The Darkest Files: Investigation game announced in which you uncover Nazi-era crimes

Hunt Nazis, but in contrast to Wolfenstein, in The Darkest Files you play a prosecutor. Investigate Nazi crimes and bring perpetrators to justice.

Paintbucket Games, the development studio behind the historical resistance strategy game Through the Darkest of Times, has announced a new game with a first trailer for the upcoming Gamescom 2022. Again with a serious theme and authentic historical references. In The Darkest Files you uncover true, prosecutable crimes from the Nazi era and bring them to justice. Paintbucket itself describes The Darkest Files as an "investigation and court game". You can watch the first announcement trailer here.

In contrast to Through the Darkest Times, The Darkest Files is set after the end of the Second World War and picks up on the corresponding developments of the post-war period. The investigations progress slowly and Nazis remain in high positions for a long time. Until the Hessian Chief Public Prosecutor Fritz Bauer actively launches a special unit to uncover Nazi crimes, investigate them in detail and bring the perpetrators to justice. What is needed for this are not guns-blazing Wolfenstein fighters, but capable male and female lawyers.

The Darkest Files tells the political and personal stories as usual with Paintbucket's signature comic graphic style and remains true to the historical setting around the Nazi hunters of the 1950s, while players can also expect first-person gameplay in the role of the young prosecutor Esther Katz. Take up the investigation, collect evidence and solve cases in The Darkest Files at your reconstruction board. Up to the point where perpetrators convicted by you have to answer for their crimes in court.

How the Darkest Files plays

Investigate: Search files from the Nazi era for clues. Use your network to find witnesses.
Interrogate: Interview witnesses and suspects and confront them with their contradictions and lies.
Immerse: Make the crimes visible and experience them first hand by imagining them in Esther's mind's eye.
Reconstruct: Reconstruct the crime details step by step, propose your version of the truth to build a case.
Charge: Find the correct charge, press charges, and have the accused arrested.
Convince: Convince the court, reveal the truth and bring the criminals against humanity to justice.

The developer studio has not yet given a release date for The Darkest Files ("coming soon"). However, the game will be available on Gamesplanet in the future.