The Darkest Files
Paintbucket Games · 2025 · Adventure, Detective, Historical, Female Protagonist, Puzzle
PC
Overwhelmingly Positive96% · 61280Metacritic
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About The Darkest Files
Justice requires courage. The courage to uncover truths that no one wants to see. The courage to confront former murderers who now wear suits and command respect. The courage to be threatened, ostracised or worse. And the courage to look into the darkness and be changed forever.
You are Esther Katz, a young prosecutor who has just joined Fritz Bauer's new special unit. Your task seems impossible: to investigate crimes committed years ago, where evidence has been destroyed, witnesses silenced and the perpetrators embedded in the highest ranks of society. Every decision matters. Every interrogation can bring you closer to the perpetrator or lead you astray. Silence is your worst enemy. Time is working against you. And German society is not ready to face its past.
In 1956, Fritz Bauer and his team of “Nazi hunters” demanded justice when everyone else demanded silence. A small team of prosecutors defying an entire nation. Criminals hiding in plain sight as respected citizens. Experience their dangerous struggle through the immersive investigations. Uncover truths a country has fought to keep buried. Challenge a society desperate to rewrite its own past.
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You are Esther Katz, a young prosecutor who has just joined Fritz Bauer's new special unit. Your task seems impossible: to investigate crimes committed years ago, where evidence has been destroyed, witnesses silenced and the perpetrators embedded in the highest ranks of society. Every decision matters. Every interrogation can bring you closer to the perpetrator or lead you astray. Silence is your worst enemy. Time is working against you. And German society is not ready to face its past.
In 1956, Fritz Bauer and his team of “Nazi hunters” demanded justice when everyone else demanded silence. A small team of prosecutors defying an entire nation. Criminals hiding in plain sight as respected citizens. Experience their dangerous struggle through the immersive investigations. Uncover truths a country has fought to keep buried. Challenge a society desperate to rewrite its own past.
- Investigate two extensive cases based on true Nazi-era crimes
- Interrogate witnesses and suspects, break through walls of silence and expose lies
- Witness different versions of events through Esther's "mind's eye" as you perceive testimonies - which may be truthful, distorted, or deliberately false
- Reconstruct events step by step from fragmented evidence and testimonies
- Prosecute perpetrators in court with the right charges, where your investigative thoroughness will be put to the test
- Shape the outcome with multiple endings - succeed in bringing justice or face the harsh reality of a perpetrator walking free
- Explore Esther's story, her past and her relationships with family, colleagues and the iconic Fritz Bauer
- Immerse yourself in stunning cell-shaded 3D graphics inspired by 1950s pulp comics, complete with comic panels that reflect the era
- Listen to full English voice acting bringing every character to life
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DLC & expansions
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What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
I loved the game but am now emotionally exhausted.1 found this helpful
Great artstyle, Great Gameplay and an emotional story to follow
Compelling, gripping mysteries and overall storyline. Thoroughly enjoyed the investigation process and appreciated the layers of complexities involved in getting to the truth.
Hoping for more cases to solve
I found this game very interesting. Looking through the cases and discovering new information felt very engaging, and being able to prove your theories is very satisfying. From a historical aspect, it is very interesting to learn more about the time period and the "smaller scale" things that were happening. The second case in particular actually made me want to cry which is pretty rare for me when consuming media. Not to mention the music and art style are very lovely as well. Despite the subject matter, the game is very cozy. The only cons I'd say are that the way the court segments work can feel a little unfair at times, with some "proof" not being viable despite telling the same information as others. Skill issue? Possibly. My only other criticism is that the game isn't longer, while both cases do take a decent amount of time to complete, I was left wanting to do more by the end of it. Also the twist at the end was weird and pointless and we were for some reason given a choice that seemingly didn't matter, but this is a very minor issue in the grand scheme of the game. Anyway, relative to other indie games it's an 8/10
I've played pretty much every game in the detective / mystery / investigative genre. The Darkest Files is in my top 5. The Darkest Files is a wonderful example of how a game can be educational, intriguing and addicting to play. The storyline made me feel very uncomfortable at times, and it should. I finished the game over a month ago and I can't stop thinking about it. The developers deserve all their flowers and more. I appreciate that the developers implimented three different game modes: Story, Investigator and Prosecutor. If you have experience with these types of games, I'd recommend choosing the Prosecutor mode for a more challenging experience. What I loved: 1. You get your own office! You can't customize it, but it's nice to have a "home base" to sort through evidence. 2. There's a CAT! 3. The art style. I was hesitant at first, but my gosh. It truly is a piece of art. 4. You have a daily "agenda" to help you sort through your tasks before end of day. It's a great way to help the user navigate gameplay without too much hand-holding. What I'd like more of: 1. More cases. This game took me about 10 hours to complete and I just wanted more. 2. The archival system was…
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