The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020 Reviews
Directive 8020 is one of the better parts of The Dark Pictures Anthology, but don't expect it to be a major departure from the series or anything else. It has an interesting setting, an impressive atmosphere, good characters, and a functional story foundation, which creates the basis for a quality interactive adventure game, but at the same time it suffers from perhaps too forced and repetitive gameplay elements.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Quite simply, Directive 8020 is a paradox. For a developer like Supermassive Games, with years of experience creating interactive narrative games, such a decline in nearly every aspect is difficult to overlook, and while the game excels in its choice-and-consequence system, almost everything else, including poor pacing, forced stealth sections, pointless exploration, and weak visuals and animations, drags the experience down to a point where it becomes hard to recommend.
Review in Persian | Read full review
What if The Thing, but in space?
Supermassive Games has brought the Dark Pictures Anthology back with style and panache. Directive 8020 suffers from being a little too generic in concept and letting itself down with gameplay elements that are at odds with the cinematic quality, but the game does work as popcorn horror and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Supermassive Games takes the Dark Pictures series into space with Directive 8020, and with the introduction of new gameplay elements such as stealth, you're more immersed in the action than ever before. Add in its brilliant presentation and gripping story and you have one of the best Dark Pictures games yet, and a must play for fans of space-horror.
With its revamped stealth mechanics and refined aesthetics, Directive 8020 offers a clear evolution of the genre, but continues to reaffirm some of the limitations, particularly in terms of interaction, inherited from the first season of the anthology. With excellent references, the story (along with the excellent work of the cast) remains its best quality, with good pacing, great development, and important turning points that, while not escaping old cliches, still work very well.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Directive 8020 builds on the formula established in 2015, adding several gameplay layers (some more successful than others) to its narrative-driven core and butterfly effect mechanics. However, its greatest strength lies in the freedom it gives players to explore its complex tree of decisions and consequences. It is Supermassive Games' most complete and enjoyable adventure since Until Dawn.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A sci-fi horror adventure that wastes an excellent premise due to a lackluster narrative and gameplay that relies too heavily on hide-and-seek.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Directive 8020 is Supermassive's boldest step yet — the paranoia mechanic delivers genuine psychological pressure, and the story twists in the final act are the best the Dark Pictures anthology has ever produced.
Review in German | Read full review
Directive 8020 is frustrating because all the right ingredients are in place, but they never fully come together. The paranoia, mistrust, unsettling body horror and occasional bursts of genuine tension all hint at something special. When the game commits to its identity, it delivers some of the strongest moments Supermassive has produced in the series. However, the central setting lacks personality, and some characters rarely leave a lasting impression, holding the experience back. The stealth mechanics also fail to develop, limiting the overall tension they are meant to create. There is still plenty here for Supermassive fans to enjoy. The branching choices lead to entertaining moments of panic, and the latter half of the game does show flashes of the tense sci-fi horror experience it is aiming for. Directive 8020 is a solid sci-fi horror adventure built on strong ideas. These ideas never fully evolve into something exceptional. Despite this, it delivers enough tension, intrigue and cinematic spectacle to comfortably earn the Thumb Culture Silver Award.
In space no one can hear you groan.
Supermassive Games is back with another title that closely resembles the studio's previous works.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Combined with a strong cast led by Lashana Lynch, a sharp script makes Directive 8020 all the more compelling to replay in pursuit of the best possible outcome.
Much like Supermassive Games’ recent efforts in Little Nightmares III and The Casting of Frank Stone, this latest entry in The Dark Pictures is somewhat forgettable in both its safe competence and repetitiveness. In this way, Directive 8020 feels like the least loved Alien films. At its best, the game is reminiscent of a Twilight Zone or Black Mirror episode where the player anticipates the other shoe dropping with a jaw-dropping reveal. Ultimately, however, Directive 8020 is a haunted house without consequence.
Directive 8020 is the latest entry into both the interactive movie style of game and also Supermassive Games’ Dark Anthology. The space setting aligns to film more so than game, especially in the stealth and decision-making focus.
Directive 8020 gives the impression that the developers were eager to bring new ideas to the game, but only at the expense of restricting the familiar mechanics that players had come to know and enjoy.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Directive 8020 is a major improvement on what we already saw in The Dark Pictures Anthology. This time with its own story and therefore also new game elements. These are elements that feel quite repetitive, such as having to sneak past people every time. That works really well the first few times, but after that it feels very annoying. Nevertheless, the jump scares make up for a lot, as well as the many ramifications in terms of story.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Directive 8020 is a decent experience in a series struggling with an identity crisis. Supermassive itself doesn’t seem to know quite where it’s heading with The Dark Pictures, and it shows. Alongside a clever story with some very strong final hours, you also get monotonous stealth sections and at least five too many ventilation shafts to crawl through. The strong acting and a well-paced narrative are offset by the loss of some rock-solid signature elements and the current lack of an online co-op mode. It’s also a bit of a nail-biter for the future of this franchise.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The game that kicks off Season 2 of The Dark Pictures Anthology released with high fan expectations, but ultimately delivers the exact same familiar flavor. If you're looking for that comfortingly unchanged taste, you'll definitely enjoy it—otherwise, it’s bound to leave you wanting more.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Is a genuinely good Dark Pictures game wearing the costume of a different game entirely. The Turning Points system is a series-best addition. The story pays off. The presentation is outstanding. But the wholesale replacement of the series’ established tension mechanics with repetitive stealth, the absence of the Curator, and the missing online co-op at a significantly higher price point all conspire to make this feel less than the sum of its parts for the franchise faithful. If you’re new to Supermassive’s work, Directive 8020 is a strong entry point into cinematic horror gaming — atmospheric, well-acted, and narratively satisfying. If you’ve played every previous entry and loved what made them distinct, temper expectations and perhaps wait for a sale and the post-launch co-op update. For more horror and adventure game coverage, check out our full reviews section.