If you want a nice light and breezy game to play, then I don’t think The Darkest Files is that. Because from the get go you’re hit with a game that tells you it is trying to bring to justice Nazi war criminals.
What you have here is a first person detective game that blends together horrifying historical fact, within a fictional story. Something which at many times had me in awe at what was being presented to me. Not the good kind of awe though, that really needs to be reiterated.
I won’t delve into the story much as like with many narrative games, you really need to discover everything for yourself.
You take on the role of Esther Katz, as young prosecutor, hired by Franz Bauer to help uncover the crimes of the Nazi regime and bring the perpetrators to justice. You are part of a young team, because of the opposition to such things, due to many of the old regime being now in positions of power.
The actual game is rather simple, with you moving about, finding evidence, interacting with people, objects, etc to put forward a compelling case to bring the right people down. Yet doing so isn’t easy, as many of the truths are buried to protect those involved and there are many hurdles put in your way.
I was expecting quite a linear affair in The Darkest Files, but some of the mechanics see that there are many potential ways to find the truth and also various endings to discover. Interrogations can be harrowing to listen to and with Esther’s Mind’s Eye ability can perceive what happened from different perspectives. Which is both a really interesting way to find answers, but also feels it could have been expanded on a little.
I found I needed to play The Darkest Files in shorter bursts, as the subject matter is still something that isn’t easy to hear and witness. .Where some games have managed to trivialise the events around World War II, The Darkest Files instead bring the stark realities front and centre.
A very clever game that I highly recommend playing at least once. Take your time and really think about what is presented. Outside of that, what you also have is an excellently crafter detective game, that I would love to see expanded into other eras, other stories and more. Get this instantly.
