I have a weakness for all narrative and choice based games Life is strangeDispatch, Till Dawnand An Anthology of Dark Imagesso it shouldn't surprise anyone Directive 8020 is high on my list of games to play in May 2026. Before that, my wife and I sat down to play each of the games before the new release. Together, of course, the best way to play them is in order of release: The Man from Medan, Little Hope, House of Ashes and The Devil in Me.
This means that what players experience this way is an acceptable beginning, highs in the middle, and a weaker (albeit by definition “weak”) ending. These games represent “Season 1” An Anthology of Dark Imagesand it will be interesting to see what the second season brings after the release Directive 8020. Otherwise, sitting down and marathoning these four games is a great way to pass the time before Directive 8020; after all, a single run of each game is only roughly ~6-7 hours. Directive 8020 it comes out on May 12th, so this is a reminder to start your marathon soon. Time permitting, I also recommend it Until dawn and Quarry. This rating does not include the spin-off game Dark Pictures: Switchback VR.
Since there are only four games, I decided to limit myself to one game per level.
S-Tier: House of Ashes
House of Ashes explores a Sumerian temple filled with vampires—not Dracula or the glowing kind, but wild beasts. It's one of the best creature-driven horrors in gaming, not just super-massive, and it stands up there Until dawn and Quarry with proper Dark pictures branding. Overall, it has a clearer identity than its predecessors, which helps maintain tension throughout and avoids the ambiguity (in general) that sometimes undermines it in earlier entries.
Directive 8020 Nails its Cosmic and Body Horror [PREVIEW]
After a brief presentation at Gamescom, it seems clear that the wait for Directive 8020 will be worth it – especially for space/body horror fans.
House of AshesAll the characters are strong and benefit from sharp writing, especially the interpersonal conflict between the survivors (as they are soldiers on opposite sides). In terms of gameplay, it feels refined, has strong pacing, its use of action goes hand-in-hand with its horror, and its character survival feels like a premium.
What kind of weapon is that?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)
A-Tier: Little Hope
Little hope it definitely gets points for its timelines and setting because it's up there House of Ashes. As with all these games, players take on the role of a handful of characters Little hope as they become stranded in an abandoned New England town in Massachusetts. Three different events intertwine in the narrative: the witch trials of 1692, a family tragedy from the 1970s, and modern times. Through all three, it deals with themes of guilt, trauma and psychotic breakdowns, making excellent use of historical parallels and recurring character archetypes.
The Dark Pictures: Little Hope review
The characters and story of The Dark Pictures: Little Hope are a step back from Man of Medan, but there's still some fun to be had.
Little hopeThe ending is understandably divisive, as while it delivers on core themes (and is based on player decisions), some feel that any choice ultimately undermines player agency and makes little hope'less meaningful in retrospect. It's an understandable criticism, even if it's well explained in-game. Even so, the journey itself is engaging enough to warrant a high rating, especially for players who value story over mechanical depth.
B-Tier: Man of Medan
Always respect OG and The Man from Medan deserves credit for creating the basic formula Anthology of Dark Images. His setting aboard the ghost ship is rich with potential and delivers some genuinely tense moments, at least once he enters the game. a man from MedanGame modes also support shared experiences (so it's always best to play with a friend or partner). That said, the game struggles with uneven pacing, and the narrative builds slowly and loses momentum quickly. Similar to Little hopethere are multiple timelines at play, but in less compelling ways. And the characters The Man from Medan they are solid, if largely forgettable.
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan review
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan isn't as polished as Until Dawn, but it's still an effective horror gaming experience with a great story.
Don't get me wrong. The Man from Medan laid some very important groundwork, yet it feels more like a proof of concept than a fully realized Dark Pictures game. But this is B-Tier, not something like D or F-Tier. Despite its shortcomings, The Man from Medan is an incredibly fun, narrative game.
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C-Tier: The Devil in Me
The devil in me deserves credit for trying to develop Dark pictures formula, especially considering the annual cadence, and his successes (and debatable failures) bode well Directive 8020 do the same with added development time. The premise – a murder hotel inspired by the real-life serial killer HH Holmes – is incredibly inspired and offers a completely different flavor of horror than previous titles, yet this inspiration inconsistently extends to the trap and set designs. New mechanics like inventory management and more exploration-intensive gameplay make sense as additions, but sometimes feel underdeveloped.
Review of The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me
Despite a few flaws and inconsistencies, The Dark Pictures: Devil in Me brings the anthology's first season to a strong close.
And while character work is fine, Dark pictures creates higher expectations than The devil in me brings and the game spends too much time meandering between characters The devil in meopening. This means that despite its shortcomings (as well as The Man from Medan), The devil in me worth every replay.
Dark Pictures Season 2 begins with Directive 8020 on May 12
Directive 8020 is meant to represent the evolution of the franchise. After all, it's been four years since its release The devil in methe last game in the franchise to have all four “Season 1” games released within four years. In it, players control five playable protagonists in a new horror genre: space horror. The main character is astronaut Brianna Young, played by actor Lashan Lynch, who must survive a shape-shifting alien among her crew when the ship crashes on the planet Tau Ceti f. Basically, she Between usbut horror and it will be a great way to spend the night of May 12th.
As GameRant wrote in his preview Directive 8020“The set-up is strong, especially when it's revealed that the crew doesn't really understand what they're dealing with, and that uncertainty has a lot of potential if the story continues to build on it. I still need more time with the characters to really care about the results, but the direction feels more focused than what I've seen from Supermassive in the past. If only the entire game could maintain this tension while also completing the development space for one studio.”
- Released
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May 12, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense violence, blood and gore, strong language, in-game purchases, user interaction
