Not Having A New Dark Pictures Game This Halloween Feels Wrong

Supermassive Games is renowned for its nonlinear cinematic horror games like Until Dawn and The Quarry. The Dark Pictures Anthology is a natural evolution of the developer’s passion for the genre. This anthology offers a unique format, enabling the team to explore various themes and ideas in bite-sized stories delivered regularly—and later bundled for those catching up on the scares they missed.

But since The Devil in Me wrapped up the first season a year ago, the studio has been suspiciously quiet about what comes next for this standout series. Yes, right at the end of The Devil in Me, players traditionally got a glimpse of the upcoming season two premiere, Directive 8020, but oddly enough, the teaser footage never made its way onto Supermassive Games’ official social media accounts. So, what do we actually know about the next chapter in the anthology?

Directive 8020 Promises Some Dead Space-Inspired Cosmic Horror

From what we know so far, Directive 8020 promises a chilling sci-fi adventure set in the vastness of space within the Cetus Constellation, as the spacecraft Cassiopeia approaches the Tau Ceti f exoplanet, hailed as ‘humanity’s future home’ by the crew. But here’s where it gets eerie—the captain of the vessel mentions an enigmatic ‘Charybdis marker,’ as we learn that the crew went mad and turned on each other. If it all sounds familiar, that’s probably because this premise has some serious Dead Space vibes to it, complete with such hallmarks as the mysterious marker and the descent into madness it triggers.

I have to admit, I was hoping for Directive 8020 to arrive this fall, right in time for the spookfest. However, considering the studio’s recent busy schedule with two significant releases in the past year—The Quarry and The Devil in Me—it seems Supermassive Games opted for a breather in 2023, only rolling out The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR so far. Perhaps, this pause between The Dark Pictures Anthology seasons is a strategic move, allowing the developers to build a foundation for multiple games at once in preparation for season two, ensuring a consistent annual pace later on. If Directive 8020 launches sometime in 2024, we can likely expect the rest of the season to follow akin to season one’s schedule.

Best Enjoyed On One Couch With Your Friends

Season one includes four games, each with its own theme, setting, and characters, often portrayed by well-known actors like Shawn Ashmore, Will Poulter, Ashley Tisdale, or Jessie Buckley. Among all the chapters released so far, House of Ashes is probably my personal favorite.

This installment centers around soldiers in the Iraq War who find themselves trapped in a buried Sumerian temple containing a nest of unearthly creatures. It combines some excellent pacing, intriguing dynamics between the soldiers from both sides of the conflict (even including a love triangle), plenty of intense moments scattered throughout the story where any character can be easily lost, and overall focus on the tense action sequences and rapid decision-making rather than the slow exploration of dark locations that often takes the central stage in other entries. I genuinely hope the studio minimizes those slow walking sections in season two and maintains the gripping intensity found in House of Ashes, at least reaching the heights of past season’s peak experience.

Little Hope is another standout chapter due to its final twist that can totally catch you off guard. This game creates a unique and eerie atmosphere, immersing players in a sense of being lost in time within an impenetrable fog, all set against the backdrop of an isolated, abandoned town haunted by the terrifying history of the 17th-century Andover Witch Trials.

However, like Man of Medan and The Devil in Me—my least favorite anthology’s chapters—Little Hope is a bit slow and can feel dragged out at times, a common issue for the entire anthology overall. This pacing concern is something I hope the devs address in future installments. After all, catching a bore instead of some unexpected scares is the last thing you probably want to get from such games.

Still, despite its shortcomings and the fact that it is actually a scaled-down version of more expansive games like Until Dawn and The Quarry, The Dark Pictures Anthology games have carved out their own niche and really have no alternatives in the gaming world today. Its tempting allure of experiencing an interactive five to eight-hour movie-like adventure, either alone or with friends, on a leisurely evening is something I personally find hard to resist, especially during Halloween.

Hopefully, the devs start to reveal what’s more for season two and Directive 8020 in particular rather soon, and that what’s yet to come will surprise us in the best possible ways.