THE DARKEST FILES - Gameplay

☕ If you want to support the channel: https://ko-fi.com/rollthedices
To support the project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paintbucketgames/the-darkest-files/description
Website: https://paintbucket.de/en
Wishlist on Steam and play the demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2058730/The_Darkest_Files/

The Darkest Files, a historical true crime investigation game for PC, Mac and Nintendo Switch

We invite you on a new, gripping journey with The Darkest Files: a Noir-style tale set in post-WWII. Every case could rewrite history, and justice is hard-won. This is a story of determination, truth-seeking, and fighting for justice against all odds.

Inspired by classics like Return of the Obra Dinn and the Ace Attorney series.

In The Darkest Files, you investigate real historical crimes, and ...

Enjoy a beautiful art style
Experience a gripping narrative
Interrogate suspects
Dive into memories and documents
️‍♀️ Reconstruct the crime
⚖️ Win your case in court

The Darkest Files is a narrative-driven investigation and court game based on true historical crimes.

Art Style: The Darkest Files mixes cell-shaded, free-roaming 3D environments with 2D comic book panels and effects to create a unique noir-inspired graphic novel look.

The year is 1956, you are a prosecutor in West-Germany, in charge of solving cases from the war.

Interrogate suspects. As you talk to them, you immerse yourself in their memories and can uncover more clues.
But beware, what you experience is based on the suspect's story, so stay on your toes and question everything.
It is up to you to find the truth in a sea of lies.

Document Mode allows you to search for context and evidence you can use to confront suspects. The cases are cold, the murderers have been living among us for years. The crime scene long since abandoned.
The darkest files may be your best allies and the only remaining witnesses.

Reconstruction Board let's you create your own version of the crime. Reconstruct the events that led to an incident step by step. Who is the culprit and who was just a witness?
You are free to choose how you present the events - but you must be able to prove it in the end.

Court, will challenge you to defend yourself against the defence's attempts to declare your theory implausible.
Know the facts - and the files - and use your knowledge at the right moment to refute the other side, expose the truth and put the perpetrator behind bars.

Choose your own Challenge
Do you just want to experience the story without getting stuck anywhere? Or do you want to puzzle until your head spins, without hints and under time pressure?
In the game, you can choose between different difficulty levels or put together your own challenge from the individual components.