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.
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
Super fun. I have not solved the first case yet but its really captivating.
I can't say that I have a lot of experience with these detective or courtroom games, but after playing "The Darkest Files" I really need to try them out more often. This is a really good game with solid voice acting and fantastic visual direction. The game has a pretty slick noir feeling that complements the story and mechanics well. Game play was also a ton of fun. I found the blueprint mechanic pretty ingenious and it was helpful being able to recreate crime scenes based off the various testimonies. The court scenes were especially satisfying and suspenseful as well. I also have to appreciate the historical angle. This isn't just a game that exists in a vacuum and the context and importance of the cases being portrayed is particularly well handled. We allow history to repeat itself by forgetting the truth of the past. My thanks to the developers for their efforts in faithfully preserving a dark chapter in the human story that all too many people these days seem keen to forget. I ...
A great detective game with a deeply moving and important story about fascism, culpability, and memory. Essential for anyone who believes games can have serious artistic merit, and an important work for our present age. Never again
Had an absolute blast playing The Darkest Files, played it on the hardest difficulty. It felt incredibly rewarding digging through case files, talking to witnesses, spotting contradictions and lies, and piecing everything together. One of the best aspects of the game is how the cases are handled. There's a lot of reading involved and not much hand-holding. You're simply thrown the case files and left to figure things out on your own. You read, read, and read and it feels so satisfying when everything finally clicks. The witnesses are very well done, their testimonies felt so real. It wasn't just about what they said. It was their choice of words, their tone, and their fluency. All that combined gave them so much personality. I honestly didn't expect myself to learn much about the Nazis but I did, which was great. Pity that this game only has 2 cases though. I wish it had more. There are a few bugs here and there, but they didn't really impact any of my gameplay.
A very exciting and captivating game that I can fully recommend. I played the game for almost 12 hours and was completely absorbed in it that it felt like much more than 12 hours. The references that can be drawn to current events are very frightening. I would be very happy to see a DLC with additional cases.
TLDR; I am begging Paintbucket to make a DLC or a sequel, just take my money A gripping game about bringing Nazis to justice for the more... day-to-day crimes they committed. Wrongful detainment, wrongful execution, torture. The investigations are deeply involving: even when I wasn't playing, I couldn't stop thinking about which witness could be lying to me, and why. I have never gone to court being 100% sure that my theory was completely right and provable; I was certainly kept on my toes the whole time. Admittedly, there's a few hiccups here and there. Cinematics that don't stop in the pause menu, subtitles that don't match the dialogue, that kind of thing. And I was at first very put off by how condescending the men acted while talking to me: it almost made me stop for good. Still, I suppose it's accurate for a young female prosecutor in the 1950s, and I'm glad I didn't let that stop me. It did make the later, more respectful conversations feel more earned and satisfying. It's no...
can be a little frustrating sometimes (mostly when missing the last piece of a prove, but once i had a good prove that the game didn't accept), but otherwise an excellent detective/lawyer game with real tragic cases and amazing story telling. sadly it has only 2 cases. I'd like to see more in the future!
the fact that these cases are based on real ones is absolutely mind boggling to me; really well done to the development team and I can't wait for their next projects
game about hunting down nazis. you do prosecutor work, review documents, interview witnesses and potential suspects. you get a case ready and argue it in court. all the while some people of really would like you not to do your work. after all some nazis were able to carry over into post war germany official positions. so your work isnt well received by parts of the public. also youre a woman prosecutor, thas another red flag for them. TLDR go ahead and get the game already.
Great story and experience, a must have if you are into WW2 history, based on real crimes in nazi germany. Hope they add more stories in the future.
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The Darkest Files costs $19.99.
Minimum: Minimum: OS: Windows 10 Processor: x64 Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: Dedicated graphics card - Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or equivalent (Onboard/integrated graphics not supported) DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 5 GB available space
The Darkest Files is available on Windows PC, macOS.
The Darkest Files has 98% positive reviews from 61 players. Metacritic score: 80/100.
The Darkest Files was released on Mar 25, 2025.
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