Directive 8020 Deluxe Edition (Xbox Series X)

If you enjoyed games like the quarry then this game is for you takes a different approach on the normal horror style of these games & takes it to space which I really enjoyed & there’s replay ability too so you can go back & change things and explore the game in depth overall a really cool game.

Directive 8020 continues the Dark Pictures series and after a relatively long lay off with the last game being four years ago. This project has obviously had more time and theoretically feels as though it could have been given more care and attention, where I'd compare it to something like The Quarry and in terms of scope. The story surrounds numerous characters and as is standard. Your goal is to attempt to keep them all alive...or not and if you are some kind of sadist. Unfortunately, the story is a bit flat with some good suspense early on but it never fully develops. The biggest issue is by far the frequent backtracking and within story timelines. It's not particularly interesting either and in terms of the story that is explored as a result. The space environment has been done extensively with horror video games and atmospherically it does have vibes of something like Dead Space. It is not nearly as good and on more than one occasion I did feel the lack of player control where most of the game plays out like an interactive cut scene. This is what Supermassive Games do and it often works. It is just more noticeable here and with the tasks you are doing being rather limited and outside of hunting for collectibles and sneaking around. That said, I do enjoy the tight linear structure which is good for replayablity. The performances of the characters are fantastic and as is the technology or facial capture that is used for them. It is not new, but is still done exceptionally well by the studio. The deluxe edition also features some art and a digital soundtrack, which is nice to have although I haven't really explored it too much yet. ---Summary--- (Scored out of 10) Graphics -8- It looks mostly very good but there are noticeable blurring effects in cut scenes behind the characters. Sound -7- Solid performances for all the characters and if unremarkable but that's more down to the story itself. The musical score is decent with various licenced tracks also added in. Gameplay -5- What is here is fine but it's all rather lacking and takes a backseat to a story that really isn't very strong. Lifespan -6- There are new features such as turning points which make it easier to find collectibles and branching decisions etc for achievement hunters. My first playthrough took over nine hours and I will play through it again at some point. ---Verdict--- Overall, I would put Directive 8020 towards the bottom of Supermassive Games' outings. It beats Man of Medan and Little Hope but is weaker than all of the others. I'd still say that Until Dawn and The Quarry are the best games of this genre that the studio has put out. The glaring weakness with this game is the story and it not being quite up to scratch. It's just a little dull and as I have read elsewhere is lacking in scares - although it does have them and in the variety of cheap jump scares. I would be interested to see what Supermassive Games does next and they're probably the kings of this genre. This is worth getting in a sale although RRP isn't too bad at all either.

Disappointing game not like the other dark pictures games

Collectable of the near future