I have a soft spot for any narrative, action-heavy games that Life is strangeDispatch, Until Dawnand Dark Pictures Anthologyso it shouldn't surprise anyone that Directive 8020 is high on my list of games to play in May 2026. Before that, my wife and I sat down to play through each of the games before the new release. Overall, of course, the best way to play them is in order of release: Man of Medan, Little Hope, House of Ashes and The Devil in Me.
That said, what players experience that way is an acceptable start, peaks in the middle, and a weaker (though by no definition “weak”) ending. These games represent “Season 1” of Dark Pictures Anthologyand it will be interesting to see what season 2 brings after the release of 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 about ~6-7 hours. Directive 8020 is released on May 12th, so this is a reminder to start your marathon soon. Time permitting, I would also recommend Until Dawn and The Quarry. This ranking does not include the Dark Pictures: Switchback VR spin-off game.
Since there are only four games, I decided to limit myself to one game per level.
S Level: House of Ashes
House of Ash explores a Sumerian temple filled with vampires—not Dracula or shiny blows, but wild beasts. It's some of the best creature-driven horror in gaming, not just Supermassive, and is right up there with Until Dawn and The quarry with properly Dark images trademark. Overall, it has a clearer identity than its predecessors that helps drive the tension throughout, avoiding the ambiguity (for the most part) that sometimes undercut it in previous 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 fans of cosmic/body horror.
House of AshThe characters are all strong and benefit from sharp writing, especially the interpersonal conflict between the survivors (as they are soldiers on opposing sides). Gameplay-wise, it feels refined, it's strongly paced, 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.
Start
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)
A Level: Little Hope
Little hope definitely gets points for its timelines and setting, which is up there with House of Ash. As with all these games, players take on the role of a handful of characters in Little hope when they become trapped in an abandoned New England town in Massachusetts. The story weaves together three different events: the witch trials of 1692, a family tragedy from the 1970s and modern times. Across the three, it deals with themes of guilt, trauma, and psychotic breakdown, making heavy use of historical parallels and recurring character archetypes.
The Dark Pictures: Little Hope Review
The Dark Pictures: Little Hope's characters and story 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 the core themes (and is based on player decisions), some feel that ultimately any choice undermines player agency and makes little hope's choices less meaningful in retrospect. It's an understandable criticism, even if it's explained well in-game. Even so, the journey itself is gripping enough to secure it a high ranking, especially for players who value story over mechanical depth.
B Level: Man of Medan
Always respect OGs, and Man of Medan deserves credit for establishing the core formula for The Dark Pictures Anthology. Its setting aboard a ghost ship is rich with potential and provides genuinely tense moments, at least when it comes to gameplay. Man of Medan's game modes also encourage shared experiences (which is why it's always best to play with a friend or partner). That said, the game struggles with uneven pacing, and the story builds slowly and quickly loses momentum. Similar Little hopethere are multiple timelines at play here, but in less compelling ways. And the characters of Man of Medan are solid, if largely forgettable.
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan Review
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan isn't quite as polished as Until Dawn, but it's still an effective horror gaming experience with a great story.
Now, don't get me wrong. Man of Medan laid a very important foundation, but it feels more like a proof of concept than a fully realized Dark Pictures game. But this is a B-Tier, not something like a D or F-Tier. Despite its shortcomings, Man of 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 images formula, especially given the annual cadence, and its successes (and alleged failures) bode well for Directive 8020 to do the same with the extra development time. The premise – a murder hotel inspired by real-life serial killer HH Holmes – is incredibly inspired and offers a very different flavor of horror than previous titles, but that inspiration carries over to inconsistent trap designs and set pieces. New mechanics like inventory management and more exploration-heavy gameplay make sense as additions, but sometimes feel underdeveloped.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me review
Despite some flaws and inconsistencies, The Dark Pictures: Devil in Me brings the anthology's first season to a powerful end.
And while the character work is okay, Dark images sets higher expectations than The devil in me delivers, and the game spends way too much time meandering around characters in The devil in meopening. That said, despite its flaws (just like Man of Medan), The devil in me is worth every playthrough.
Dark Pictures Season 2 begins with Directive 8020 on May 12th
Directive 8020 is meant to represent an evolution of the franchise. After all, it has been four years since its release The devil in methe last game in the franchise, when all four games of “Season 1” were released within four years. In it, players control five playable protagonists in a new horror genre: cosmic horror. The main character is astronaut Brianna Young, played by actor Lashana Lynch, who must survive a shape-shifting alien among her crew when the ship crash-lands on the planet Tau Ceti f. It's basically Among usbut horror-driven, and it will be a great way to spend the night of May 12th.
As GameRant wrote in their preview of Directive 8020“The setting is strong, especially when it's clear that the crew doesn't actually understand what they're doing, and that uncertainty has great potential if the story continues to build on it. I still need more time with the characters to really care about the outcome, but the direction feels more focused than I've seen from Supermassive in the past. One of the studio's more complete experiences.”
- 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, Users Interact
