'The Darkest Files': Investigate true crimes from the Nazi era

Countless video games see players battling Nazis – but rarely are we doing the fighting not with guns, but with the law. 'The Darkest Files' aims to turn the true stories of post-war legal investigations into Nazi crimes into entertaining gaming. Can it work? — Photo: Paintbucket Games/dpa

BERLIN: It's a gruesome case that public prosecutor Esther Katz wants to solve in the early days of the Federal Republic of Germany: A retired man was executed in the final days of World War II, allegedly for high treason. But many things don't add up in the first case to be solved in the game The Darkest Files.

Esther Katz is on the team of the real-life prosecutor Fritz Bauer, one of the most persistent investigators of Nazi crimes in Germany in the 1950s and 1960s.

Bauer was the Attorney General in Frankfurt and gathered a group of young, untainted prosecutors for his investigations. In this game you slip into the role of Katz as she investigates cases based on actual crimes from the time.

A lot of traditional research work is required during the investigation. First, there are files: These form the basis for inviting and interviewing witnesses.

Digging through files is part of the job for public prosecutors, even in 'The Darkest Files'. — Photo: Paintbucket Games/dpa

During the interviews, the game's most unusual feature comes into play: From the offices in Frankfurt where Katz and the team are based, the players are virtually teleported to the respective crime scene.

There, the events of that time unfold before their eyes but always slightly differently, depending on how the witnesses recount their stories. Using specific objects in the crime scene area, more questions can be asked, which may lead to further insights and evidence.

Over the course of several in-game days, the file fills up with statement transcripts, documents, photos and other evidence. Using a floor plan of the crime scene, you can then develop a theory about how the crime might have actually occurred.

Fritz Bauer in 'The Darkest Files'. This attorney general did exist in real life and he was one of the most persistent prosecutors of Nazi crimes in Germany in the 1950s and 1960s. — Photo: Paintbucket Games/dpa

Next, the suspects are put on trial and Esther Katz presents her theory in court. Objections from the opposing side are then countered with the relevant documents and statements so that the true culprits can be convicted.

The legal element is entertaining, despite the cruelty of the crimes. Depending on the difficulty level, players may only have to highlight the correct documents or even the crucial paragraphs during the trial to prove their theory.

Brainpower and puzzle solving required

This requires a lot of brainpower and can lead to lengthy puzzles over individual details of the respective case file. Unfortunately, the game doesn't really make this easy.

The dark style of 'The Darkest Files' echoes the grim cases it deals with. — Photo: Paintbucket Games/dpa

All documents are available, even the exact transcripts of the interviews with the witnesses, but you can only see a maximum of two pages at a time and you need to add bookmarks to sort them.

Depending on how much prosecutor Katz can prove, different verdicts are handed down against the defendants. In a subsequent video sequence, Bauer assesses the success of the trial. Afterwards, players can see what really happened because, as mentioned before, all the cases in the game are real.

The Darkest Files is also about the conditions under which Fritz Bauer and his team had to work and the resistance they faced. Esther Katz receives threatening letters, a newspaper writes derogatory articles and one day a stone flies through the office window. As a young woman, Katz is repeatedly disregarded and sometimes subjected to sexist insults.

In 'The Darkest Files', players can choose between the Story or Investigative mode. — Photo: Paintbucket Games/dpa

The game's message is made clear in the intro with a quote from Fritz Bauer: "Nothing belongs to the past. Everything is present and can become the future again." The game examines some of the atrocities of the Nazi era, makes them personally tangible, and issues a warning: never again.

Like a graphic novel with compelling gameplay

It also criticises the silence of post-war Germany when it came to Nazi crimes and also explores the extent to which the judiciary and police in the young Federal Republic were still permeated, if not controlled, by Nazi members.

The theme is visually supported by the game’s striking visual style. Everything is very dark, almost black and white, and the environments and characters are reminiscent of a dark graphic novel.

Esther Katz appears before the press after a verdict in 'The Darkest Files'. — Photo: Paintbucket Games/dpa

Paintbucket Games has created an impressive piece somewhere between a visual novel and a lawyer's game. It's emotionally captivating and also has compelling gameplay.

The game could do with more cases though. Katz solves two of them over the course of the game, followed by a short epilogue. The cases are challenging and can only be solved with great attention to detail and often only after several attempts, but you’re still not looking at much more than around 10 hours of gameplay.

'The Darkest Files' is captivating and told entirely in the style of a dark graphic novel. — Photo: Paintbucket Games/dpa

The Darkest Files is available for PCs and Macs on the Steam platform. It costs around €20/$20 and is rated for ages 12 and up. – dpa