Directive 8020 leans into themes of paranoia, isolation, and fear of the unknown – which makes for an excellent setup for a Dark Pictures game. The developers were particularly inspired by sci-fi films like Event Horizon, Alien, and John Carpenter's The Thing, which helped establish the style of horror and sense of dread that Directive 8020 goes for, and with the focus on giving players more direct control of the action while also heightening the sense of distrust in your dwindling party of