A Vast, Empty Void in the Series
The underappreciated 2008 comedy Role Models features a memorable moment where Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s character, the exceedingly nerdy Augie, is asked if he likes Coca-Cola. His response is both funny and confusing: "I like the idea of it more than I actually like it."
This sentiment perfectly encapsulates the experience of playing Directive 8020, the fifth entry in The Dark Pictures anthology. While the concept of exploring the unknown remains thrilling, the execution often feels hollow. The grating performances, rote stealth sequences, and visible signs of an aging formula make it clear that the series is losing its way. I find myself relating to Augie’s confusion; the idea of this anthology is far more appealing than the reality of playing its games.
Supermassive Games Takes to the Stars
For the first time in the series, developer Supermassive Games has left Earth behind. The previous titles focused on terrestrial horrors, such as a cursed shipwreck, New England witchcraft, monster-infested caves, and a modern slasher inspired by the real-life killer H.H. Holmes.
Directive 8020 shifts the setting to outer space, heavily drawing inspiration from two giants of the horror genre: Alien and John Carpenter’s The Thing. The narrative follows a crew of heroes-to-be who are surveying a potential new home planet for humanity, Tau Ceti f. However, a catastrophic disaster leaves them stranded on the planet, facing an alien organism capable of stealing organic likenesses, including human faces and bodies.
The Series Has Never Been More Adrift
Despite the ambitious sci-fi setting, the game struggles to deliver the same visceral impact as its predecessors. The reliance on familiar tropes from Alien and The Thing feels less like an homage and more like a crutch for a formula that is running out of steam.
Players are left with a sense of disconnection, both from the characters and the narrative stakes. The stealth sequences, once a tense highlight of the series, now feel repetitive and uninspired. Furthermore, the performances, while not entirely lacking in talent, often come across as grating and unable to carry the emotional weight of the story.
Conclusion
Directive 8020 represents a significant shift for The Dark Pictures anthology, taking the franchise into uncharted territory with its space horror setting. However, this change highlights how adrift the series has become. The core mechanics and narrative structure feel worn out, struggling to find relevance in a new environment that should have offered fresh inspiration.
While the premise of Tau Ceti f and the alien threat is intriguing, the execution fails to capture the magic of the earlier entries. For fans of the series, this fifth installment serves as a stark reminder of how quickly a beloved franchise can lose its footing when it relies too heavily on the "idea" of its past successes rather than delivering a compelling new experience.
