Directive 8020 game review: Surviving in the stars
The new Dark Pictures game draws inspiration from classic sci-fi films from the past 50 years
The Dark Pictures Anthology has always flirted with the territory of interactive cinema, and that’s no bad thing. Each entry tells a self-contained horror story, from Man Of Medan’s ghost-ship mystery to The Devil In Me, where Jessie Buckley’s character attempts to survive a sprawling ‘murder castle’. Nearly four years on from that last instalment (and following a reportedly troubled development), Directive 8020 proves well worth the wait.
Set aboard the spaceship Cassiopeia, the game follows a crew seeking refuge from a dying Earth. Their destination is a distant planet, reached months ahead of a second vessel, Andromeda. But disaster strikes when an asteroid collision unleashes a terrifying organism. Two crew members are awoken from hyper sleep to investigate in opening scenes that deliberately echo the eerie stillness of Alien. Elsewhere, the game wears its inspirations proudly, drawing on everything from The Thing to Event Horizon and Prometheus.
Compared with earlier Dark Pictures titles, gameplay feels noticeably freer, with expanded exploration and greater camera control. Alien: Isolation is clearly a major influence, especially during tense hide-and-seek encounters that, while not quite reaching the heights of that classic, are consistently effective. Grotesque body horror is mixed with several expertly timed jump scares while a new ‘turning points’ system lets players revisit pivotal moments to alter decisions or retry failed sequences. Combined with a strong cast led by Lashana Lynch, a sharp script makes Directive 8020 all the more compelling to replay in pursuit of the best possible outcome.
Directive 8020 is out now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.