the first season of the Dark Pictures Anthology in that it was different from the previous two entries (an actual real threat and not one that was fake or imaginary) and sort of captured the vibe of Until Dawn pretty well without trying to be another Until Dawn.
I think it works, as another commentor pointed out, by feeling very different to Until Dawn. It’s very much its own entity, and feels distinctive within the anthology too.
I think the alien consoles requiring 2 individuals to operate does not inherently mean they value cooperation as we have systems & machinery requirig 2 individuals irl too & a lot of that is based on the presence of distrust in handing over control to 1 individual.
I think that’s a fair take, I only mentioned it as part of a wider discussion on how each individual relic of this culture requires cooperation. I somehow forgot to mention that the console also actively discourages usage by a single person, as it plays discordant notes that form into more melodious chords when a second person is present. Salim points this out in the chapter shown.
I'm pretty sure the crash that eric gets into is the reason that the bus in little hope had to make the detour through little hope setting that game off
I love it when Dark Pictures finally makes good games; great analysis of the game and the themes, many of the themes were lost on me when I first watched someone play it through
I enjoyed this game so much!! A welcome return to actual supernaturality after my personal disappointment with the fake outs of the other games. When we first tried to play it though it glitched in insane ways (patch hadn't downloaded yet) and we briefly had assets, like some of the threats, not load in. Accidentally hilarious to have characters die by suddenly lifting midair and jerking around. We thought the baddies had telekinesis for a bit 😂
I was hoping to see this upload after your Little Hope video! I definitely think HoA is the best DP game (and i prefer it to until dawn even if that is an unpopular opinion)
I got so lost the piano version of What I've Been Looking For when you started talking about Rachel that i forgot to listen to what you were saying and had to go back and try again 😂
I tune into gameplays for supermassive games because i find the campy horror shlock very fun in the specific way they do it, but house of ashes actually impressed me. there was so much to like about it, i found myself thinking about it as much as i did about until dawn and, while that is the better game, i think both are almost on the same level storytelling wise. it clearly blows every other dark picture game out of the water thats for sure
@RatatTalks nooo thank YOU for the video, you reminded me of my hyperfixation from 2021 lmao, always love seeing this game get some appreciation. also I loved the added historical context you provided, should've put this in my original comment but it was great!
Of the super massive games, this one is second or third for me. Until Dawn is obviously number one but this one ties with The Quarry. Not only is the environment unique, but the simplicity makes it easy to understand and get into. It also helps that the threat is present. Unlike the Manchurian Gold or the demons of Little Hope.
I always debate wether or not Until Dawn or House of Ashes is the best Supermassive game. UD deserves huge credit for putting the studio on the map, but HoA proved to understand that less playable characters works better in a story & character driven interactive game. I also think that the plot twist (the creatures being civilised alien species before the infection) makes more sense than the wendigo one in UD, although it's not as meaningful.
0:08 best dark pictures game? sure i'm okay with that, I think the devil in me competes but I can give you that best by the studio? I prefer until dawn by a mile but maybe thats just bias because of the studios rep at the time one of the best narrative horror games of all time? no shot, be fr rn
I am being fr! I think it’s on par with Until Dawn and Until Dawn is one of my favourite games ever. I definitely have my biases, but unlike almost all my other favourite horror games which are these super weird psychological high concept affairs I value HoA so much for how well it delivers an extremely simple concept whilst still having enough ideas to be intriguing.
Is this a parody of hyperbolic video essay thar claims everything he’s the greatest thing to have ever existed or is it serious? Because I’m only two minutes in and hearing that this game is one of the narrative horror game ever made is certainly one hell of a take
My favorite Supermassive game!! I was chasing the high of Until Dawn and this delivered for me! I love that it’s completely different from Until Dawn and combines my favorite supernatural elements 🫶
Weird fact: I just recently found out that House of Ashes has a collaboration with another game called Dark Deception, more specifically with its spin-off game called Monsters and Mortals.
