I played an hour of Supermassive Games' highly anticipated Directive 8020 — and fans of Alien: Isolation are going to adore this

Stealth in space

27 Apr 2026, 13:00 by https://www.techradar.com/uk/author/lucy-buglass · TechRadar

Features By Lucy Buglass published 27 April 2026

(Image credit: Supermassive Games)

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Directive 8020 has been in the works for a while, with a three-year gap between the new arrival and the developer's previous game, Switchback VR. The wait is almost over, though, as players will get to experience the next chapter of The Dark Pictures Anthology on May 12.

Marking the first time a Dark Pictures story has been set in space, this is an exciting new chapter for Supermassive Games. Space exploration has been one of my favorite themes in horror gaming recently, especially when I look at titles like the brilliant Mouthwashing and Iron Lung, the latter of which got a record-breaking movie adaptation by YouTube star Markiplier.

I'm happy to report that Directive 8020 follows in the footsteps of great sci-fi horror games, but manages to offer up something different to help it stand out among the crowd. If you're a fan of stealth-based horror games, there's plenty to enjoy here.

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Supermassive Games stays true to what it does best, and if you're hoping for stressful quick time events (QTEs) and heart-pounding scenes, you will certainly find them here. Humble as ever, I'd like to note I failed one of these QTEs about five minutes into my play test, because I was just not prepared for it at all. Prepare to be blindsided. We wouldn't have it any other way, would we?

If I could turn back time...

Patience really is a virtue here. (Image credit: Supermassive Games)

Directive 8020 introduces a new feature that might provide some reassurance if you're the kind of person who gets emotionally attached to video game characters. Turning Points is a new and valuable addition to the game where you can rewind your decision, similar to Life is Strange.

I asked Executive Producer Dan McDonald about the decision to include Turning Points, and he said: "We know a lot of our players, the first time they play through, they want to keep everyone alive. And it can be really disheartening when you mess up, and your favourite character has died.

"Whilst we want you to experience that loss, in fact, one of my favourite things is making players cry as well as jump, we also want you to play a game that you want to experience. And so if you want to be able to turn it back and undo it, we want to enable that and let you experience the game the way you want."

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