TheDark Pictures Anthologyis a compilation of standalone story-driven horror tales developed by Supermassive Games, the British game studio behind2015’s award-winning interactive titleUntil Dawn. While the stories in the anthology are each separate from the others, there is a connection between them because they are all set within the same dark universe. The third game in the series,House of Ashes, is set to release just in time for Halloween, on October 22.
House of Ashestakes place at the end of the Iraq War in 2003, when a group of soldiers believe they have spotted a weapon of mass destruction hidden underground. In seeking it out, they instead inadvertently unearth an ancient Sumerian temple in the desert, which unleashes horrors 4,000 years old. Not surprisingly, the stranded military unit finds itself without radio contact as members of the team begin to disappear one by one.
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All ofThe Dark Picturesgames are built upon a foundation of real myths, legends, or history.House of Ashesis based on the Akkadian Empire, the first in Mesopotamia, in 2,200 BCE. During this time Naram-Sin became the first emperor to claim divinity and name himself a god-king. Under his leadership, the Empire reached the peak of its power, uniting Assyrian, Babylonian, and Sumerian speakers under one rule.
Here, the story ofHouse of Ashesdiverges into actual mythology. Written hundreds of years after the real Naram-Sin’s death, a legend tells how the god-king angered an actual god named Enlil and brought a curse down upon his people, resulting in famine and plague. to prevent the spread of the curse to the rest of Sumer, other gods destroyed the very temple the stranded soldiers inHouse of Ashesfind themselves trapped within.
From there, Supermassive Games has added its own take on the story, introducing aMesopotamian king of demons called Pazuzu, who is awakened by the incursion of the soldiers. Pazuzu is a terrifying entity, the very same that possesses Regan inThe Exorcist,but was also used historically as a ward against another vengeful demon, his rival Lamashtu. For this reason, it’s possible that players ofHouse of Ashesmay find themselves facing off with two angered demonic beings or caught up in a battle between them.
Because Pazuzu plays such a central role in the story,Supermassive Games will be releasing a specialcollector’s Pazuzu Edition ofHouse of Ashes, which is currently available for preorder and will come with a 10-centimeter figurine of the demon king. Additionally,The Dark PicturesTriple Pack is a bundle of all three games released thus far:Man of Medan, Little Hope,andHouse of Ashes.
Dark Pictures: House of Asheswill release on July 03, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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