Directive 8020 has five playable protagonists and a small supporting cast. Like every Dark Pictures game, any of the playable five can permanently die — the table below maps each character to their key trust score, their death gates and the chapters where they're most at risk.
Playable cast (5)
| Character | Role | Performer | Death gates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brianna Young | First Officer | Lashana Lynch | Ep 7 evacuation choice; Ep 8 final QTE. |
| Captain Akin | Mission Commander | Announced cast | Ep 7 mutiny vote. |
| Thomas Carter | Chief Medical Officer | Announced cast | Ep 4 power-surge; Ep 7 defensive wave. |
| Naomi Patel | Engineer | Announced cast | Ep 5 loadlifter QTE. |
| Riley | Pilot | Announced cast | Ep 5 loadlifter QTE. |
Character arcs
Brianna Young
Carries the player POV. Survives by default; locked into Ending B's sacrifice if Akin is at +2.
Captain Akin
His authority is the relationship spine. Mutiny in Ep 7 hinges on his trust score.
Thomas Carter
Romantic sub-plot with Brianna. Ep 4 power-surge QTE is his most common death.
Naomi Patel
Ridge climber if you sent her in Ep 2. Survives if Riley took the ridge.
Riley
Mirror of Naomi. Whoever you sent up the ridge takes the Ep 5 death gate.
Supporting cast
- The Curator — series-wide narrator who frames each chapter. Returns from Man of Medan onward.
- The Variant — antagonist; a shape-shifter that wears crew faces. Unique kill animations per chapter.
- Earth Comms — voice-only role; gates the Episode 6 distress signal.
Tips for keeping everyone alive
- Bank +1 trust per character in Episode 1 — it raises the floor for every later check.
- Episode 5 is the highest mortality chapter. Practise the loadlifter QTE.
- Episode 7's defensive wave fails one wave per character at low trust. Keep all five at ≥ +1 trust going in.