Across the game, you’ll explore the claustrophobic, stranded wreck of our recon ship, the Cassiopeia. A dark, terrifying location filled with horrors. Our game draws inspiration from different sci-fi horror films: from Alien through to Event Horizon. Like many of those movies, this game explores themes of sci-fi horror. We are adrift in space, insignificant and inconsequential compared to the vastness of space. The universe itself is uncaring and comfortless.

In space, death takes many forms

We also lean into body horror. Our alien entity has a grotesque design: warped flesh, bubbling, pustule-like eyes, and polymorphous form. Worse of all, it can reform its body to mimic any one of your crew. You must decide who to trust in a world where anyone could be a deadly alien impostor.

Over the course of the game you’ll control five crew members and play each of them multiple times – their fate rests in your hands as each crew member under your control lives or dies based on your actions. This is a branching horror adventure where your decisions shape the final outcome of the story. But it wont be easy – for the first time in a Dark Pictures game you will face real-time threats. 

Intelligent, Hunter/Killer aliens which will track you down and murder you if you slip up. This is pure “on the sticks” gameplay and is completely new for the Dark Pictures. To survive, you’ll need to hide, evade, and overcome a variety of monsters. There is no comfort in exploration anymore – if you don’t keep your wits about you, it could spell the end for your character. 

We’ve completely redesigned our character movement controls to support stealth. You’ll need to adapt to each new threat you face. There are many different stages of what we call ‘mimics’ in the game, from humanlike characters who act normally but are not human all, to a full blown hunter form where any attempt at mimicry has been abandoned in favour of brute force.

The DNA of the Dark Pictures is still present though – in fact, everything you love about the Dark Pictures is still here, from branching plotlines through to impossible choices. But as you’ll see, we’ve redesigned, polished, and amped up our gameplay from the ground up to lean more into sci-fi survival horror.

And finally, just like our previous games we’re super proud to have another amazing star feature in our cast.  In Directive 8020 we have Lashana Lynch at the helm. You’ll recognize Lashana from movies such as 007 No Time to Die, The Woman King, Captain Marvel and Bob Marley: One Love. Lashana plays the role of Brianna Young, the pilot of the Cassiopeia. She is one of Earth’s best astronauts and the survival of the crew, and potentially Earth, is partly in her hands – and yours depending on how you play the game!

Watch this space for more information on Directive 8020 we cant wait for you to play it in 2025

Remember – In space, death takes many forms!

Directive 8020 is available to wishlist today!