![One Step Forward, Two Steps Back - Analysing The Quarry [SPOILERS]](/img/n.gif)
I found House of ashes to the first (and only?) time that Supermassive didn't try to recapture Until Dawn. Its aesthetic palette is completely different and it drops the player in an environment that's VERY different from anything Supermassive had done before
I liked it a lot
I disagree with this, I don't think any of the darkpictures anthology meant to remake Until dawn, the quarry for sure did, but none of their other games. Every game has a very distinct color pallet, vibe, horror subgenre, character archetypes, etc. The only thing Until Dawn and man of Medan have in common are general game genre (horror game where u make the choices to keep characters alive).
@nikolaiflyd4548 I agree, but they still felt like they were in the same lane. Man of Medan obviously less so, having less of an emphasis on teenagers haha. And the colour palette stayed fairly close honestly, all those blacks and blues and greens
@@camillaquelladegliaggettiv4303 I mean the reason until dawn was blue was because cold, and man of media was because ocean, they have wildly different vibes lol.
I agree it feels super tonally distinct! In terms of characters, setting, palette, even soundtrack. It’s a refreshing take on the system the studio had settled into, and stands as one of their best outputs as a result of it.
Reasons why it's my favorite horror game:
- unique, rarely used setting (Arabian desert + wartime)
- a twist on the vampires being aliens
- likeable characters with believable motivations, past, and future
- moral of the story is easily recognizable yet impactful (enemy of my enemy = friend)
- protagonists actually fight back instead of running all the time
- Salim
These are pretty much exactly my reasons too, so well done on doing what I could never do and making the point succinctly and in under an hour haha
The setting and monster design points are so true, I love how it feels so familiar but also so unique
Two words: Jason and Salim. These guys are two of my favorite characters of all time. I love them so much I can overlook the shitty love triangle, which I really despise in media. Jason confessing to Salim about the checkpoint and almost breaking down was one of the most fantastic scenes I've ever watched. Really got me in the feels.
A good friend whose a historian played it for the first time in July. He was impressed that it juggles an ancient poem, an allusion to the Howard Carter expedition, and the early days of the Iraq War so well. Also its a great slow escalation in information on what you are even fighting.
Also Salim is literally the best.
Definitely the best Dark Pictures game.
I do love the game, but it handles military dynamics horribly. I know someone who served during the same time, and the way they casually disrespect their commanders (eric, Rachel) is horrifically untrue to reality.
@nikolaiflyd4548 Said friend was in the military, although it was Afghanistan, tanker, well trained at first with the Abrams, but given a Bradley.
Oh yeah there were some aspects of military command structure that made him go, wait what oh whatever.
@@LadyTylerBioRodriguez yea lol, its very strange the way they just like, punch their higher in command.
Yeah, I love how well it balances the themes. But as stated above, the military stuff is iffy, they claim they had consultants, but there’s a lot of little details that just seem wrong. Even beyond the blatant insubordination towards Eric, which I can look past as being narratively useful, there’s just flat out wrong stuff about the US Military in this game. Jason’s rapid rise through the ranks makes him eligible to be captain America.
@@RatatTalks Yeah. He enlisted right after 9/11 and is already a lieutenant? I thought that was kind of weird too.
Being from the Middle East, I went into House of Ashes almost certain that I'd dislike it and the first half an hour after we meet our actual cast made me think I was right on assuming that. I'm so glad that I stuck around, not only is it the supermassive installment that uses the different plotlines from history the best but it's just so well realized. It's like it knows exactly what it wants to be and never strays too far from it. Some of your comments on Eric are exactly why I like him so much, his observant nature erases the posssiblity of a dragged-out, miscommunication filled "will he find out about the affair?" scenario. Salim and Jason deserve all the praise they get and I really like that you pointed out how Salim had his own predijuces as well. The fandom does have a habit of portraying Salim as squeaky clean but what makes me appreciate his character writing is the fact that he isn't tokenized (not sure if that makes sense but I mean that his writing doesn't play into the passive aggressive "oh don't worry, he's one of the *good* ones" trope). This game also manages to have a twist regarding the supernatural monsters without actually undermining the core themes of the narrative which seems to be consistent struggle for SMG. My only criticism for the game would be the use of Egyptian Arabic instead of Iraqi Arabic though I assume that decision was made because of the former having more speakers.
