Directive 8020 Is An Engaging Survival Horror Thriller

Supermassive Games has released the latest game in its Dark Pictures series with Directive 8020. The game is set aboard a spaceship heading to the distant world of Tau Ceti f and holds the key to the survival of humanity. 

The ship is an advanced ship in a colonization effort, and with most of the crew in stasis, it opens with players following the exploits of two individuals. When a tragic situation arises, players have to make some decisions as they go, and like with most Supermassive Games, the decisions a player makes impact who lives and dies, and other key aspects of the story. It soon becomes clear that all is not well on the ship, and the story jumps from character to character, allowing players to explore the ship and fill in missing gaps in the timeline as well as advance the story in future events.

Players will be able to interact with aspects of the ship, and there are some stealth and locate objectives amongst the choices players will have to make. Deciding whom to support, trust, and other decisions are key to how other characters interact with you and respond to you later in the game. An interesting twist allows players to replay key moments should they wish for a different outcome to a response, action, inaction, or decision.

One of the key aspects is that several can die, and few to none can die depending on the decisions and actions a player makes. The story adjusts to the decisions, deaths, and such as it moves forward.

The game has quick time events as well as live combat, and since it is broken down by chapter, players must decide if they are willing to accept the story as it is or back things up to an earlier point versus replaying the chapter.

While I am not a fan of stealth and sneaking in the dark, the moody atmospherics and graphics engaged me, as the story is a compelling Survival Horror story that will hook you from the start.

There is a multiplayer aspect to the game, which I was never able to get to work, as supposedly you can play the game with other players, and it is said to be something that will be added to the game post-launch.

I am trying to avoid spoilers for the game, but like their Until Dawn and The Quarry games, I was happy to see and play another great title from Supermassive Games, as it is one that players will not want to miss.

4 stars out of 5