Summary
After dabbling in VR game development for several years, the British developer Supermassive Games, who was best known for its work onUntil Dawnat the time, announced in 2018 that it would be returning to the interactive drama genre with a new series of games calledThe Dark Picture Anthology. Based on the information that was revealed at the time, the franchise would be divided into seasons similar to a TV show, and feature installments with standalone stories that covered various horror themes and settings. The first entry in season one ofThe Dark Picture Anthologywas 2019’sMan of Medan, and the series received three more mainline entries in the following years, includingLittle Hopein 2020,House of Ashesin 2021, and the final season one installment,The Devil in Me, in 2022.
After completing the first season ofThe Dark Pictures Anthology, Supermassive Games announced that it was taking the franchise into the realm of science fiction with its season two premiere. The next entry in the series, titledDirective 8020,was revealed in a mid-credits scene at the end ofThe Devil in Me. However, its initial unveiling provided little-to-no information about the game’s plot. Nearly two years following its announcement, Supermassive Gamesfinally gave fans a new look atDirective 8020at Gamescom 2024.From what’s been shown in the latest trailer for the game, it looks likeDirective 8020has taken quite a bit of inspiration from EA’sDead Spaceseries.
Directive 8020 Features a Thrilling Sci-Fi Horror Plot
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020is aTelltale-style horror gameset in a future where Earth is becoming inhabitable and humanity is on the search for a new planet to call home. It chronicles the story of the crew members on board a colony spaceship called the Casseiopia who, after an unfortunate crash landing, find themselves on Tau Ceti f, a distant planet that’s 12 light years away from Earth. As the crew of the Casseiopia try to survive, they discover that there is a shapeshifting alien organism lurking among them, killing them off one by one.
Directive 8020may be more of an interactive experience rather than a traditional action game, but it seems like it shares some elements with theDead Spacefranchise. Outside of the traditional sci-fi horror aesthetic, bothDead SpaceandDirective 8020have very similar settings. Not only do the two titles take place in a future where humanity has left a dying Earth behind and is on a quest for intergalactic colonization, but they also feature derelict spaceships as their primary settings. WhileDirective 8020is largely set in the Casseiopia, the firstDead Spacegame, for instance,primarily takes place in the USG Ishimura.
The two games also feature an alien infection of some kind. In the recent trailer forDirective 8020, characters are seen with some sort of bizarre, almost fungus-like substance covering portions of their bodies. If the alien organism in this newThe Dark Pictures Anthologygame does infect and spread among humans, then it may bear a resemblance tothe Necromorphs inDead Space, as these undead creatures are also known for their ability to transmit infections between organisms.
Given how much the two games have in common with each other,Directive 8020looks like itcould interestDead Spacefans. As such, this new installment inThe Dark Pictures Anthologyseries may be a title that they’ll want to keep an eye on when it comes out sometime in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
The Dark Pictures
The Dark Pictures Anthology is a franchise crafted by Supermassive Games, the same creative team that released Until Dawn. Similar to Until Dawn, the Dark Pictures Anthology includes a series of horror-inspired adventures that feature decision-making and an interactive narrative-driven experience. So far, the Dark Pictures has seen Little Hope, the House of Ashes, and The Devil in Me.
