Earth is dying. Cassiopeia, a colony vessel carrying frozen seed-bank passengers, has been redirected to Tau Ceti f after the primary colony site went dark. The crew of five protagonists drop out of cryo to find a hull breach, a missing chief medical officer and something already wearing a crewmate's face.
Episode-by-episode summary
- Episode 1 — Cassiopeia. Wake-up, hull breach, prologue choices set the trust matrix.
- Episode 2 — Tau Ceti F. Landing party meets the variant; first death gate opens.
- Episode 3 — Quarantine. Paranoia chamber on the ship. One of the crew is the variant.
- Episode 4 — Vital Signs. Med-bay branches; Thomas's sub-plot pays off.
- Episode 5 — The Hold. Stealth set-piece, lethal loadlifter QTE.
- Episode 6 — Bearings. Breather chapter loaded with premonitions.
- Episode 7 — Last Transmission. Bridge mutiny, relationship scores cash out.
- Episode 8 — Directive. Variant queen, the directive reveal, final dialogue wheel locks the ending.
The directive
Directive 8020 is a classified Earth-side termination protocol — the crew is authorised to scuttle the ship if the variant cannot be contained. Brianna's final dialogue wheel decides whether to obey, defy or expose the directive. See Ending Explained for the full payoff.
FAQ
What is Directive 8020 about?
Directive 8020 is the fifth Dark Pictures Anthology entry, following five colony-ship crew members aboard the Cassiopeia after a crash-landing on Tau Ceti f. A shape-shifting variant hunts them while a classified colony directive tests their loyalty.
Is Directive 8020 a horror game?
Yes — survival horror with branching narrative. It's lighter on jump-scares than House of Ashes and heavier on paranoia (closer to The Devil in Me's slasher tension).