Directive 8020 - Before You Buy

In this episode of Before You Buy, Jake discusses Directive 8020, the latest game from Super Massive Games, known for playable movie-style horror games where decisions alter outcomes, such as Until Dawn, The Quarry, and The Dark Pictures Anthology. Directive 8020 takes this formula into a sci-fi setting. Jake notes that fans of Super Massive Games, especially The Dark Pictures Anthology, will find this installment solid and entertaining, despite some ups and downs in the series. While not groundbreaking, it offers interesting decision-making shake-ups, cool visuals, and a twist or two. He found it a bit short for the price but was entertained for two days. The review copy was played on PC, and the footage shown is spoiler-free, limited to early chapters. The game is structured across eight chapters, set in the future on the ship Cassiopa. Players control a crew on a mission to scan a planet for a new colony. However, upon waking from hypersleep, they discover ship issues and an alien life form. The game draws heavily from influences like the Alien franchise and John Carpenter's The Thing, with a notable Event Horizon vibe, adding abstract grotesque horror and paranoia. Players switch between different crew members, each with unique specialties. While the two lead actors, Lashana Lynch and Danny Sapani, deliver convincing performances, the rest of the crew members' acting and writing are described as hit-or-miss, often feeling stilted or flat. However, enough "juicy drama" carries the narrative. Gameplay deviates from Super Massive's usual fixed camera angles and tight sequences. Directive 8020 adopts a third-person over-the-shoulder control scheme for most of the game, aiming to address criticisms of limited playability. While this adds a new perspective, it sacrifices some cinematic flair and compelling camera work. The core gameplay remains similar: walking with a flashlight, finding clues, reading, and light puzzles. A significant new gameplay element is stealth, requiring players to creep around and avoid stalker characters. These sequences, unfortunately, feel slow, simple, and repetitive, often involving crouching to activate switches or slip past enemies. Vent crawling is also frequent. While appreciating the attempt to experiment with new mechanics, Jake felt these additions weren't compelling enough to justify losing the cinematic quality of fixed camera angles. However, creative use of security camera footage sequences was a highlight. The game excels in character decisions, branching paths, and allowing the story to roll with player mistakes. The objective is to keep the entire crew alive, but screw-ups, failed quick-time events, or stealth detections result in character deaths, which the game seamlessly incorporates into the ongoing narrative. Early decisions can have significant or subtle impacts later in the game. Directive 8020 offers a rewind feature at specific turning points, allowing players to revisit decisions and explore different outcomes, enhancing replayability. With a playthrough lasting just over seven hours, the branching paths justify the length. Two playstyle options are available: Explorer mode allows rewinding and redoing choices, while Survivor mode commits players to their consequences until after completing the game, then unlocking the timeline for review. Difficulty modes include Forgiving, Challenging, and Lethal. A multiplayer mode allows friends to make decisions together. Despite some gameplay criticisms, the game's music and visual presentation are praised. The cinematic synth and orchestral score effectively convey a sense of cosmic horror and existential threat. Environments decay into grotesque and trippy visuals, contributing to the sci-fi horror aesthetic. While one enemy type eventually looks generic, the overall visual style is strong. Directive 8020 is technically a Dark Pictures Anthology game. Jake believes fans of the anthology will appreciate its familiar yet twisted approach. For newcomers to Super Massive Games, it might not be the best entry point, but it's an entertaining sci-fi horror adventure. The game's strength lies in its branching storylines and character deaths, which are core to Super Massive's appeal. The acting, aside from the two leads, could be stronger, but the game embraces the player's desire to see characters die and manipulate outcomes. Jake places Directive 8020 in the middle, leaning towards the better side, among Super Massive's catalog.