Dark Pictures: Little Hope Secrets Reveal The Series' Future
Despite only releasing today, Oct. 30, many reviewers and players alike have already raced to the end of The Dark Pictures: Little Hope. And just like The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan before it, Little Hope treated completionists to a sneak peek of the next game in the horror anthology.
Upon finishing Little Hope, PC Invasion noted that The Curator alludes to the next time he and players will meet, saying: "We'll see each other again, maybe in the Arabian desert, maybe somewhere else..." Once the end credits come to a close, a teaser trailer gives more context to that eyebrow raising bit of dialogue.
The trailer starts out depicting a group of soldiers making their way to a desert location. The following scene shows that same squad shooting at an unknown threat in a dark locale before wrapping up with footage of a lone female soldier wading through a pool of water within a cave.
The woman locks eyes with a creepy statue as a foreboding message plays in the background: "They say the souls of the dead went deep underground to the House of Ashes." Mere moments later, you hear the cry of some sort of creature which causes the female soldier to look behind her with a shocked expression on her face. The trailer concludes by revealing the name of the upcoming 2021 Dark Pictures sequel, House of Ashes.
From the initial impression, it appears that this follow-up draws inspiration from films like The Cave. Some fans believe the female soldier at the center of the action is portrayed by actress Ashley Tisdale, who's made appearances in projects such as the High School Musical films, Scary Movie 5, and Aliens in the Attic. The trend of featuring a recognizable actor in The Dark Pictures games looks to be continuing here as Man of Medan starred Shawn Ashmore and Little Hope included the likeness of Will Poulter. Tisdale's starring role in House of Ashes hasn't been confirmed as of this writing.
Another clue that points to what's set to take place in House of Ashes is attached to a special scene in Little Hope. PC Invasion broke down how the 13th Premonition in the game (entitled "Rope") showcases a woman who doesn't appear in either Man of Medan or Little Hope. The woman attempts to rappel down a cavern, however, things turn out poorly.
Judging by a clever Easter egg spotted in Man of Medan, it looks like Supermassive Games was setting players up for House of Ashes as early as 2019. The desert setting may have been alluded to in a 1947 Newspaper. "Twenty-four British archaeologists have gone missing in the Zagros Mountains of Iraq," read the newspaper clip. "The Hodgson Expedition arrived in the kingdom in September last year, with the stated goal of 'unearthing the...'" That little tidbit of information seems to point directly to the events of House of Ashes.
Besides the three games revealed for The Dark Pictures anthology so far, it looks like fans can look forward to five more follow-ups from Supermassive Games. Each title will focus on a new plot and employ new actors, screenwriters, and developers. Supermassive Games has plenty of expertise in crafting offerings with strong narratives that rely on major decision making, sudden quick-time events, and elements of horror. Examples of that focus can be seen in titles such as the PS4 exclusive Until Dawn and the PlayStation VR experience The Inpatient. The studio's other VR title, Bravo Team, may provide some know-how for making gunplay segments fun in the upcoming House of Ashes.
Hopefully, House of Ashes improves upon the foundation established by the last two games and rids itself of the issues that hampered them. The PS4 Metacritic score for Man of Medan currently sits at 69, while its User Score is even lower with a rating of 5.7. Reviews for Little Hope have been a bit more positive, yet some critics weren't pleased with their overall experience. Until Dawn remains Supermassive Games' highest rated release thus far with a Metascore of 79 and an 8.3 User Score.