House of Ashes Winterfold
House of Ashes has left a very cryptic ending, hinting at future games taking place in a location called Winterfold. As well as this, some users are speculating about links to Irish folklore and mythology. As part of The Dark Pictures series, it is inevitable that people are trying to work out the forthcoming narrative. Could murderous hotels and giant spiders be in store? We discuss the theories surrounding Winterfold in House of Ashes.
The term Winterfold first gets heard by the men in Hazmat suits at the game-ending. Firstly, many players have started to point out that Winterfold is an actual place. While some speculated that it may be a hotel, town, or villain in forthcoming games, others found its real-life location. It is southwest of London in the UK. It is also marked on a map in Zain’s room.
What is Winterfold in House of Ashes?
Reddit user Ebbor16 posted an interesting theory. This was that the game may take place in a haunted house or hotel-style location-based in Winterfold. There are several indicators in the game that this may be the case. The curator uses terms such as “sleep at night” and “homely”. These would indicate a residential setting, unlike the previous games. A premonition picture titled “Hotel” appears in the game without a context. This also backs this theory.
OK_Bison1106 also made an interesting point. The map in Zain’s room that marks out Winterfold also has another map marked “Rechrea Insula”. In Latin, this is the old name for Rathlin Island, another real-world location in Ireland.
The developers have stated that they are studying Irish folklore. One of the island’s myths involves a large spider. One of these appears at the opening credits of House of Ashes. Could this be a coincidence? Or are future games destined to involve taking on some mythical arachnids?
