Directive 8020 Kicks Off Dark Pictures Season 2 with a Whimper

Directive 8020 is the latest installment in the Dark Pictures Anthology, and it feels like a significant step forward for the series. As someone who enjoys games where your choices matter, I’ve generally enjoyed the Dark Pictures games, and Directive 8020 is another solid entry. It’s not flawless, but I particularly appreciated its focus on body horror, reminiscent of the Alien franchise.

Whether players will enjoy Directive 8020 as part of the Dark Pictures Anthology is a matter of personal opinion, but it definitely marks a turning point for the series. This cosmic horror story is the first game in the long-awaited Season 2, and Supermassive Games is clearly experimenting with new ideas. While some of these changes are welcome improvements, they also sometimes make Directive 8020 feel quite different from previous games in the anthology.

It Feels Like Supermassive Games Wants Directive 8020 to Be a Dark Pictures Game, But Also Not

The most noticeable change with the new game, Directive 8020, is that it no longer includes “Dark Pictures Anthology” in its title. Previous games in the series, like House of Ashes and The Devil in Me, all prominently featured that branding. While the shorter title does sound cleaner, it’s now unclear that Directive 8020 is actually part of the Dark Pictures Anthology series. Without that connection in the title, it could easily be mistaken for just another standalone sci-fi horror game.

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Season 2 Lacking the Dark Picture Name Feels Like an Identity Crisis

So, I’ve played through the first season of The Dark Pictures Anthology and they’ve really got a system down – you kinda know what you’re getting into with each new game. But when I saw Directive 8020, I was totally confused! It doesn’t feel like it fits with the others at all, and I think a lot of players who haven’t followed the series might be just as lost as I was at first.

Directive 8020’s marketing suggests it might play a lot like Dead Space, and it does borrow some survival elements from that game. However, the differences are noticeable enough that players hoping for a true Dead Space experience might be disappointed.

Every Mainline Dark Pictures Anthology Season 1 Game in Order

Man of Medan
Little Hope
House of Ashes
The Devil in Me

Directive 8020’s Missing Features Are Jarring for Longtime Fans Like Me

Let me state upfront that I think some of these changes are positive. While not everyone will agree, and that’s okay, the way Directive 8020 handles stealth is a real improvement over previous games in the series. Past games used a “Keep Calm” system where players had to match a heartbeat rhythm while hiding from monsters. This was originally inspired by Until Dawn’s “Don’t Move” system, which required players to remain perfectly still to avoid detection. Until Dawn’s approach was innovative at the time, but the Dark Pictures Anthology’s reliance on heartbeat-based mini-games eventually became repetitive. Directive 8020 maintains the core feeling of Dark Pictures, but the changes to stealth are surprisingly different at first.

The New Stealth is a Divisive Change

Unlike previous games in the series which used a heartbeat-based mini-game, Directive 8020 lets players control stealth directly with the controller’s joysticks. While many horror games already feature careful sneaking, this is a new approach for the Dark Pictures Anthology. I was starting to get tired of the heartbeat mechanic, and this joystick-based stealth feels like a significant departure. It definitely increases the tension, but it might have been better to include both the new stealth sections and a revised version of the mini-game to make the transition smoother.

The Curator’s Absence is Felt Throughout the Story

As a big fan of The Dark Pictures Anthology, I was really surprised to see so little of the Curator in this latest installment. It’s sadly because Tony Pankhurst, the original actor who played him, passed away in 2024. They still used his look for the character, which was nice, but Pip Torrens did the voice and motion capture this time around. Honestly, since this is a whole new season, it would have been a really cool and respectful way to honor Tony if they’d introduced a new Curator. It would have given Season 2 its own feel and felt like a proper passing of the torch.

Players can encounter The Curator after they’ve gathered all of the Obol Coins and every “Oh Death” collectible in Directive 8020.

Directive 8020 Feels More Like Necessary Growing Pains Than the Thrilling Start of Something New

With this new phase for the Dark Pictures Anthology, we can expect a few bumps in the road. It’s encouraging that Supermassive Games is experimenting with fresh ideas rather than simply repeating what worked in Season 1. However, Directive 8020 feels like a test run for the future of the season – a way for the developers to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Features like the longer story, new stealth sections, and the ‘Turning Point’ mechanic show Supermassive is actively trying to improve and strengthen the Dark Pictures Anthology as a whole.

While adding more depth and tweaking some elements of the game, it’s important not to lose what makes the series special. Directive 8020‘s updates to The Dark Pictures Anthology are a good start, but Supermassive Games should avoid making drastic changes.

2026-05-19 20:36