The Darkest Files Review: A Prosecutor’s Fight for Justice

The Darkest Files is a courtroom game strongly based on real-life cases, where you must solve long-closed cases from the perspective of a prosecutor. You’re not here to defend or offer closure, but to bring justice to those who thought themselves above it.

This game is a powerful reminder of past horrors that must never be repeated. After all, “Nothing belongs to the past, everything is still present and can become the future again.” – Fritz Bauer

The Darkest Files has been available since March 25, 2025 on Steam for PC and MAC at an official price of 19.99 USD.

Story – Seeking Justice in a Post-war World

We all know about the Second World War. We’ve heard about Auschwitz, the Allies, and the horrors suffered by those who didn’t fit Hitler’s idea of the perfect Aryan citizen.

Who gave the order? What did they know at that moment?

History books talk extensively about the victory over the Nazis, but… What happened after? What happened to those who tore families apart just because they could and then walked unscathed? The Darkest Files give us a glimpse of those stories.

We take on the role of Esther Katz, a young prosecutor starting her career in a new—and not-so-popular—office dedicated to investigating unsolved crimes from the Nazi era.

A new—not-so-popular—office.

We navigate the challenges of being a young, unmarried woman in a male-dominated field, facing prejudices of the time. We work in an office committed to bringing former Nazis to justice in a Germany where many still wholeheartedly believe in Aryan supremacy. Along the way, we may also face some office drama.

Gameplay – Immersion and Investigation

The gameplay is exceptionally well designed and perfectly complements The Darkest Files’ detective-style experience. You’ll immerse yourself in witness statements through Esther’s inner eye in first-person mode, freely moving around the testimony setting. You’re also free to move around the office building and chat with colleagues about various topics. However, during testimonies, there are moments when movement is restricted.

Face the prosecutor’s everyday challenges or give all your attention to these real-life stories.

The difficulty settings allow for a highly personalized experience. You can enable or disable various cues that impact the detective-puzzle aspects of the game and your courtroom defense. This makes the experience more or less challenging, depending on your election. This way, you can either dive headfirst into investigative work or focus more on the powerful stories the game presents.

The Darkest Files is compatible with mouse and keyboard as well as PlayStation and Xbox controllers, making movement and interactions smoother.

The mechanics for interrogation and testimony are incredibly well thought out. The scenes are highly interactive, ensuring the gameplay remains engaging, while uncovering all the hidden information adds another layer of challenge.

Will you succeed in bringing them to justice?

The puzzles—if they can be called that, given that they are based on real-life cases—are carefully crafted. They provide the necessary information to begin with, while allowing you to decide your own approach to gathering more details. Connecting (or failing to connect) the dots depends on your investigation skills, as there is not an obvios solution.

There’s also a multiple-choice component in your interactions with colleagues, witnesses, and suspects, affecting some dialogue scenes you may encounter. The “interrupt” tool is especially handy both in and out of court, letting you provoke a reaction from the person you’re speaking to or reinforcing your claims.

Your pinboard and blueprint will become your new best friends while analyzing your case.

The blueprint is yet another really useful tool which will help you to visualize how the events played out and to reach conclusions in and out court.

Finally, when it comes time to defend your claims, you must present evidence to support them. The level of specificity required depends on the difficulty settings. Failing to prove your case will directly impact the trial’s outcome.

Fail to back up your claims with evidence, and they’ll walk free… again.

Graphics & Sound – A Pulp Comic World in Motion

Visually, The Darkest Files is stunning. It’s beautiful 3D graphics with a cel-shading effect, create the distinct look of a 1950s pulp comic. The game features unique characters, with no two looking even remotely alike, while its well-executed animations and transitions further elevate the visual appeal.

The ambient sounds, along with those produced by characters, animals, and objects, blend seamlessly to enhance the game’s immersive experience.

Even Marlene’s sounds are present.

The voice acting is available only in English, but the game itself is available in English, German, and French. Each voice is distinct and easily identifiable, with none sounding irritating or out of place. Every performance effectively conveys the characters’ emotions and intentions, adding depth to the storytelling.

However, there are some minor issues in the gameplay. The game allows you to choose whether dialogues advance automatically or manually, which is great if you need to pause mid-conversation. However, the character lip-syncing is not always accurate, sometimes resulting in moments where a character is still speaking but their mouth isn’t moving—or vice versa.

Some minor but frustrating bugs.

Additionally, in some instances, if you’re reviewing a file during a conversation, it stays on screen even after you’re done. This force you to continue talking without being able to see what’s happening around you. 

This, along with some other minor bugs, is something Paint Bucket Games is still fixing with community feedback and ongoing updates.

The Darkest Files was reviewed on PC with key provided by Planofattack.biz.