Back in October we saw the release of the second entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology called Little Hope which was first teased at the end of 2019’s Man of Medan. Similar to the Little Hope nod, we got a tease for the next game in The Dark Pictures Anthology at the end of Little Hope.
Adding to this, a trailer released earlier today that gave Dark Pictures fans their first look at the third entry in the series, House of Ashes.
The Next Game in The Dark Pictures Anthology Announced
The next game in The Dark Pictures Anthology has been revealed. Titled “House of Ashes” the game will feature a brand new story and setting. Similar to how Little Hope had no connection to Man of Medan, House of Ashes will have no connection to Little Hope or Man of Medan.
As mentioned by the developers in the past, every game in The Dark Pictures Anthology is meant to be a standalone horror game. In a short teaser trailer shared today by Supermassive Games and Bandai Namco, we got to see a little bit of what we can expect from House of Ashes which is set during the 2003 Iraq War.
Little Hope had a celebrity cameo from Will Poulter, and House of Ashes also features a celebrity cameo, this time from Ashely Tisdale who plays a CIA field operative named Rachel King.
The press release describes the game’s concept as follows:
“Iraq, 2003. As the conflict draws to a close, CIA field operative Rachel King joins an elite military unit on a raid of a suspected underground chemical weapons facility in the shadow of the Zagros Mountains. Arriving at the designated coordinates, the unit is ambushed by a local enemy patrol led by Sergeant Salim Othman. During the battle, an earthquake opens sinkholes in the ground, pitching both sides into the ruins of a buried Sumerian temple. In the darkness beneath the Arabian Desert, something evil is awakened. Savage and unstoppable, a nest of ancient and unearthly creatures has a new prey to hunt. Horrific discoveries and impossible decisions face the survivors as they strive to navigate the underworld and escape the terrifying threat. Will they each prioritize their own survival, or put aside their fears and their personal rivalries to fight together as one?”
The trailer and the game’s description reminds us of a number of different horror properties. For example, when Rachel King encounters the creepy statue, it reminds us a little of a movie called The Shrine. We’re also getting some flashbacks to The Descent.
Man of Medan and Little Hope both had story nods to “real” events like the Man of Medan referencing the ghost ship SS Ourang Medan and Little Hope referenced the Andover Witch Trials. We’re wondering whether House of Ashes references real events in a similar way.
For example, the Iraq Museum was looted during the war in 2003, the same time the game is set. Looters stole over 15,000 items including ones of Sumerian origin like the headless statue of Sumerian king Entemena of Lagash.
The game could take creative liberties and blend together the reference to Sumerian artifacts with recent discoveries, like an ancient city unearthed beneath Iraqi Kurdistan, with the city reportedly being located on the edge of the Zagros Mountains, the same mountains you’ll explore in House of Ashes.
Tablets were discovered with the ancient city with Akkadian and Sumerian writing, so there are Sumerian ties there as well. Even if neither of these things are referenced in House of Ashes, it’s nevertheless interesting to think about in regards to how the developers will incorporate these Sumerian artifacts and the location underneath the Zagros Mountains.
We imagine we’ll know more about the game’s story as we get closer to its 2021 release date. Until then, we’ve included the teaser trailer for you to check out below. Let us know what you think of the game’s concept on our social media channels including Facebook and Twitter!
