What is Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Games?
In space, death takes many forms, Directive 8020: A Dark Pictures Game continues Supermassive Games’ trend of top-notch storytelling. Even though they’ve been around since 2008, with the release of Little Big Planet, they really didn’t get my attention until 2020, when Man of Medan was dropped on Xbox Game Pass for a short time. It was the first of the Dark Pictures Anthology series, and the beginning of my fandom. From then on out, I have picked up and played every story-driven horror title they have released.
Note – This review contains no key spoilers to the story or the game.
Developer & Publisher // SuperMassive Games
Platforms // PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and STEAM
MSRP & Release Date // $49.99 (Standard Edition), May 12, 2026
Reviewed On // Xbox
A Journey to Save Mankind
Earth is dying, and humanity is running out of time. Twelve light-years from home, Tau Ceti f (a real planet), offers a small sliver of hope. When the colony ship Cassiopeia is struck by a meteorite. The crew soon realizes they are in far more danger than they initially assume.
During this journey, you or your friends will assume control of one of five characters at any given time. Each has gone through extensive training for this trip to a faraway star. From John Stafford, the veteran Commander and leader of the group, who was the first man to set foot on Mars. To Laura Eisele, lead ship designer. Can her knowledge of the Cassiopiea help the crew survive the unknown dangers that await? The fate of all mankind rests in the hands of this capable crew.
Can You Save Yourself to Save Humanity?
Hunted by an alien organism capable of mimicking its prey, the crew of the Cassiopeia must outwit their pursuers to make it home alive. As the story progresses, you’ll learn more about the crew, the deeper mystery surrounding your journey, and the alien organism that is spreading throughout the ship.
Great Science Fiction is Tethered to Fact
Directive 8020 differs from the other offerings in two key ways: it takes place in the distant future and in the far reaches of space. So the isolation and desperation set in the story don’t feel forced; they feel like a natural consequence of the overall situation.
Every character you encounter and control has a purpose and is on board for a reason, adding to the realism of a proper crew for an extended journey into space. It seems like the design of the ship itself was well thought out and logical.
What Starts as a Simmer
Directive 8020 consists of 8 chapters; each chapter seems to take about an hour to complete. A stable of all of SuperMassive’s narrative games, they understand how to tell a good story. Not only is this no exception to that rule, but I think they surpassed themselves. Through a creative use of flashbacks that are more than just cutscenes, decisions or actions you take as a player may not pay out until much later in the story, when you don’t see it coming.
What starts off slow, all of a sudden, comes to a full boil, and you’ll find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat or running looking for the exit.
At one point, you’re approaching another crewmate, all of a sudden the camera spins around, and the prompt is simply “RUN!” Then you’re off to the races!
Otherworldly DNA Throughout
As the story progressed, two things struck me. All the sneaking around in the shadows trying not to be seen took me back to one of my favorite horror games, Alien: Isolation. Up until now, one of the most intense games I’ve ever played. (As a quick aside, I was also waiting for one of the characters to whine, “Game over, man! Game over!”, it would have fit.) The other franchise it seems to draw from, with terrifying success, is John Carpenter’s: The Thing.
The “enemy” the crew is attempting to outthink and outmaneuver at times seems to be one step ahead of them the whole way, as it consumes the ship and covers it in a fleshy, pulsating mass.
Oops, Strike That, Reverse It!
One of the neat mechanics of this type of game, which SuperMassive has mastered, is the ability to rewind key “turning points” in the story and take a different path, which leads to a different result. Character dies, go back, and they survive. These little forks in the story can greatly affect the endgame. This is also useful for going back and picking up missed collectibles and secrets that are scattered throughout the game.
When you start the game, you are given the choice of “Explorer” or “Survivor.”
- Explorer: Freely explore the game’s branching story. Unlimited use of Turning Points lets you rewind and correct your mistakes whenever you wish. If a character dies, you have the option to reverse their death.
- Survivor: No rewinds using Turning Points. If a character dies, you must deal with the consequences. If you survive to the game’s ending, Turning Points are unlocked to explore the story.
You can switch modes as needed in the options menu at any point in the game. I actually started in Survivor Mode, seeing how far I could get before I lost a crewmember. Did pretty well, until I didn’t. So I switched to Explorer and went back to see if the story had notably changed with survival of the character instead of death. It did, so I think after an initial playthrough, going back and experiencing all of the different possibilities is worth the time. You’ll likely need to do so to gather all the information and secrets as well.
The Nuts and Bolts
Directive 8020 Graphics
Overall, the graphics are on par with the more recent entries in the Dark Pictures Anthology series, such as The Devil In Me. I noted a few instances of assets not loading. In one case, where the player is supposed to be witnessing two witnesses talking, one character did not load at all, and the second character was missing her legs, still had her torso, and her feet. Going back to this scene later did not have that issue.
In another case, the characters are in their underwear and walking empty-handed until they need to use a “Wedge” tool, which is the size of a stun stick. All of a sudden, the tool is in their hands. I don’t want to know where they kept it.
Audio
Directive 8020′s sound mix is very immersive and is best enjoyed through a good set of headphones. The creaking sounds atmospheric mix will keep you on the edge of your seat. When you’re trying to sneak past a mimic in a darkened space, and you can hear it snarling and moving around, you’ll be praying you don’t make a misstep and hear it, not see it, charging at you as you run to the exit.
Voice Acting
All in all, the voice acting was well done; there were some lines that felt stiff and “recited”. I have to acknowledge the work of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as DeMarcus Williams. He did an outstanding job relaying the attitude shifts of his character.
Soundtrack
The exclusive official soundtrack for Directive 8020 was composed by award-winning composer Jason Graves. It features a terrifying soundscape crafted to match the game’s atmosphere — a mix of deep-space ambiance, eerie orchestral motifs, and unsettling ambient layers. The Dark Pictures soundtrack is included with the Digital Deluxe Edition ($59.99)
Multiplayer
At the time of this writing, Directive 8020 only has couch co-op of up to 5 players. You can either select which character(s) each person controls or set up a “round robin” scenario where the game will let you know when the next player takes over. Though it is worth noting that SuperMassive stated that online 1-5 Multiplayer co-op will be added post-launch.
Accessibility Options
SuperMassive has moved forward with accessibility, even going back and adding it to subsequent releases of older games. Directive 8020 does a serviceable job here with the usual suspects of Closed Captions and Subtitles. They also give you the option to use single-button QTEs and the ability to disable the timers on some events. You can also set it to always pass the QTE’s.
Where it lacks is options for the vision-impaired and the sightless players. There is no way a sightless player could play through the game without sighted assistance.
Final Thoughts on Directive 8020
From top to bottom, Directive 8020, even with the minor technical issues I experienced, is SuperMassive’s best game yet. The story is solid, and through the use of flashbacks, the player is kept wondering when the results of the actions they took earlier in the game will come to the forefront. This is a well-crafted addition to the Dark Pictures line of games. Speaking of, if you miss the presence of an old friend, make sure you gather all the secrets the Cassiopiea has hidden within her.
So, turn down the lights, grab your best headphones, crank up the sound, and go on a journey you’ll never forget!
Thanks to SuperMassive for providing the review code.
Deluxe Edition Available
PC Specifications (Recommended)
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-12400F / AMD Ryzen 5
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 6800
- Storage: 40 GB available space
- Additional Notes: SSD recommended
Directive 8020 – Standard Edition
Pros
Engaging Story
Immersive Audio
Variety of Endings
Cons
Video Anomalies
Lacks Accessibility for the visually impaired
Some jarring audio cuts
