I enjoyed the story of 'House of Ashes' possibly more than I did that of either previous 'Dark Pictures' game. It creatively mixes genres so it is a military story, a vampire story, and a specific kind of science fiction story that I won't spoil here. That is the strength of 'HoA.' Its weakness is the same as 'Little Hope's.' Nothing here necessitates the separate screens co-operative experience. What was so exciting about 'Man of Medan' was that the two players took wildly different paths through the story, intersecting at key moments. At times, because of the mind trippy nature of the threat, the two players might be together in a shared game space, but see the events play out differently. Swapping roles for a second playthrough was an entirely new experience. Here in 'House of Ashes,' the two players are together for nearly the entire length of the game. Walking around together, finding the same clues, reading the same documents, reacting to the same threats. It's fun to chat with a friend while you play, but I hope the future games in this series make the co-op experience essential again.