Co-op Guide for Dark Pictures: House of Ashes — How to Play with Friends
In Dark Pictures: House of Ashes, the developers have stuck to their usual style and replicated all the multiplayer mechanics from the previous games in the series. Players have access to single-player mode, movie night, and shared story modes. In this article, we will detail the availability of cross-platform play and explore each of the available options for playing through Dark Pictures: House of Ashes.
Single Player Story. How to Play Without Co-op
This standard mode is designed for a single player. During the playthrough, the player will have to make decisions and face all challenges alone. Story achievements, collecting secrets, and paintings do not depend on the chosen mode, so it is not necessary to play the game with friends to unlock all collectible items.
Movie Night. How to Play Co-op with a Friend
A multiplayer mode that allows you to play the game with a group of two to five people. It's important to note that Dark Pictures: House of Ashes lacks the split-screen mode common in many local multiplayer games. Before starting the story, all users must distribute roles among themselves. As the game progresses, the story unfolds at the same pace as in single-player mode, and only one device is needed to control the characters.
When the character changes, the game pauses and prompts the corresponding player to take the controller. We pass control to the specified player and press the key to continue the story. There is no need to rush in this case, as the story will only continue after pressing the correct button.
To start the Movie Night mode, do the following:
- In the main menu, select Don't Play Alone.
- Click on Movie Night and open New Story.
- Choose Canonical Version (main path) or Curator's Cut (the story from a different perspective).
- Select the difficulty level for each user, enter their names, and press the Ready button.
- Distribute roles among the players and use the Ready button to start the game.
Shared Story. How to Launch Online Mode in an Online Game and Play with a Friend
The online mode is also available on a single screen, allowing users to invite a friend to join them in a shared adventure. The gameplay is similar to the Movie Night mode. To launch the online mode, you can follow the instructions above, but in the second step, you need to select the Shared Story section and invite a friend.
What is Curator's Cut and How to Unlock It
Unlike the canonical version, users have access to a unique mode. As in previous parts of the anthology, each player can dive back into the story but see it from the perspective of different characters. For example, in the initial chapter The Curse, instead of the guardian Balathu, users will take control of the prisoner Kurum.
In most cases, these actions will not significantly affect the main story, but in this mode, players have the opportunity to influence subsequent events. Access to the Curator's Cut is unlocked after the first complete playthrough of the story. Also, this mode is available to all players who pre-ordered Dark Pictures: House of Ashes.
Is There Cross-Platform and Cross-Gen in Dark Pictures: House of Ashes?
As with previous parts of the anthology, the new game from Supermassive Games does not feature cross-platform play. This means that PC, Xbox, and PlayStation users cannot play with each other on different devices. To launch a shared mode, players must have the same devices.
It is important to note that the game includes cross-gen support. This means that PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 users can play together online. This also applies to Xbox One X and Xbox Series X/S owners.
