• Directive 8020 executive producer Dan McDonald says Supermassive Games was looking to add a rewind feature to its games "for a long time"
• The studio wants to support players who feel discouraged when they can't keep every character alive
• McDonald says Turning Points was also added for players who like to unlock everything

Supermassive Games is aware that fans feel "disheartened" when they're unable to keep every character alive in its Dark Pictures games, which is one of the big reasons upcoming entry Directive 8020 has a new rewind feature.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming, executive producer Dan McDonald revealed that the game's Turning Points system, which allows players to rewind their decision mid-game, is a feature the team has been looking into "for a long time."

"On our previous games, going all the way back to Until Dawn, but also all the Dark Pictures games, as soon as you make a choice that’s locked in. So if you turn off your console, too late, there’s no save scumming for you. You’re stuck with decisions," McDonald said.

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However, with Directive 8020, Supermassive decided to implement a rewind option because it knows many players like the challenge of trying to keep every character alive, but feel discouraged when they fail.

"We know a lot of our players, the first time they play through, they want to keep everyone alive. And it can be really disheartening when you mess up and your favourite character has died," he explained.

"Whilst we want you to experience that loss, in fact, one of my favourite things is making players cry as well as jump, we also want you to play a game that you want to experience.

And so if you want to be able to turn it back and undo it, we want to enable that and let you experience it the way you want."

McDonald continued, saying that from research and talking to fans, he knows that "a big percentage of our hardcore fans" will play the games "six, seven, eight times because they want to get all the different endings" and understands the desire to chase achievements.

In previous Dark Pictures titles, when players failed a quick-time event (QTE), they were stuck with the consequences of their actions. Offering players a rewind feature was something the team wanted to "support".

"I know from playing games myself that I like collecting things. I like finding everything, I like that little endorphin rush of unlocking a new thing," McDonald added. "You know, the Lego games do that brilliantly. There's a whole bunch of mini figures that you'll unlock, that you'll never use once you get Superman or Iron Man or whoever, but you still want to get them all.

"We want the players to experience that kind of feeling. And so Turning Points really helps do that."

Directive 8020 is the fifth game in the Dark Pictures Anthology and will release on May 12 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.

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