Review key provided by Supermassive Games
Since the release of Resident Evil Requiem, I’ve been on a bit of a horror kick. Whether it’s the RE series, Alan Wake 2, or Mouthwashing, momma is hungry for some frights. And luckily for me, Supermassive Games has offered up yet another captivating narrative-driven survival horror title in its newest release, Directive 8020.
Masters of the sub-genre with titles such as The Quarry and The Dark Pictures Anthology, I knew that Directive 8020 would be a lovely palette-cleanser amongst the action-heavy titles I’ve been burning through. But after playing it, I’ve realized this title is more than people might think.
Story & Gameplay
Going into this title, I had assumed that I knew a thing or two. From the marketing I had seen before I was given the game, I had expected a pretty straightforward starship-centered horror title where aliens were simply taking over the ship and murdering our cast of characters one by one, a la Alien. And while of course, the gameplay of these types of games does in fact dispatch our cast here and there, this one does it a bit differently than what I’d seen prior.
Without giving too much away, Directive 8020 is actually a pretty solid cosmic-horror title where the stakes aren’t exactly what they seem. Oftentimes during this episodic title, there are major twists that make you think back to the big picture and how everything falls into place.
What I liked this time around was that these characters aren’t simply defenseless teenagers in a cabin or rich people stripping a sunken ship for riches; the cast of characters in this title are capable professionals who have signed up exactly for what they’re getting into. Well, maybe not all of it.
Throughout a playthrough of Directive 8020, you’re walking about the tight corridors of the game’s main environment, its spaceship. Though gameplay is extremely simple compared to a typical survival horror title, such as an RE entry, your choices more than make up for it. And this title knows that.
There are dozens of multi-path decisions to make, and during some of the more important ones, the game will even allow you to rewind and play it differently if you choose to do so. And the fact that its story is broken up into eight digestible episodes lends itself perfectly to that.
This type of mechanic makes Directive 8020 extremely replayable, as at any moment, you’re allowed to jump anywhere in the timeline and replay it to change the outcome of what’s just been played out. This was the main draw for me, as the rest of the gameplay is very stale.
When you aren’t in the game’s enticing cinematic moments, you’re walking around those tight corridors, either moving past enemies with light stealth gameplay, rerouting power, and unlocking escape routes, or both, all while finding a collectible here or there, which unravels even more of the game’s narrative.
Graphics & Sound
As I’ve played more of these titles, I’ve become used to seeing stiff and unnatural character animations. And like others, it really does do a good job of making each character look exactly like each respective actor. But unlike those older titles, Directive 8020 actually does better with those animations.
Of any, I felt like Directive 8020 had the least weird smirk moments of any Supermassive Games title I’ve played thus far. It allowed me to be fully engrossed by the story and honestly felt like I was watching a movie during cinematics.
Additionally, the atmosphere in this game can be quite chilling at times through its visuals and sounds. You really feel lost in space a lot of the time. Alone and up against a threat much larger than you. I honestly felt hopeless for my characters at times while playing, because things really just look worse and worse, thanks to the brilliant visuals on display.
Likewise, the audio is great here too. The actors did a great job with the script, and everyone sounded like they were selling their lines. In fact, the actors did so well that, at key moments, I was able to tell when something was amiss and that I needed to act accordingly.
Feedback
My honest-to-god biggest complaint about Directive 8020 is its gameplay sections. And by that, I mean the ones where it wants me to play it like a stealth title. It’s just really barebones, and honestly, I would’ve rather just watched the character do the thing than have to rewire the power to a door while evading an enemy for the hundredth time.
The game is at its absolute best when it’s putting you into tense situations, and honestly, the enemies just weren’t intimidating. And that doesn’t end with its gameplay. The alien creatures are, most of the time, just purple blobs with teeth and the occasional human limb hanging from them. They aren’t scary and honestly would’ve only scared me at like ten years old, and it was an episode of Goosebumps or something.
And while it’s par for the course for any horror title set on a spaceship, the environments can feel very samey as time goes on. Though the game does a fun shake-up for one of its episodes, the other ninety percent of the story takes place onboard the ship, making those silver corridors with blooming blue or orange lights, the mainstay on your screen. It isn’t the worst thing, and over time, you’ll actually be able to place where you are on the ship since each area has small recognizable features, but it’s worth noting that the scenery can feel unexciting.
Verdict
Directive 8020 is a very interesting title to play. Its story really captured my spirit from the opening moments, and I found myself coming back for more immediately after the credits started to roll. This is a title that’s set up perfectly to be fully explored and played with by its players over and over again. Though the gameplay can feel very flat, it’s the story that beckoned me to effortlessly continue playing, making close-call choices along the way.
