Originally slated for release in 2025, Supermassive Games has given its upcoming sci-fi horror video game Directive 8020 a brand new release date, following a significant delay. After months of additional development and polish, Directive 8020 will now arrive on 12 May.
While this entry in the Dark Pictures anthology won’t be for the faint of heart, it’s worth keeping an eye on for the involvement of Lashana Lynch (The Day of the Jackal, No Time to Die, The Marvels), who plays the lead role, astronaut and space captain Brianna Young.
Directive 8020 dated for release – quick links
What to expect in Directive 8020
Directive 8020 will pit Young and a crew of other astronauts against an array of space horrors, following the crash of their colony ship on the mysterious planet Tau Ceti f. Players guide each member of this ship in their fight to survive, making choices about where they travel and what actions they take.
As with other Supermassive Games, you can make ‘wrong’ decisions, as some choices will lead to the death of your crew.
While some will (hopefully) survive, the path to victory will be rocky and you’ll need to be very careful – and take part in some trial and error – to get past every horror unscathed.
Multiplayer mode returns in Directive 8020
In your quest to survive your tribulations, you can actually get help from friends. As with other Dark Pictures games, you can work alongside four other players in couch co-op to decide collectively which actions to take.
This ‘Movie Night’ mode is particularly fun when you make wrong decisions, as you have backup on all your choices, and know everyone goes down with the ship.
Of course, for the less horror-inclined, it can also be better to play alongside other people, to share the terror and the joy.
How scary will Directive 8020 be?
For those keen to experience this new sci-fi adventure, but not so keen on the horror aspects, it’s worth noting Supermassive Games has already given a pretty fair picture of how ‘scary’ the game will be.
It has pointed to the following films as touch points, with each inspiring some aspect of the game’s horror: The Thing, Solaris, Alien, Event Horizon, Prometheus, Life and Sputnik. The works of HP Lovecraft, and his approach to cosmic horror, has also served as inspiration.
Given these references, we’d expect Directive 8020 will lean into body horror in some aspects, likely with a focus on slime and gore. If that doesn’t sound like your jam, it might be best to pick another, lighter game next. For everyone else, the game is shaping up to be a very cool, creepy experience.
For those keen to jump in, Directive 8020 launches for PC, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on 12 May.
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