‘Directive 8020′ Preview: Doubt, Fear & The New Turning Points System Fuel Supermassive Games’ Next Entry In Its Dark Pictures Series

Source: Supermassive Games / Directive 8020

Supermassive Games is best known for Until Dawn, easily one of my favorite horror games, so you could imagine the joy when the studio announced Directive 8020, bringing scares to my favorite setting, outer space.

Directive 8020 is Supermassive Games’ latest horror, choice-driven title and the fifth installment in its Dark Pictures Anthology series, instantly evoking the vibes of two sci-fi/horror bangers: Dead Space and Alien Isolation, which also plays like a whodunnit story.

I excitedly got to take a small portion of the game for a spin at Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, and it feels like Supermassive Games has returned to form with Directive 8020.

In the game, you take control of five crew members on a mission to save and also escape from their colony ship, the Cassiopeia, which crash-lands on an alien planet.

Things only get more complicated with the arrival of a hostile alien that not only pursues the crew but can also mimic them, adding the fear that anyone could be the enemy, introducing high levels of doubt into your gameplay experience.

You’re Being Hunted

Source: Supermassive Games / Directive 8020

The section of my demo instantly throws you into the fire, pitting you in a situation where the alien, reminiscent of the Xenomorph from the Alien movie franchise, stalks you, giving me survival horror feels while showcasing the game’s third-person moments and some of Directive 8020’s new stealth mechanics.

The moment is an intense cat and mouse chase as the alien stalker walks around a series of pipes, and you try to hide while using one of the game’s features, a scanner to locate where it is, timing your moves while sticking to shadows to make your escape.

Players can also use the scanner to detect electronic items and remotely activate machines, helping them distract enemies and overcome obstacles.

It was a small piece of what to expect from the game experience, but it was enough to get my heart racing in the moment, just like in Until Dawn when trying to avoid the Wendigos.

In Directive 8020, Your Choices Have Major Consequences

Source: Supermassive Games / Directive 8020

The demo also gave me a glimpse of how impactful your choices can be in the game. During the scenario, the CEO of the company funding Cassiopeia’s voyage is suspected of being an alien and is detained.

The rest of the crew then shouts out pleas, leading to guns being drawn, forcing me to decide to put a bullet in the CEO’s head or let him out.

In my playthrough, I decided to shoot him, only to find out that he was not an alien as some suspected, making me a cold-blooded murderer in the eyes of the remaining crew members, and the demo comes to an end.

Thankfully, you don’t have to live with your decision because Directive 8020 features Supermassive’s new Turning Points System. I didn’t get to experience it, but when the team explained it, it presents players with a horizontal flow chart full of different narrative paths, allowing them to see the other possible outcomes in the game’s various scenarios, which also increases the game’s replayability.

Directive 8020’s executive producer, Dan McDonald, further expounded on the Turning Points System, telling me that “you can go back and change your mind if you’re annoyed with your current outcome.”

McDonald also noted that you can do this at any point in the game, no matter how deep in your playthrough you are, and it won’t affect previous branches.

For those who are purists and don’t like the idea of being able to change the outcomes, and instead see things through you, the option to disable the Turning Points System and complete a classic run.

Supermassive Might Have A Winner With Directive 8020

Source: Supermassive Games / Directive 8020

Supermassive Games has been looking to strike lightning in a bottle again, like it did with Until Dawn, with its Dark Pictures series. Unfortunately, the four titles in the game have been rather pedestrian. However, with the studio taking its time with Directive 8020, it appears to be a return to form for the game studio.

Directive 8020 features a strong cast led by the brilliant Lashana Lynch (Bob Marley: One Love, The Marvels), showcasing strong acting that we have come to expect from these games since Until Dawn and The Quarry.

It also looks gorgeous with stunning character models and environments that help enhance those story-changing moments.

Supermassive Games needs a win, and with Directive 8020, it might have gotten one.

Directive 8020 arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on October 2nd.