Supermassive’s games have always been cinematic, from the convincing performances in slasher horror Until Dawn to the chilling atmosphere of interactive ghost story Man of Medan. This time, with the sci-fi horror directive 8020, the studio is wearing its Hollywood influences even bolder.
Earth is dying, and humanity’s last hope is a planet called Tau Cetus F. But when the crew of the colony ship Cassiopeia explores this promising planet, they soon discover that they are not alone. Haunted by terrifying alien creatures that mimic their prey, the crew of the Cassiopeia must outwit these predators and return home as former friends and crew members become potential threats. In other words, it’s a playable blend of Alien and The Thing.
“There will be a variety of characters, and there will also be alien monsters that can invade the setting. We will rely on the systems we have already built. [in previous games] It combines choices and decisions to create an element of surprise and a feeling of not knowing who to trust,” says Will Doyle, the game’s creative director.
Characters have independence in their movements and choices. Eliminating the slow, cinematic shuffle of Until Dawn, Directive 8020 instead plays like something closer to Dead Space, with sprints, strafing, and rampaging as players flee from terrifying alien attackers. Allows you to turn and roll defensively. “[But] These guys aren’t action heroes. We didn’t want it to be easy to defeat the creature,” says Doyle. “You can avoid it with some tools. You can distract yourself. But you can never pull out a gun and shoot.”
The main character, Pilot Young, is played by Lashana Lynch, best known for her role in No Time to Die. Everyone on the ship lives or dies based on her (and therefore your) decisions. Thankfully, you can ask for help and play cooperatively. Up to five people can go online and control different characters. The team implemented it after handing a controller to a group of friends to see how many people chose to play Until Dawn.
“Every time a monster appears in a movie, the fear factor fades a little bit,” Doyle believes. “Without spoiling anything, we change the look and appearance and shape of the creatures quite a bit… There’s a constant sense of threat, that nowhere in this game is really safe, unlike in previous games, we could see that just the structure was in danger, so we changed it significantly. Now danger and death lurk around every corner.”
Source: www.theguardian.com