On an unserious note, the single funniest moment in the game is when Rachel reunites with the group and hugs Eric, causing Nick to LITERALLY GROWL.
The Life is Strange Soundtrack truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
Nick went beast mode
Thanks for your insights into Salim, it’s always great hearing from people with lived experience that ties into the themes being explored
I LOVE this game. Still think about it semi-regularly 3 years later. Jason & Salim’s characters are so damn good, and the scene with the warrior who’d been preserved in the goo was genuinely horrifying.
It took a super ballsy turn with the alien stuff, but it WORKED. Wish it’d gotten more praise and recognition!
I also just wanted to add that your wording from 1:12:05 - 1:12:20 is *chef’s kiss* perfect. I hadn’t put that together myself, but it really just adds so much extra depth to Jason’s character. Incredible video & analysis, Ratat!
The goo warrior was so disturbing, literally can’t imagine a worse fate than just existing for a few thousand years with half a body
it really baffles me that this game is so good. like... why is it so much better than the others? not that i dislike or even hate the other SMG games, but they have a LOT of problems (with the exception of Man of Medan. i REALLY don't like that game). but this game is pretty solid. why? is it lightning in a bottle like Until Dawn? regardless, i'm pretty happy with this game. it's got everything you'd want in a blockbuster. charismatic characters, a tight plot, a good central theme, and a kick-ass finale.
Man of Medan is definitely the worst of the Dark Pictures Anthology games AND it also ruins Little Hope by having the same twist and being released before it
I think House of Ashes is fantastic because it's the only game that doesn't feel like "hey we're Supermassive Games, we did Until Dawn, here's another game that feels like Until Dawn but worse!"
Yeah, as stated I think this game is great because of the focus, it just feels really tight.
Whereas Man of Medan meanders, Little Hope knows what it is but wobbles a bit in execution, and Devil in Me is a game I really don’t look forward to relaying for its video.
@@RatatTalks someone else who dislikes Devil in Me?? 👀 people say they like it and I just do not get it lol I'm looking forward to that video
I watched a streamer play it, I forget who, but I remember being really engrossed by the characters and how well they were humanized. After so many "shoot the brown people and/or Russians" modern military shooters it was refreshing seeing the enemies-turned allies of the American military being given the same kind of attention to detail and memorable personalities as their American counterparts. Even the newer Modern Warfare games that tried to humanize middle eastern freedom fighters just ended up with boring token caricatures. House of Ashes had me just as invested in people whose culture, religion and allegiances are foreign to me as the American soldiers who I have more in common with. That's no small feat, especially with how ingrained islamaphobia is in American, Canadian and a lot of European culture. This game and stories like it are medicine for the intolerance and prejudices we have baked into us from a young age. Seeing how so many people including both liberal and conservative media have been talking about Palestinians and the people speaking out against the war crimes and ongoing genocide they're forced to endure just goes to show how easy it is for people to drop all empathy and paint the victims as "the real villains" when the victims are Muslim. Stories like House of Ashes are crucial in this political climate.
I think by scaling things back to just being fundamentally about a few people rather than being a sweeping narrative about cultures does wonders for how digestible this games message is. Usually when trying to write sympathetic characters who are of a certain group writers lean towards creating planets of hats wherein everyone is ultra good and virtuous.
A more realistic take will show all aspects of humanity within each group, whilst understanding how a broader cultural context will shape those individuals. Salim and Jason are both products of their environment, whilst still being distinctive people.
