The game features a multilinear plot in which decisions can significantly alter the trajectory of the story and change the relationships between the five playable protagonists; some lead to their permanent deaths.

House of Ashes is set during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and follows five characters—four Americans working for the US Armed Forces and one Iraqi Republican Guard—who must escape from an underground Akkadian temple and survive the vampiric creatures that infest the area.

The films Aliens, Predator, and The Descent, as well as the H. P. Lovecraft novella At the Mountains of Madness and the myth of the Curse of Akkad were the main influences for the game.

Several critics deemed it an improvement from the previous two instalments in the anthology, and points of praise included the replay value, QTE intensity, cinematography, multiplayer modes, and likeability of the Iraqi character.

The fourth game in the series and the season one finale, The Devil in Me, was revealed in a teaser trailer at the end of House of Ashes and released on 18 November 2022.

[3] Player control switches between five protagonists, working for the armed forces of their respective countries during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, who become trapped in an underground ancient Akkadian temple infested by vampiric creatures.

[4] Managing the characters' relationships is one of the game's core mechanics; they can be amicable, being courageous and ensuring everyone survives despite their differences, or they can continue alone and be concerned with their personal safety instead.

[8] Some types of QTEs involve pressing specific buttons to trigger actions from the player character, such as dodging an obstacle[7] or keeping calm when hiding from a threat.

[12] An anatomical drawing of the brain and heart accompanies every choice in House of Ashes, indicating that the player character may choose actions based on rationality or emotion.

[a] Also in line with earlier games in the series, 50 "secrets"—items that are scattered throughout House of Ashes—provide background information and context to events that happened in the temple and preceded the main plot.

[22][23] Customers who pre-ordered the game gained early access to the "Curator's Cut", a version of the story that shows mostly the same scenes that are viewed from the perspective and control of another protagonist.

In the game's timeline, it was the site of the crash-landing of a spaceship that carried thousands of large, bat-like aliens, which were controlled by a parasite that gestates within the host's body.

The disease caused the aliens to mutate into vampires vulnerable to ultraviolet light; they had been hibernating underground for millennia, occasionally venturing to the surface to feed on their victims' adrenaline.

[4] Having enlisted after the September 11 attacks, the Islamophobic Jason is searching for his purpose in life, haunted by memories of ordering the shooting of an unarmed civilian at a checkpoint.

[19][27][28] Eric arrives at Camp Slayer in Baghdad along with his assistant, Clarice, to brief a team of Force Recon Marines led by Rachel about a mission to raid a village in the desert.

Throughout House of Ashes, the characters learn about the temple's history and of a 1940s British archaeological expedition who were searching for Alexander the Great's tomb, and who perished after encountering the monsters.

Hoping to make exploration easier and more immersive, the developers opted for a controllable, 360-degree camera as opposed to the fully fixed one from previous entries, which featured less spacious areas than in House of Ashes.

[6][34] Furthermore, after the second game in the anthology, Little Hope (2020), faced backlash for having little variety in its endings, the developers added more narrative branches to House of Ashes' story.

[17] Inspirations for the story and design included the films Aliens (1986), Predator (1987), and The Descent (2005); the H. P. Lovecraft novella At the Mountains of Madness (1936); and various facets of Mesopotamian culture such as the myth of the Curse of Akkad.

[41] For the monsters, the developers focused on reflecting their otherworldly nature through their physiology:[35] they were designed faceless so they would appear incomprehensible, unempathetic, and inhumane enough to "bring out the humanity" in the characters.

[42] Military specialists and Arabic speakers were consulted during production to ensure the depiction of 2003 Iraq was "grounded in reality" and the plot's script was of good quality.

[6][37] Doyle wanted a story about unity between adversaries to highlight their humanity despite their differences, and he believed that the Iraq War was a good setup for writing conflicts and complex characters that convey this theme.

[55] The Pazuzu Edition included the game's Curator's Cut, a collector's box, an art print, a set of stickers, a figurine of one of the vampiric creatures, and an eclipse-shaped button.

[64] The October 2021 issue for the GSD Top 20 Games chart, which weighs downloads and physical purchases, placed House of Ashes at number 11.

[1][8] The cast's acting was considered sufficient for the drama[10][11][19] and improved compared to previous games in the anthology;[3] Play's Jess Kinghorn described the performances as serviceable but suggested that some actors should have displayed more intensity.

[11] Kinghorn noted that future games in the anthology could benefit from runtimes closer to that of traditional films to balance the cinematic aspirations with giving players enough to do.

[79] Critics appreciated the new-generation graphics;[2][7] some disliked moments when game textures glitched, characters talked over each other,[1] or facial animations remained still.

[12][19] While reviews varied regarding the monsters' visual design, whether they deemed it intimidating[19] or "ridiculous",[74] a few wrote the lighting, music score, and soundscape were successful in building suspense.

Game Informer's Marcus Stewart wrote it felt out of place given the constant danger in which the three found themselves,[19] while Bell and GameSpot's Richard Wakeling said the love triangle was akin to a contrived soap opera.

Some opined that it provided a balanced portrayal to both sides,[2][8][14] sufficiently humanised Salim,[3][14] and avoided juxtaposing Americans as heroic and Arabs as violent rebels.