Directive 8020 has been out for a few weeks now, and I've enjoyed exploring it. From finding all the collectables to trying out multiplayer mode, there's been plenty to explore in the new horror game.
Movie Night is a popular feature from Supermassive Games, and you can find it across all of the Dark Pictures Anthology, including Directive 8020. It is a local pass-the-controller style multiplayer for up to 5 players, where they can choose which characters they want to control before they dive in.
Because there's only one controller involved, it makes it easier for more people to join in the fun. I tested out Movie Night on Directive 8020 with one other person, my partner, which dials up the pressure more as you're effectively in charge of more people's fates. Yeah, no pressure then.
Movie Night was a largely seamless experience. We had the usual anxiety-inducing quick-time events, arguments about what options to choose, nothing out of the ordinary.
Well, except for one thing...
Look ma, no legs!
Horror games rely heavily on atmosphere to build tension; unlike the Cassiopeia, it's not rocket science. But we encountered a glitch that made the game unintentionally funny, because none of our characters had any legs.
Each cutscene we entered became much less dramatic, especially when there were close-ups of space boots that were attached to nothing. Kinda ruins the vibe, you know?
Even though I didn't think to screenshot this glitch and have since missed my opportunity, I also found out that we were not alone. Other Directive 8020 players experienced the same glitch and took to Reddit to share images and videos. Even just looking at these makes me laugh.
We experienced this glitch on PS5, but I'm not sure if it has happened to players on other platforms.
darkpicturesanthology from r/DarkPicturesAnthology/comments/1tc4w7r/no_legs
Never skip leg day from r/DarkPicturesAnthology
I'm happy (and, honestly, a bit sad?) to report that once we restarted the game, the glitch disappeared. So if you're hoping for a totally serious horror gameplay where all your characters have their legs intact, such a thing does exist.
Aside from the whole no legs thing, Movie Night is still worth your time in my opinion. This is especially true if you have played the other installments in the Dark Pictures Anthology so you can see how your experience here compares to the other games.
Directive 8020 has divided some fans, though, including TechRadar Gaming's contributor Vic Hood, who described the game as "not quite hitting the mark when weighed up against other heavyweights in the sci-fi genre" in her review.
It's a fun entry into Supermassive Games' catalog, and I enjoyed seeing them finally take on sci-fi horror. Given the often claustrophobic nature of the Cassiopeia, it makes for a fun multiplayer experience as you get to watch how stressed and scared people get, proving that space continues to be the perfect backdrop for horror.
It does appear the leg glitch is easily fixable too, so those who are rightly frustrated by bugs spoiling the atmosphere should be able to move past that pretty quickly. Or you can just embrace the chaos as we did; it really does take the edge off.
