Just finished it so this is a hot take, but, this is clearly the best game in this series so far. Supermassive has improved in every aspect along the series. Man of Medan I felt was nice particularly because it was scary and mysterious, Little Hope was probably a little smaller in scale but very interesting, and now with House of Ashes, the scale is just so impressively blown away (scope and characters), and the controls took a huge bump in playability (still a little clunky here and there), this was just epic over and over again.

The setting and characters are great and original: end of 2003 war of Iraq where the US are looking for WMD, but melded with ancient history and also some other stuff later on that I can't spoil. Took about 7h on my first playthrough so this is probably the longest and deepest in the series - and the rewards are well worth it.

Let's get down to some facts: it's very impressive graphically and also with all the character facial animations. The game plays as a mix of characters interacting with each other while going along the "story", and the player has a lot of choices to make either in the QTE and combat sections or the "dramatic" character interaction sections - all of which can veer the outcome/success of the endeavour. It's true that sometimes the controls are a bit clunky, but overall they've improved along the series. But this setting melding the recent history elements and the old history elements (and something more), is just so original, and they keep it engaging and fresh hour after hour... - this was an amazing experience.

Also, the game looks stunning in all the locations it presents, which lends a lot to the feeling that you're living trough an excellent movie, only longer. The graphics, the lighting, even the character movement animations - like when I'm controlling Jason I feel like a f*** marine. Also, they way some interactions play out between Jason and Salim packs a huge punch emotionally, for me.

Honestly, Supermassive outdid themselves with this one. Original setting, excellent graphics and character performance, interesting story and progression of events, Interactions between characters that bring them to live even when they are the most cliché and prosaic, constant "on the tip of your seat" tension - all this while melding in the "historic" setting and something more I can't spoil - man, one of the most solid and tight experiences I had in gaming (7h first playthrough - bang for the buck through the max).

Only criticism or "cons" you can level at this kind of game is that the gameplay basically relies on QTEs. If you absolutely hate them, I can understand not being able to overcome that. But if you're anything from tolerant to better than that you'll have a blast with this I'm sure.

PS: also, all this for a fraction of a full-priced release, even with no discount - 30 usd/eur for a super excellent and impactful experience rather than a 70 usd/eur release with bloated gameplay that after like 100h of game time only leads to boredom and frustration? I'm in for House of Ashes - excellent quality, excellent price, solid game play time that doesn't outstay it's welcome, quite the contrary. I'm truly impressed with this tile. @Supermassive: well done, keep it coming, you captivated me with "Until Dawn" and kept my interested game after game.

Just finished it so this is a hot take, but, this is clearly the best game in this series so far. Supermassive has improved in every aspect along the series. Man of Medan I felt was nice particularly because it was scary and mysterious, Little Hope was probably a little smaller in scale but very interesting, and now with House of Ashes, the scale is just so impressively blown away (scope and characters), and the controls took a huge bump in playability (still a little clunky here and there), this was just epic over and over again. The setting and characters are great and original: end of 2003 war of Iraq where the US are looking for WMD, but melded with ancient history and also some other stuff later on that I can't spoil. Took about 7h on my first playthrough so this is probably the longest and deepest in the series - and the rewards are well worth it. Let's get down to some facts: it's very impressive graphically and also with all the character facial animations. The game plays as a mix of characters interacting with each other while going along the "story", and the player has a lot of choices to make either in the QTE and combat sections or the "dramatic" character interaction sections - all of which can veer the outcome/success of the endeavour. It's true that sometimes the controls are a bit clunky, but overall they've improved along the series. But this setting melding the recent history elements and the old history elements (and something more), is just so original, and they keep it engaging and fresh hour after hour... - this was an amazing experience. Also, the game looks stunning in all the locations it presents, which lends a lot to the feeling that you're living trough an excellent movie, only longer. The graphics, the lighting, even the character movement animations - like when I'm controlling Jason I feel like a f*** marine. Also, they way some interactions play out between Jason and Salim packs a huge punch emotionally, for me. Honestly, Supermassive outdid themselves with this one. Original setting, excellent graphics and character performance, interesting story and progression of events, Interactions between characters that bring them to live even when they are the most cliché and prosaic, constant "on the tip of your seat" tension - all this while melding in the "historic" setting and something more I can't spoil - man, one of the most solid and tight experiences I had in gaming (7h first playthrough - bang for the buck through the max). Only criticism or "cons" you can level at this kind of game is that the gameplay basically relies on QTEs. If you absolutely hate them, I can understand not being able to overcome that. But if you're anything from tolerant to better than that you'll have a blast with this I'm sure. PS: also, all this for a fraction of a full-priced release, even with no discount - 30 usd/eur for a super excellent and impactful experience rather than a 70 usd/eur release with bloated gameplay that after like 100h of game time only leads to boredom and frustration? I'm in for House of Ashes - excellent quality, excellent price, solid game play time that doesn't outstay it's welcome, quite the contrary. I'm truly impressed with this tile. @Supermassive: well done, keep it coming, you captivated me with "Until Dawn" and kept my interested game after game.