All Characters & Cast
Meet every character in Directive 8020. The game features 5 playable protagonists and 5 key NPCs, each motion-captured and voiced by professional actors. Any combination of playable characters can survive or die depending on your choices.
Playable Characters
Directive 8020 features an ensemble cast of 5 playable protagonists. Unlike previous Dark Pictures games, there is no plot armor 鈥?any combination of characters can be alive in the final chapters. Each character has their own story arc, relationships, and potential death scenes.
Brianna Young
Co-Pilot / Astronaut · Lashana Lynch
A skilled astronaut and co-pilot of the Cassiopeia. Young is resourceful and determined, often taking the lead during dangerous encounters. She is marketed as the lead character of the game.
Live or Die: Can live or die depending on choices in Chapters 3, 5, and 7.
Nolan Stafford
Ship Commander · Danny Sapani
The commanding officer of the Cassiopeia mission. Stafford is a steady leader who must make impossible decisions under pressure. His survival depends on how the player handles the breach in Chapter 5.
Live or Die: Can live or die. Most commonly lost in Chapter 5 if the player seals the breach instead of rescuing trapped crew.
Laura Eisele
Senior Mission Officer · Lotte Verbeek
A pragmatic and intelligent officer who advocates for strict quarantine protocols. Eisele is a fan favorite among the development team for her personality. She is the first to suspect something is wrong with the crew.
Live or Die: Can live or die. Her survival is tied to the quarantine decision in Chapter 3 and reaching the med bay in Chapter 5.
Samantha Cooper
Medical Specialist · Anna Leong Brophy
The crew's medical specialist who treats injuries and analyzes the alien organism. Cooper is brave but often puts herself in danger to help others. Her survival depends on keeping the crew together.
Live or Die: Can live or die. At risk during medical supply runs in Chapters 4-5.
Josef Cernan
Technical Engineer · Philip Arditti
The ship's technical engineer responsible for repairs and system maintenance. Cernan is skilled but can become reckless if his morale drops. His name references Apollo 10 astronaut Gene Cernan.
Live or Die: Can live or die. At risk during the Chapter 5 breach when he must repair ship systems alone.
Non-Playable Characters (NPCs)
These characters play important roles in the story but are not directly controlled by the player. Some can live or die based on your choices; others have fixed fates.
Tomas Carter
Sleep Technician · Frank Blake
Always dies in the prologue. Killed by the mimic version of Simms during the initial investigation. Cannot be saved.
Pari Simms
Sleep Technician · Anneika Rose
Replaced by a shapeshifting alien mimic early in the story. The real Simms is killed; the mimic version infiltrates the crew.
Noah Mitchell
Pilot · Colin Bates
NPC whose survival depends on player choices. Can live or die based on decisions in later chapters.
Zoe Anders
Science Officer · Kathryn Wilder
NPC whose survival depends on player choices. Contributes scientific expertise to the crew's investigation.
LaMarcus Williams
Corinth Corporation CEO · Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
The crew must decide whether to trust or shoot him. Has three possible outcomes depending on past choices. He may or may not be a mimic.
Who Can Live or Die?
| Character | Type | Can Die? |
|---|---|---|
| Brianna Young | Playable | Yes |
| Nolan Stafford | Playable | Yes |
| Laura Eisele | Playable | Yes |
| Samantha Cooper | Playable | Yes |
| Josef Cernan | Playable | Yes |
| Tomas Carter | NPC | Always dies (prologue) |
| Pari Simms | NPC | Replaced by mimic early |
| Noah Mitchell | NPC | Yes |
| Zoe Anders | NPC | Yes |
| LaMarcus Williams | NPC | Varies (3 outcomes) |
Apollo 10 Easter Egg
Three protagonist surnames 鈥?Cernan, Stafford, and Young 鈥?are shared with the Apollo 10 crew (Gene Cernan, Tom Stafford, and John Young). The Cassiopeia mission in Directive 8020 is directly inspired by Apollo 10: both missions involved orbiting a destination without landing. Apollo 10 orbited the Moon in 1969; the Cassiopeia orbits Tau Ceti f in the game.