I don’t know if you’ve ever read Maus, but it does this well too.
Salim is the GOAT MVP!
💯💯💯💯💯
That’s my GOAT
16:11, I can't remember if it's the parasites themselves, or the aliens, but from what I remember we know more about their origin than we believe! Directive 8020 takes place in the Cetus Constellation, which is HEAVILY implied to be the home system of one of the two, so it seems we're going to learn more about the species in general. It also takes place during the collapse of Earth, further supporting your "teamwork is the backbone of society's success" theory. Overall, seems like you nailed the themes and ideas in this game well, very solid analysis and I can't wait for season 2 of TDPA to kick this genre back into the limelight.
I’d love to see a continuation in this vein if this is where that game goes, I’m super excited to see what Season 2 has to offer.
I played House of Ashes with a friend and we both expected it to be the worst of the four. At the end we liked it the most. We were genuinely surprised how well the characters worked for us. Especially when Jason had his "Leave no man behind" moment at the end we were really surprised how well that all worked. And we always cheered when Salim came back to the point where we were like "Damn. He is better and more likeable than all of you." So it was really nice that the game game acknowledged that at the end. Salim was just MVP :D
House of Ashes is genuinely such a good banger that took me by total surprise from the Supermassive Anthology. The series really went: Mid disappointment (MoM), Irritating disaster (LH), GOATED (HoA), then mid again (DiM). Supermassive seriously needs to rehire Khurram for future projects because that man knew what he was doing with House of Ashes
For sure, it’s far and away the best and they should continue to strive to follow its example. Not make the exact same game per se, but to try and be as focussed and concise as possible.
There's a lot I love about House of Ashes, the characters and atmosphere right at the top, but I just /love/ the final battle. A group of people, back-to-back in a circle, holding fire, fending off monsters in the dark. It's such a strong scene to me. It's primal, and it hits my drama bone /just/ right.
Yeah, you can’t beat a good final showdown
This game really surprised me after Man of Medan and Little Hope. I really enjoyed it and really genuinely cared about the relationships. I managed to get Eric and Rachel back together, and I liked that even despite Nick being totally screwed over he still fought alongside them. Salim is best character for sureee, and like you said it is refreshing to see a story that isn't just 'Iraq bad, America good' !!! Great video!!
I'm very glad to know there's someone out there that loves House of Ashes as much as me
This channel is a place for House of Ashes enjoyers
same!!
Among the community House of Ashes is almost unanimously considered the best Dark Pictures game
Yeah, it’s considered the best, it has a lot of positive press, but it doesn’t have the same dedicated fanbase of Until Dawn or even The Quarry, simply due to its lower visibility
Great video! It really encapsulates why I love House of Ashes so much and why I think its my favourite supermassive game.
What makes me very hopeful about Directive 8020 is that Willy Doyle is leading the development once again and that the setting is similar House of Ashes in a way that is more mature and seems to play a lot into the concept of trust.
House of Ashes really handled choices, characters and relationships the best in my opinion, so i hope that with D8020 being published on supermassives own terms they get go flesh it out even more :)
I’m very cautiously optimistic about Directive 8020. I’m just always glad that, for all their faults, supermassive has always tried to be conscious of fan feedback in the DPA. They don’t always hit, but if they do it’ll be a banger.
Thank you Khurrum Rahman, and thank YOU Ratat for giving me an even deeper appreciation of my favorite DPA game, I hadn't even considered how deeply Perception is part of Eric's characterization nor did I know just how well done and fitting the historical references of this game were, amazing video as always!
Thank YOU for the comment!
Wow, I'm incredibly impressed by how much research you did for this video! The idea that the parasite vampires are roused by conflict is such an interesting idea, I love it!
I love this games very unique take on vampires, combining traditional vampire lore with weird cosmic alien stuff.
The research was fun! As with all my videos the objective was to educate myself as much as I educate anyone else, so it was cool learning all this stuff about Akkad!
