Directive 8020 Nails Its Cosmic and Body Horror [PREVIEW]

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Directive 8020 Nails Its Cosmic and Body Horror [PREVIEW]

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I can confidently say that the upcoming “Directive 8020” is shaping up to be a chilling addition to the Dark Pictures Anthology. Having experienced the nail-biting terror of games like “Until Dawn” and “Man of Medan,” I eagerly anticipate this cosmic horror set in space, which promises to deliver on every front.

The eagerly awaited title, Directive 8020, marks the beginning of Season 2 within the Dark Pictures Anthology. This intriguing installment transports players to the vastness of outer space. In keeping with the tradition of each Dark Pictures game, this one delves into a unique brand of terror, while maintaining intricate connections with its predecessors. Despite being light-years away from Earth, Directive 8020 offers an exhilarating journey as players assume the role of astronaut Brianna Young (portrayed by Lashana Lynch), one of the crew members aboard the colony ship Cassiopeia, who experience a crash landing on Tau Ceti f.

Due to Earth (and consequently humanity) being in peril, Tau Ceti f appears as a faint glimmer of hope among the stars. However, that hope is shattered in ‘Directive 8020’, much like the ship’s wreckage when the crew discovers they are not the sole inhabitants of Tau Ceti f. Players find themselves pursued by an alien entity that can imitate its prey, distorting their physical forms and mental states into terrifying mimicries. As with other games in the ‘Dark Pictures’ series, players will be faced with critical decisions for each character, decisions that could decide whether they survive to the story’s end or not. While all the elements that define it as a ‘Dark Pictures’ game remain, it has also evolved significantly, which is why it’s being released so much later than previous games. Game Rant had the opportunity to view ‘Directive 8020’ at Gamescom.

Directive 8020: Bigger, Better, Darker Than Ever

For those familiar with the Dark Pictures series, they’d grasp the style of Directive 8020’s characters, scenes, and decision-making mechanisms. However, this demonstration concentrated on gameplay mechanics, stealth, and tool specifications. In this showcase, a developer controlled Brianna Young, who was accompanied by another Cassiopeia crew member, in search of someone lost. Upon entering the Cassiopeia, what immediately caught our attention were the revolting growths covering the ship’s walls and floors. Although such sights are common in cosmic horror, their grotesque beauty stood out against the dimly lit corridors. The visuals of Directive 8020 appeared to be as impressive as previous Dark Pictures games, particularly with its cinematic style, but the lighting, sound design, and other immersive aspects rapidly plunged us into the cosmic horror experience.

The presentation quickly turned to a stealth gameplay section, where players need to avoid an alien that is hunting them. Stealth and horror go hand in hand, and it fits perfectly into Directive 8020‘s world. Luckily, it wasn’t just simple creeping and predicting enemy AI. The darkness of the ship and the growths made keeping track of the alien even more daunting, so Directive 8020 gives players four tools to take into gameplay. Tools in past Dark Pictures games felt more limited and weren’t universally useful, and that’s something developer Supermassive Games is aware of. Tools seen in this presentation included a utility strap for remote control of electronics, a scanner to locate nearby creatures, a messenger app, and a wedge tool for doorways that doubles as a stunner. Using the scanner allowed the player to get through the stealth section untouched, but it didn’t completely prevent a few hair-rising close calls.

Directive 8020: The Thing in Space

Towards the culmination of the demonstration, we observed the player encounter an alien from Directive 8020 before utilizing a stun tool with a wedge shape to subdue it and escape. Earlier on, it appeared that we discovered one of the missing crewmates, but since the alien has mimicking abilities, we can’t be entirely sure if it was the actual person. The crewmate knelt when we approached from behind, and upon turning around, their body was riddled with the same grotesque growths found on the ship. This sight was as disgusting as one could imagine, and given that similar presentations may occur throughout the game, Directive 8020’s cosmic and body horror are undeniably heavy-handed. The alien’s terror-inducing aspects, along with its ability to manipulate trust, visual design, and sound effects, suggest that Directive 8020 is on track to become a bona fide horror experience.

“One of its most appealing aspects is that Directive 8020 has been referred to as ‘The Thing in Space,’ and from this initial introduction, it certainly lives up to that atmosphere.”

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2024-08-28 20:24