The Bandai Namco YouTube channel has released the first part of an interview with Ashley Tisdale, one of the major stars in the upcoming title The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes, set to release October 22. This will be the third title in the Supermassive Games cinematic horror series, following 2019’s Man of Medan and 2020’s Little Hope. Eight titles are planned in total.
In the interview, Tisdale recounts her positive experiences as a part of the game’s cast, which is comprised entirely of actors new to video game creation. The High School Musical star plays the role of Rachel, a CIA operative on a mission to find chemical weapons, who she mentions is ‘very badass.’ This will be the first horror role for Tisdale, who claims to be a longtime fan of the genre. As she expounds on her experiences, behind-the-scenes footage gives fans a glimpse into the motion capture and voice acting process.
Each game in the Dark Pictures Anthology series will consist of entirely new stories, characters, and settings, and offer single-player mode, 2-player online shared story mode and a 5-player movie night mode. The story follows five characters trapped underground in a Mesopotamian temple, where they are stalked and hunted by a variety of monsters. House of Ashes will take place during the Iraq War, though director Will Doyle has been quick to explain that war and politics play no part in the game’s story–rather, the time period was chosen for story potential.
Much like Until Dawn, also developed by Supermassive Games, decisions made by players will have long-lasting effects, and all characters can survive or die based on these decisions. The title will have multiple endings.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is scheduled to be released on October 22, 2021, for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Remember, each title in the series is stand-alone.