This was the only DP game that I’ve actually liked to be honest and your video really hit the nail on the head for why. It is such a good game with truly solid writing.
It’s by FAR the best Dark Pictures title
Just subscribed purely for your love of Emily. She's the best character in UD and I will die on that hill.
I think I’ve managed to bring her up in all of my supermassive reviews haha, I’m such an Emily apologist
A dark pictures anthology video essay on my feed? Thank you algorithm!
Thanks algorithm for pushing my DPA slop
i’ve been waiting for this!! i hope this doesn’t sound silly but i teared up watching this video. house of ashes is one of my comfort games and hyperfixations and as it’s not a majorly known game i don’t really get to discuss it often and i feel like even the people who do know the game doesn’t put that much thought into it. so seeing someone talk about it with the same passion i have for it really did touch me. jason and salim are like top 5 fave fictional characters for me. it’s very funny to me how jason is indeed like you said a satire of american patriotism post 9/11 and yet you can so easily empathize with him once you get to know him (i’m nowhere near american LMAO but i just love this man). i appreciate all your analysis of the characters, most of which i do agree with, and your research that gave me even more insight. thank you very much for this video.
It’s not silly to have emotions! I’m glad you enjoyed the video, it’s nice seeing this feedback from people who love this title as much as I do.
@ i really did enjoy it!! i’m gonna add my two cents here from things that you didn’t mention in the video.
a really interesting thing about jason is that in game, it’s said that he’s a really bad liar. when jason denies the fact that shooting the civillian affected him, nick says something very interesting to him. he says “you’re a bad liar jason. you always say things twice when you lie”. so, even if he says things he doesn’t necessarily believe in, he is so deep into that adotped persona/mentality that he can even surpass that. maybe he wants to believe what he says, for the sake of fighting for what “he believes” (or what he wants to believe in), or perhaps maybe even to fit in. i think his hat is super interesting because jason has a bunch of tattoos, yet when it came to the motif on the hat it seems like he deep down he always knew that wasn’t the real reason he was there and he just kept it in a non permanent way.
about the rachel killing salim thing. i also think it’s super interesting that rachel only kills salim in that scenario IF salim comes back to the elevator without jason. rachel genuinely believes salim killed jason in cold blood. that’s such a crazy scenario to me
Listening to you talk about things you hate is great /genuine, but since it's been so long since Lightning in a Bottle, I forgot how wonderful it is to hear you talk about what you like!
Your passion clearly motivated you to delve into this game further than most youtubers and it gave you a really impressive analysis. I straight up didn't know about the original curse of Akkad or how important it was for House of Ashes to reimagine the Gutians. Plus, I missed, like, all the characterisation AND the theme! Hearing you bring out the theme and outline how everything ties back to it almost gives the story a machine-type feeling (in a good way) where every single turn is intentional and makes the picture very tight!
Again, I love when you talk about stuff you hate and I have been loyally watching all your videos (thanks for pointing out how Laura is a child murderer in The Quarry btw, nobody else ever notices how weird it is that she murders a child and then just doesn't say anything) so keep making whatever content you wish! Just. I really liked this one.
Haha this makes me feel like that Until Dawn video was a lifetime ago. It’s refreshing to give more positive critique, as (as I think I stated in my quarry video) I generally try to find the good in everything and really don’t want to become a channel that just churns out hate reviews, I want to be positive where possible I’ve just tethered myself to a studio that frequently disappoints me.
This video is very special to me. I was first surprised that there was a new and long analysis video in recent days about this game that was released three years ago. (It just so happens that I've been playing and studying House of Ashes myself lately). Then, I agree with a lot of your points, and your analysis is much deeper than my thinking, and there are a lot of places in this video (especially the analysis of main characters, such as Eric's observation, the reason why Nick antagonizes Eric, Jason's original traits) that make me feel “Wow”. I wanna say a big “thank you” to you, sincerely. 👍
I like that it being part of the action horror survivor genre definitely made it feel different from the others in a choice based game where the games typically has the characters work well in a horror survival.
