Summary
Earlier this week, developer Supermassive Games officially revealedDirective 8020, the first entry in Season 2 ofThe Dark Pictures Anthologyseries. The announcement comes nearly two years since the release of the lastDark Picturesentry,The Devil in Me, which failed to connect with critics and fans alike.Directive 8020takes the series in a new direction, following the crew of a crashed Colony spaceship, the Cassiopeia, as they contend with a hostile alien organism. Taking the stage on day two of the Future Games Show atGamescom 2024, Supermassive shared an in-depth look at the title’s characters, enemies, and original gameplay mechanics. WhileDirective 8020features some of the core mechanics ofThe Dark Pictures’ Season 1, Supermassive has revealed various game-changing features that will surely excite fans of the long-running series. What’s more, Supermassive’sDirective 8020sounds like a must-play for fans ofJohn Carpenter’s The Thing.
Directive 8020is a sci-fi survival horror adventure that follows the crew of a colony ship, looking to establish a new haven for humanity. With the Earth declining at a rapid pace, the Cassiopeia embarks to Tau Ceti f, a planet that may offer hope for humanity. However, they soon discover that the planet is already inhabited by a hostile and high-adaptive life form. Supermassive Games has previously stated that the game draws inspiration from a range of sci-fi horror films, includingAlienandEvent Horizon. However, Supermassive’s appearance at FGS Day 2 reveals its greatest inspiration to be the titular creature fromThe Thing.
Directive 8020 Sees Players Hunted by Shape-shifting Aliens
During a presentation at the Future Games Show Live @Gamescom 2024, Will Doyle, the Creative Director ofDirective 8020, offered fans a closer look at the new and exciting features coming to the title. Most significantly, Doyle discussedDirective 8020’s newfound approachto player agency, with a commitment to delivering an experience more deeply rooted in survival horror. At the heart of this newfound approach is an enemy unlike anyThe Dark Pictures Anthologyhas featured before. Not only does this enemy pose a physical threat to the title’s survivors, but it also seeks to infiltrate and destroy the group from within.
While currently unnamed,Directive 8020’s “creature” takes heavy inspiration fromJohn Carpenter’s The Thing, shapeshifting into the title’s crew members to deceive and eliminate. Footage shown during the title’s release and deep dive trailers show the creature in various states of transformation, including a shot of it completing a shift into Lashana Lynch’s character, Young. According to Doyle, players will need to keep a careful eye on their crewmates, as the creatures’ abilities make nearly every decision, from dialogue to branching choices, a life-or-death scenario. What’s more,Directive 8020’s commitment to survival horror ensures that basic exploration segments pose just as big a threat.
Directive 8020 Features Real-Time Survival Horror Elements
In its bid to increase player agency,Directive 8020is doubling down on modern survival horror elements. Beyond the traditional branching choices and QTE segments,The Dark Pictures’ newest enemyposes a real-time threat. During certain exploration segments, players will need to evade wandering enemies, who will search for, chase, and stalk them, as they attempt to complete the present objective. Doyle explains that evading the creatures is not a clear sign of safety, as they may follow the player beyond the current room or corridor. Death can come at any time to players who fail to eludeDirective 8020’s alien organisms during these exploration segments. To contend with this escalated threat, Supermassive Games has revolutionized another core mechanic in theDark Pictures’ formula.
Supermassive Games has overhauled its approach to player controls inDirective 8020, aligning them much more closely to games in the horror and action-adventure genres. The title features modern twin-stick traversal and camera mechanics, allowing fans to better explore, and survive, their time aboard the Cassiopeia. For the first time in aDark Picturestitle, players will be able to walk, run, strafe, crouch, and sneak throughDirective 8020’s major exploration segments, adding to its real-time survival elements. With its revamped approach to horror, exploration, andbranched storytelling, the title is set to deliver a must-play experience for fans ofThe ThingandThe Dark Pictures Anthologyalike. Those interested in seeing all thatDirective 8020has to offer don’t have wait long, as the title’s FGS presentation ended with the official confirmation of a 2025 release.
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.
