Directive 8020 is the next instalment in the anthology series, billed as a "huge step forward" with a "dark vision" inspired by sci-fi horror classics like The Thing, Alien, and Event Horizon. During a hands-off Gamescom presentation, Will Doyle stated if we took anything away from the session — which we can now pass onto all of you — it is that Directive 8020 is "John Carpenter's The Thing in deep space".
While the game still carries the Dark Pictures branding, it seems Supermassive Games is attempting to pitch the title as a slightly more standalone thing, at least compared to how it handled the likes of Little Hope, House of Ashes, and The Devil in Me. Following the sad passing of Tony Pankhurst, it's not known whether The Curator will return for Directive 8020, for example — Doyle wasn't willing to give anything away in a Q&A section after the gameplay showing either.
With this intriguing story setup, Supermassive Games says it's heavily leaning into the survival horror genre. Revamped and upgraded gameplay systems allow for that in a "redesigned, amped up, and polished" experience, as Doyle explains it. The camera has been adjusted, relocating and permanently placing it over the shoulder of Lashana Lynch's character, just like other cinematic titles of the current era.
While we didn't go hands on ourselves with the game, the gameplay enhancements came across positively as leads at Supermassive Games played the demo to us live. As the presentation concludes, it's teased how the aliens spawn a growth that takes over the spaceship, closing off paths you used in previous chapters and opening up brand new ones for progression.
Are you adding Directive 8020 to your wishlist? Share your own thoughts in the comments below.