Yeah it was the right choice to make it a bit more dynamic and less reactive imo
Sandwiching this game between a bunch of mediocre attempts at another Until Dawn (also a mediocre remaster of UD) did not help its visibility
For sure, it’s crazy they did a whole bunch of press just saying ‘please guys it’s different this time’
I have played through it a few times tinkering with different options and it is the best of the series and I dare say better than Until Dawn. Even now ill occasionally watch a no commentary playthrough of it and enjoy it like a movie because I enjoy its tone, the characters and it's overall story. The gameplay isn't the best and its still just a series of QTEs and it'd be interesting to experience if it was a full on action game but I guess that would interfere with the pacing. Great analysis!
My first gameplay of house of ashes I actually got so attached to the game. Its perfect, definitely deserves the hype until dawn and the quarry got. The character development, setting, vampire aliens, use of history. I adore this game so much.
Oh excited to watch this one, I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamic that Salim and Jason had and how genuinely likeable they were. I also absolutely would not have predicted where it ended up at all, but somehow despite feeling very out of left field it didn't take me out of the game at all. I feel my only gripe was how some areas were incredibly 'brown, brown and more brown' colour-wise, but I suppose there isn't really a lot of room for huge colour variation in some of the set pieces.
Definitely do agree that this is one of the stronger Supermassive games and doesn't get talked about as much as it should within the general 'interactive movie' sort of game, hugely enjoyed it.
I agree with the palette complaint, the greens of the alien city felt very refreshing after so much brown
My biggest issue with this game is it's replayability and its plot armor. It is by FAR the second most unreplayable SMG game (behind TQ, but that's only low bc of reasons involving save files). HoA has very little branching, the story is always the same. You cannot get Nick Jason and Salim killed before the last 20 minutes of the game, and that SUCKS when replaying. With all of the other SMG games, when replaying you can have a lot of slight differences due to characters not being there, but HoA just doesn't have that. Overall, I fucking LOVE this game, Im a HUGE Supermassive games fan (I literally have over 40 hours in all the games, this one I have 56.6 hours LOL). I also prefer horror over action overall, and knowing all the branching, it makes what should be some really intense games not even fun at all, like for example: the horror, the scene where everyone is together and the ancient one comes out and the vampires kill Dar. That scene was INSANE on a first playthrough, but on replays its extremely anti-climactic because ONLY rachel and eric can die here, despite a whole segment as Salim where you need to shoot vampires coming straight after you, and Nick having his head get crushed being the ancient one. If there was less plot armor, I genuinely think this game would move so much up for me, Like if Salim and Nick could die in the Horror, then it'd be significantly better.
I think this is a fair take, I had similar thoughts about Sam and Mike from Until Dawn, as you say it’s brilliant on first playthroughs but can be difficult to reconcile upon replays.
I don’t think the game is utterly unrepeatable due to this, as stated I feel the character dynamics are variable enough that death doesn’t have to be the only outcome we measure the game by, but at the same time your suggestion to make the midpoint battle a potential last stand is compelling. It would be cool if everyone could die save for Jason who gets pulled away, leading to the entire remainder of the game being his solo mission in the city.
S(alim) Tier is god tier 🎉
This video was worth the wait 11/10.
Salim is the best DPA character by a wide margin
This is the only one that i can say that I am truly passionate about. I LOVE House of Ashes, while I didn't give the love triangle story much thought (though this video shed light on that for me too!), Salim and Jason's dynamic will always be a stand out for me. It's so rare to see this kind of nuanced character writing. I will always defend this one in particular till the end of my days because of how great just these two in general are. I'll never forget Jason telling Salim to tell his son happy birthday for him.
It's not a Supermassive game, but I'd love you to review Still Wakes the Deep!
