The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020 Reviews
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 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 everything you could want from a sci-fi horror game: Body horror aliens, the unwavering dread that all of us are insignificant when set against the great expanse of the universe, and fun QTEs.
Directive 8020 is a step forward for The Dark Pictures Anthology in terms of spectacle and storytelling, making it a chilling and impressive start to the second season of the series.
Supermassive goes sci-fi horror, with a refreshingly cerebral, slowburn take on its usual popcorn thrills. It's let down by perfunctory stealth and an overfamiliar plot, but a stellar cast helps make it all worthwhile.
Directive 8020 offers a few changes to the series template, and all for the very respectable reason of wanting to evolve and iterate the core gameplay fans know and love. Turning Points is a fantastic new addition, but the new stealth sections quickly became repetitive. Still, you can see the promising seed of what that idea could grow into in future games.
There's a push-pull relationship here as The Dark Pictures' classic DNA merges with Directive 8020's newness
But even in the individual moments, Directive 8020 struggles.
The Dark Pictures, as a broad project, feels like it's at a crossroads with Directive 8020.
Directive 8020 is a good addition to the Dark Pictures anthology and a solid start to its second season. Its story ranks among Supermassive Games’ best work, marking a much-needed step forward for a studio that has struggled to release standout titles in recent years.
The makers of Until Dawn unleash a new interactive sci-fi horror, whose polish and narrative twists are undermined by under-informed choices and an awful lot of walking about in dimly lit corridors.
Directive 8020 is an interesting experience, with some bold ideas, that will please fans of 70s and 80s science fiction, as well as those who enjoy racking their brains about whether they made the right decision.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Directive 8020 is by far the best Dark Pictures game, embracing more stealth gameplay, making the branching story feel seamless, and setting a new bar for the genre.
Directive 8020 feels like Supermassive’s response to growing criticism around the Dark Pictures series.
There's a lot to like about Directive 8020, as the sci-fi horror video game is a nice departure from Supermassive's previous titles.
Directive 8020 takes a bold step forward for cinematic horror, even as some of its biggest choices could have used a little more uncertainty.
The Dark Pictures might be missing from the title screen, but Directive 8020 is a return to Supermassive Games' formulaic design with some new twists and frights.
Directive 8020’s over reliance on stealth segments, cheap jump scares and jarring story transitions prevents it from being one of the best in the series.
Directive 8020 is a bold attempt to evolve a familiar format, but ironically the biggest and most ambitious changes only serve to dull the game.