Directive 8020 Review – Supermassive’s Space Horror

The concern of the unknown has at all times been considered one of horror’s simplest instruments. Supermassive Video games’ hit anthology sequence, The Darkish Footage, has persistently translated that concern into interactive storytelling. Its newest entry, Directive 8020, leans closely into paranoia and uncertainty, putting gamers aboard a doomed spaceship the place no one may be trusted. However whereas the sport succeeds in delivering pressure and memorable selections, it doesn’t fairly attain the heights of the studio’s greatest work.

Directive 8020 follows the crew of the Cassiopeia, a colony ship touring to Tau Ceti f in quest of a doubtlessly liveable world. Issues shortly spiral uncontrolled when a mysterious alien organism crashes into the ship and begins infecting its crew. As paranoia spreads, gamers should navigate an more and more hostile setting the place anybody may very well be an alien impostor. In the event you’ve seen The Factor, the setup will really feel very acquainted, solely now the horror unfolds in deep area with humanity’s future hanging within the steadiness.

Sci-fi horror is full of tales concerning the risks lurking past Earth, so elements of Directive 8020 can really feel like well-trodden territory. Nonetheless, Supermassive elevates the expertise by putting gamers straight in the midst of the chaos. The studio as soon as once more excels at crafting high-pressure moments that pressure you to second-guess your selections. Some selections carry penalties that linger all through to the credit, and several other left me questioning how otherwise occasions might have unfolded. Not each choice lands with the identical weight, although, as a handful really feel overly apparent or included merely to fabricate pressure.

With out diving into spoilers, Directive 8020 tells a reasonably conventional sci-fi horror story infused with physique horror and psychological warfare. There are sufficient twists and unsettling reveals to maintain the narrative participating all through. Sadly, the opening hours undergo from uneven pacing. The story quickly jumps between characters, timelines, and flashbacks, typically throwing main occasions on the participant earlier than there’s time to correctly course of them. The narrative ultimately settles right into a a lot stronger rhythm across the halfway level, however the introduction can really feel messy and overwhelming.

A few of the recreation’s strongest story moments are additionally weakened by inconsistent dialogue. Whereas the solid itself is likable, the script often leans too closely on tacky quips and awkward exchanges. Just a few performances really feel noticeably weaker than others, which undercuts the strain throughout sure scenes. Fortunately, these moments are comparatively rare, however they do often reduce the impression of in any other case compelling horror sequences.

Outdoors of its decision-making techniques, gameplay primarily revolves round stealth, quick-time occasions, and traversal by way of linear environments. Gamers take management of 5 totally different characters all through the marketing campaign, although all of them play equally outdoors of dialogue selections. Most encounters contain sneaking previous hostile alien creatures whereas looking for escape routes or key targets. The mechanics themselves are pretty easy, however they succeed at creating tense conditions. There are a number of puzzle sections scattered all through the sport as effectively, although they by no means change into notably difficult or memorable.

Visually, Directive 8020 is a powerful showcase for Unreal Engine 5. The Cassiopeia is very effectively designed, evoking the commercial sci-fi aesthetic of ships just like the Nostromo from Alien whereas nonetheless feeling distinct. At instances, the ship virtually looks like its personal character. The chilly grays and sterile whites of the setting distinction successfully with the grotesque black-and-red alien development spreading all through the station. The gore results are notably grotesque, delivering some genuinely disturbing imagery. Character fashions additionally look sturdy general, though facial animations often dip into uncanny valley territory.

Enjoying on base PlayStation 5, I did have some framerate stutters and texture pop-up, however it was easy crusing for probably the most half. Nonetheless, it did incessantly cease to save lots of and interrupt huge moments, ruining the frenetic pacing of sure scenes. For instance, a working scene had three totally different cuts to save lots of, every taking lower than 10 seconds, however would go to a black display. It may very well be chalked as much as a majority of the cutscenes being in-engine, so it’s not too detrimental, however it nonetheless broke some immersion.