I cover non supermassive games sometimes! I’ll check it out and perhaps make a video but I have a backlog of projects I need to get on top of at the moment haha
Can’t believe how lucky I was to have this channel recommended to me a couple months ago. Class video
This house does not look like it’s made of ashes
House of Clay Bricks isn’t as marketable
Hawks too, eh?
So glad to see this game get more well deserved love! And thank you for not sleeping on Eric! Also was that Life is Strange music i heard? Would love to hear you talk about that someday lol
I love life is strange for how corny and dramatic it is, great bit of dumb fun with some genuinely touching scenes and a beautiful OST. Eric was a major focus of this video primarily because he’s so often overlooked in discussions around this game, usually being reduced to just ‘cuckold husband’.
"His hat is more a reminder to himself than anyone else." you're really good at writing i love it
I’m just pointing out someone else’s good writing I fear
did you use life is strange background music for the bg of this video essay? because if so im LIVING for it (as well as for the whole video: love this game and love seeing it get the analysis it deserves! thanks for the hour of entertainment!) edited: you have the music credits in the description duhhh im silly. either way still love it
I did! I love life is strange, it’s so messy!
I thought House of Ashes was the best of the first season of the Dark Pictures Anthology in that it was different from the previous two entries (an actual real threat and not one that was fake or imaginary) and sort of captured the vibe of Until Dawn pretty well without trying to be another Until Dawn.
I think it works, as another commentor pointed out, by feeling very different to Until Dawn. It’s very much its own entity, and feels distinctive within the anthology too.
Oh hell yeah just got done with the Little Hope video. Best supermassive game right behind until dawn, Salim forever o7
I think the alien consoles requiring 2 individuals to operate does not inherently mean they value cooperation as we have systems & machinery requirig 2 individuals irl too & a lot of that is based on the presence of distrust in handing over control to 1 individual.
I think that’s a fair take, I only mentioned it as part of a wider discussion on how each individual relic of this culture requires cooperation.
I somehow forgot to mention that the console also actively discourages usage by a single person, as it plays discordant notes that form into more melodious chords when a second person is present. Salim points this out in the chapter shown.
I'm pretty sure the crash that eric gets into is the reason that the bus in little hope had to make the detour through little hope setting that game off
That would be fun but Eric’s crash takes place in 2002, whilst Little Hope is set in I think 2019
@@RatatTalksthat's a shame, would've been a great connection. Oh well
I love it when Dark Pictures finally makes good games; great analysis of the game and the themes, many of the themes were lost on me when I first watched someone play it through
I enjoyed this game so much!! A welcome return to actual supernaturality after my personal disappointment with the fake outs of the other games.
When we first tried to play it though it glitched in insane ways (patch hadn't downloaded yet) and we briefly had assets, like some of the threats, not load in. Accidentally hilarious to have characters die by suddenly lifting midair and jerking around. We thought the baddies had telekinesis for a bit 😂
That’s hilarious, day one supermassive releases are always insane
I was hoping to see this upload after your Little Hope video! I definitely think HoA is the best DP game (and i prefer it to until dawn even if that is an unpopular opinion)
I consider it on par with Until Dawn, but Until Dawn simply had the cultural zeitgeist to propel it and it had slightly more iconic moments
I would like to see the 10 hour video about the Poopoo Man hunting the Pookie Bear though.
I’ll stream it
Yes. Yes! YES!! I've been looking forward to this video so much!
Loved listening to this, especially the Salim/Jason deep dive. Thank you ratat, and thank you Khurrum Rahman for this gift
I got so lost the piano version of What I've Been Looking For when you started talking about Rachel that i forgot to listen to what you were saying and had to go back and try again 😂
Do doodoodo do doodoodo
Been waiting for this one!
