It’s tough to start a blog post about a game that focuses on some of the horrors of World War II. It’s even tougher when the game isn’t action-focused. Gaming often shies away from real-world events because of their sensitive nature. The Darkest Files is a game that highlights one of the lesser-known aspects of World War II. The subject matter here isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth exploring.
Trying to right the wrong
The Darkest Files focuses on the work of real-life German prosecutor Dr. Fritz Bauer. Dr. Bauer was instrumental in the prosecution of some of the most heinous crimes from World War II. The game doesn’t focus on Bauer. Instead, you play the role of a fictionalized Esther Katz. She is a member of Bauer’s firm with the task of investigating cases from the war.
The two cases you investigate in the game took place during the closing years of the war. While it’s been more than a decade after the fact, it’s clear that the Nazi system at the time was cutting corners. As Katz, you need to figure out what took place and get the right people punished for their crimes.
The first case involves an elderly man in a case of “mistaken identity”. Meanwhile, the second case focuses on a girl accused of looting. Both investigations. Both investigations have Esther interview those still alive. The information she gathers will help her when it comes to taking those people to court.
A Rashomon-themed Video Game
Each case has its fair share of people to interview. You’ll spend time asking questions and then seeking out extra information. As you get more information, the truth behind what took place should start to make more sense. Or, it might become even more difficult since no one’s testimony seems to lead to a proper conclusion.
When interviewing those involved, the game “puts” you at the scene of the crime. When in these scenarios, you’ll be able to ask follow-up questions and explore. As you walk around, you may come across objects in the environment that trigger new options. By asking more questions, you can get a better understanding of the witness. It also allows Esther to gather more evidence to use in court.
Like the famous Kurosawa film, Rashomon, the recollection of each person can vary. Some might be holding back information for their reasons, but time also plays a factor. You only have one opportunity to interview a witness, so it’s key to get as much information as possible. There will be times when you’d like to press a witness on some newfound details, but the game doesn’t allow for it.
Solving the case, or not
As interview witnesses, you’ll also have the chance to piece things together. There are two elements to this. The first is to recreate the timeline of the events using the information you’ve gathered. The other is to piece together conclusions on key aspects of each case based on found evidence.
These are key to solving the case, as you’ll use both when you reach the court section of the game. As you begin your prosecution, the defense will attempt to harm your case. So, to combat this, having the correct information to counter these is key to your success.
This is where the game can get a bit challenging. In both cases, I went into court confident I had the correct information. But it’s easy to have details that the judge doesn’t deem relevant. It does feel that the game is looking for specific information to get the desired response. You might think you have the right details, but you need to have the three correct details.
During both cases, you have five chances to show the necessary evidence to win. You don’t have to be perfect, but it helps. The more successful you are, the more likely the judge will convict or acquit the right people. If you want, you can go back and try again to change the outcome. At the same time, though, the game does show you what happened in real life. You also get a glimpse of what happens to each character after the trial.
This is a good game, with some minor issues
I quite enjoyed The Darkest Files, but it wasn’t without faults. There are a few notable and annoying bugs. As mentioned earlier, you have a blueprint that you need to piece together the events of each case. For my second case, I was unable to access all five sections. When I got to court, I had to rush this section. Also, during that same case, the game didn’t allow me to take on the final aspect of the case. So, I never got a chance to prosecute the police officers involved.
There were a few other bugs. I had a few issues with the audio, and my character got stuck a few times. One time, I was stuck at Dr. Bauer’s desk, which meant I had a close-up view of his face. I also encountered some issues where the screen would begin spinning. These don’t ruin the experience, but aren’t any less annoying.
Also, the game rushes to its conclusion. For a game that’s around six hours long, they pad the investigation portions with a couple of side stories. One involves Esther’s youth. The other involves a case a colleague in the firm is investigating. Without going into spoilers, these two aren’t fleshed out, and their conclusions feel rushed. It’s possible to miss out on aspects if you don’t put in the time to explore the office and talk to your co-workers.
My last nit-pick involves the game’s dialogue. I love playing games in their source material. Unfortunately, the game lacks a German audio option. The English cast is good, but the lack of German is a disappointment. It would be nice if the developers added this option in the future.
An Interesting look into a part of World War II that most might not be familiar with
I went into The Darkest Files not knowing anything about Dr. Fritz Bauer. While the rest of the cast aren’t real people, the events in the game did take place. If the goal of the game was to highlight one of the darker aspects of post-war Germany, it manages to do that. As an investigative game, this hits all the marks. Once the developers can iron out the bugs, I hope more people will give this game a shot.
