A mixed bag, Directive 8020 shows flashes of brilliance alongside notable shortcomings.
64
Verdict
59%
Steam
82
IGDB
Verdict score based on confidence-adjusted Steam reviews?
Unique gameplay concept
Limited professional critic coverage
Directive 8020 is an upcoming interactive drama and survival horror video game developed and published by Supermassive Games. It is the fifth game in The Dark Pictures Anthology. 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. The game introduces a feature called Turning Points, which allows players to rewind to a pivotal moment or decision. In Directive 8020, a colony ship called Cassiopeia crash lands on Tau Ceti f, a planet that is 12 light-years from Earth where the crew must try to survive a shapeshifting alien threat. Lashana Lynch, who plays astronaut and co-pilot of the Cassiopeia, Brianna Young, is being marketed as the game's leading actress. Directive 8020 is scheduled to be released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on 12 May 2026.
Runs well on modern hardware.
Last updated 2d ago
Stealth was a really bad idea. Stealth is the worst type of gameplay if you're not capable to do it right. It cant be bad, it can't even afford to be mid. And your decisions seem to matter very little since the crew is incredibly stupid and seem to instantly forget what they know about the situation. Like, they find someone's body, then they find that same person alive, and they don't for a second doubt that person's identity.
Honestly I can't really recommend this to anyone. I'm a big fan of the supermassive games and all the dark picture series. This new addition to the horror choice games was just a bad Idea in all. It has the right idea to a good story and game but it was just made all wrong and none of it feels good to play, it felt more like a hassle to play rather than fun. I honestly had to force myself to play after the 3rd episode cause it was that bad. I wanna break down what's wrong with this. Characters. The characters just were not it, they lack emotional what so ever, there facial structure during moments of horror, suspense and even simple conversation just doesn't portray well, there's even moments that there mouth doesn't even move correctly or at all. I think the worse part is how they lack any charisma except Mitchell, and he didn't even have enough charisma to feel human. I get there suppose to be scared but they should have some sort of life form personality rather than feel like a stone wall of a person. I noticed alot of them were cringy too, and it didn't seem to be on purpose either, especially cooper. Overall just bad characters and personalities. Mechanics. The games mechanics just weren't fun, they were repetitive and just un-enjoyable in whole. Stealth played a big part of a brick in this game it's bland with a set path for the enemies with about 2-5 stop points and which they would just stand there for around 10 seconds and blandly look around which doesn't actually work with a field of view. For them to even spot you, ya got to be right in front of them. The set paths are really what killed this mechanic. If it were a more of free roam look around in the area then it would be more enjoyable. I also didn't like the fact the look around areas were so bland as well with little to no detail and they were so small. There is no distracting either. Overall to much stealth, no real action. Enemies. Now this is more of a personal opinion but I didn't like the fact the enemies were just copies of characters. Going into this game I thought it would be full on aliens or some supernatural being like alot of the other games but they were basically all just copies of characters. Up until the near end where you finally see a somewhat alien like being. I think it would have been alot better to alienize dead characters instead of just using exact replicas. Story. The story has so much potential if it weren't for the fact of going back and fourth between time periods and the fact all episodes felt way to short almost like indie game short rather than a main title game. I think it would have been way better to have kept episodes longer. Another problem I see with the story is there is no in-between from stealth and talking scenes. It's either your doing stealth or talking to a character, nothing else or anything in-between so it feels like there isn't much to do in the game to keep me intrigued or guessing what will happen next. Overall. I can't recommend the game to anyone really, it had so much potential and I bought it with mixed reviews as is thinking it would have been good anyway but it turned out to just be really badly made and all. I give the game a 3.2/10
Finished 1st playthrough on Survivor mode (no rewinds until reaching the end) and I was surprised at the "Mixed" reviews here, so I thought I'd share my impressions. First off, as a fan of Alien, Sunshine, Contact, etc movies, the setting for this game is surely amongst the best for this kind of horror, narrative/character focused game. I've also enjoyed previous Supermassive games and other games in the same style. Right from the start, I had a few frustrations because it's clear something effed up is happening, and you can't do much in the earlier stages given what all your instincts are saying to you. Also, there is some analepsis and prolepsis sections that feel jarring, especially given the stakes involved. (by the end I was feeling they could be better placed by the end) However, after a few hours in, and even if some early consequences are "bad", I just realised I was engrossed in everything and the whole thing was gripping. There are many characters, some likeable, some maybe not so much, but they all felt "human". I kept not being sure whether any particular interactions and choices between them that I chose had any influence or not, but the game kept me wondering all the time, as I tried to gauge my feelings on their relationships and mixing that with all that was going on. Then, stuff in the story goes along and there is many a FUBAR element involved. Is it believable or not? From my own feelings, it's quite out there, but, oh boy, was I NOT ready for it, which kept it interesting. Now, on the gameplay elements, you have QTEs as a staple in the genre. Love it or hate it (mostly hate it, possibly), it really means that when you are stressed and scared and multiple things are going through your mind (story AND character-relation wise) it's hard to keep your nerve, and maybe you fail some. Depends on how steely you are, I guess. Then, there are the stealth sections. They are not very complex, pretty much keep your cool and be undetected, but, again: the stakes are high, and your mind is pumping with everything going on in the story and characters. Without spoiling anything, I ultimately found that some stuff maybe could have been done better to "mask" some of the early signs from an experienced bloke like me. The gameplay elements are not as developed as in other games, but they quite rich considering the trappings of the genre. Still, they kept piling new story elements again and again right through the end. And then, after reaching the end, I could not escape the following: even if after some moments I felt frustrated, it was gripping all the way through - it's all about the "illusion of choice", and whole ambience and presentation of choices carried me through. I enjoyed pretty much all the characters and the dialogue choices (even from the characters I didn't like) and I enjoyed the musings about "humanity" the whole game hints at all throughout. All the while, graphics are pretty excellent, you have FSR4 support and the game is very stable. House of Ashes is still my favourite from the whole Dark Pictures Anthology, but this one was very gripping with a mix of some frustrations within. Some that have spurred be to go back and replay some sections - isn't that also a good sign? So, within the genre, I think this one, at the very least, does the job nicely. Perhaps it doesn't quite rise above, but all the production values are there, it's very solid: we can't all be Ellen Ripley, can we?
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