Epic Adventures Await: Exciting Games Coming in 2025 – Featuring Directive 8020!

Supermassive’s titles have consistently embraced a cinematic approach, from the compelling portrayals in the slasher-horror Until Dawn to the more unsettling ambiance of the interactive ghost narrative Man of Medan. In this iteration, with the sci-fi horror Directive 8020, the studio prominently showcases its Hollywood inspirations.

The planet Earth is facing extinction, and humanity’s final chance lies on a celestial body named Tau Ceti F. However, as the crew aboard the colony vessel Cassiopeia examines this enticing planet, they soon realize they are not alone. Pursued by a terrifying alien lifeform that can eerily emulate its victims, the Cassiopeia crew must thwart these hunters and find their way back home, with each former ally and crew member now a potential danger. In simpler terms, it’s a playable amalgamation of Alien and The Thing.

“You have a diverse ensemble of characters, plus an extraterrestrial monster that can penetrate that arrangement. We emphasize the systems we’ve previously established [in earlier games] regarding choices and decisions, to instill surprise and a sense of uncertainty about who to trust,” Will Doyle, the game’s creative director, explains.

Players exert control over both their character’s movements and decisions. Departing from the slow, cinematic pacing of Until Dawn, Directive 8020 instead resembles something akin to Dead Space, permitting players to sprint, strafe, lash out, and roll defensively while evading their terrifying alien assailants. “[However] these individuals are not action protagonists. We didn’t intend for you to easily conquer the creature,” Doyle remarks. “You can ward it off with certain tools; you can distract it; but you can never simply draw a weapon and shoot it.”

The primary role of pilot Young is portrayed by Lashana Lynch, known for her role in No Time to Die. The lives of everyone aboard the ship hinge on her – that is, your – choices. Thankfully, players can recruit assistance and engage in cooperative play. A maximum of five players can connect online and take charge of different characters – a feature the team included after observing how many chose to play Until Dawn by passing the controller among friends.

“Every subsequent encounter you have with a monster in a film tends to diminish its terror a bit,” Doyle asserts. “Without giving anything away, we considerably alter the appearance, look, and shape of our creature … There exists a continuous sense of peril – you genuinely don’t feel safe anywhere in this game. With our past titles, players could sometimes discern danger simply by the structure, so we’ve altered that significantly. Now, threats and demise lurk around every corner.”