Yessssss. Been waiting for this one for weeks.
fantastic video about a great game! adding the aliens to the S tier level makes this an S tier video, 11/10, will definitely watch again
I rated the monster high in Until Dawn too, I’m a monster enjoyer
HoA has such a simple story, i think its even better than Until Dawn.
Yeah! I love it for how simple it is as it really allows it to focus on what exactly it wants to do
I tune into gameplays for supermassive games because i find the campy horror shlock very fun in the specific way they do it, but house of ashes actually impressed me. there was so much to like about it, i found myself thinking about it as much as i did about until dawn and, while that is the better game, i think both are almost on the same level storytelling wise. it clearly blows every other dark picture game out of the water thats for sure
This is a great take, I very much agree, thank you Kuromi from Sanrio
@RatatTalks nooo thank YOU for the video, you reminded me of my hyperfixation from 2021 lmao, always love seeing this game get some appreciation. also I loved the added historical context you provided, should've put this in my original comment but it was great!
I’ve been waiting for this!
1st game movie I ever made and my fav Supermassive game. I absolutely love the setting, the creatures, and the characters (not u Rachel)
I have conflicting feelings about Rachel, largely because I’m too much of an Eric enjoyer to forgive her but I also get why she does what she does.
@@RatatTalks /agree lol plus she has the coolest scene (imo) in the game w/ that epic shot of the craft crashing on earth.
You think you can get away with a piano version of Boulevard of Broken Dreams, mr. Atat?
DO YOU THINK SO?
Well yeah you can, it fit well
Had to get some American idiot on the discussion of the Bush administration, it’s one of the best albums of that era!
Of the super massive games, this one is second or third for me. Until Dawn is obviously number one but this one ties with The Quarry. Not only is the environment unique, but the simplicity makes it easy to understand and get into. It also helps that the threat is present. Unlike the Manchurian Gold or the demons of Little Hope.
I always debate wether or not Until Dawn or House of Ashes is the best Supermassive game. UD deserves huge credit for putting the studio on the map, but HoA proved to understand that less playable characters works better in a story & character driven interactive game. I also think that the plot twist (the creatures being civilised alien species before the infection) makes more sense than the wendigo one in UD, although it's not as meaningful.
this game make me remember about resident evil 6 ,the both of games are very good but the fans expected to horror games, not the action ones.
That’s a fair comparison
Thank you Khurrum Rahman
house of ashes the beloved i have been WAITING for this jalim the beloveds i adore them they’re peak smg writing and are yet to be topped imo🙂↕️
40:35 S-Tier, no notes
This is an Emily fan channel
Am I the only one who hears 3 Doors Down songs with this game?
I always associate music with stuff I like, I think it’s a byproduct of consuming too many AMVs as a kid
I really liked the game
0:08 best dark pictures game? sure i'm okay with that, I think the devil in me competes but I can give you that
best by the studio? I prefer until dawn by a mile but maybe thats just bias because of the studios rep at the time
one of the best narrative horror games of all time? no shot, be fr rn
I am being fr! I think it’s on par with Until Dawn and Until Dawn is one of my favourite games ever. I definitely have my biases, but unlike almost all my other favourite horror games which are these super weird psychological high concept affairs I value HoA so much for how well it delivers an extremely simple concept whilst still having enough ideas to be intriguing.
GG Really cool
Is this a parody of hyperbolic video essay thar claims everything he’s the greatest thing to have ever existed or is it serious?
Because I’m only two minutes in and hearing that this game is one of the narrative horror game ever made is certainly one hell of a take
No I genuinely just like this game a lot, it’s probably the most overly excited I’ve been in a video. The games just good.
My favorite Supermassive game!! I was chasing the high of Until Dawn and this delivered for me! I love that it’s completely different from Until Dawn and combines my favorite supernatural elements 🫶
Yeah it’s a great game!
Weird fact: I just recently found out that House of Ashes has a collaboration with another game called Dark Deception, more specifically with its spin-off game called Monsters and Mortals.
That’s such a weird crossover hahah