This one gets a "Yes, but".

It handles a serious and somber topic with nuance and depth. It is a modern take on the perineal question "Why did normal people of reasonable moral character cooperate with the Nazi regime?" The characters had exceptional depth, with believable motivations and consistent characterization. The mysteries were well done. Some mysteries have all but the perpetrator telling the truth; in others everyone has a secret that must be revealed to get to the truth. But in this one, even witnesses with good intentions had inaccurate memories of what happened more than a decade ago -- or had ill intentions toward other suspects and shaded their tesimony accordingly. So you were left with a pile of conflicting witness reports and scraps of supporting evidence if you only knew what to look for. The game really does work by (1) forming a theory of what happened and (2) forming evidence-based conclusions to answer the questions. And I was very satisfied when I looked a fully-formed case and instead of ending the day to go to court, tinked some more because I had some doubts myself. Once adjusted with a slightly different theory and set of evidence, I went to court and proved all of my points. Very satisfying.

The primary limitation is there are only two cases for you to solve (other characters will describe a third case you will learn about). This makes for a short game -- the epilog could possibly have been the half-way point instead of a somewhat abrupt ending. The art style helps create a somber mood but got monotonous. And there were a few cases where I had ample evidence to support my conclusion, but the game wanted three specific items and docked me for having the wrong "proof" of a correct conclusion&theory. More significantly, if you interrupt a witness you get exactly one chance to contractict them and sometimes that one decided against ambiguity. Also, you need to investigage witness memories througouly to build your stash of documents and again this is something where you can mistakenly advance their testimony and miss some of the clues. The only way to recover from these is to reload a save game which will typically involve repeating their entire conversation.

These problems and general "indie jank" limit the enthusiasm with which I can recommend the game (small example; I solved both cases sucesfully yet am missing many of the achievements that I know I should have). However, if you have some tolerance for indie bugs and quirky art styles, this is a great game for those that like narrarive complexity and nuance.

A great detective game, reminiscent of Obra Dinn with the flashback sequences. I loved cross referencing the documents for evidence. My only criticism is that it feels a bit short, I would have loved to have more cases.

I'll avoid spoilers as this is a great story you must experience. The Darkest Files is a brilliantly written investigation game with cleverly crafted cases that actually require you to use your brain. I was genuinely impressed with the developer's handling of this incredibly heavy subject matter. The game lives up to its title. These are true cases that show the dark underbelly of a nation trying to speedrun its recovery. The second case was especially harrowing. I nearly cried reading the poor victim's final letter to her mother before being executed. The narrative really explores the complex issue of acknowledging a nation's dark history, especially only a few years after an international atrocity. Is it worth reopening old wounds to right the wrongs of a corrupt system if it creates division in a country recovering from war? Well yes of course. We see the many suspects and seemingly normal citizens who would rather pretend it didn't happen than atone for their sins or recover from past trauma.

The cast of characters are all great and fleshed out so well for such a short title. I loved the relationship between Katz and her parents. You can tell they're close, but are from very different generations. Her parents want to move on while Katz, as a prosecutor, wants justice. Katz's complicated backstory is slowly revealed as the story progresses where we see the personal element that motivates her to pursue these old cases. There's an incredible moment where her boss, the brilliant Fritz Bauer, asks her if the reason she's with them is personal and answering yes, he gives a surprising answer. He expresses disappointment and makes it clear that what they do is not to avenge anyone, it's not to be heroes, and it's not out of guilt. What they do, they do because it is their duty as prosecutors and it has to be done. They serve a higher power than themselves: justice. The rest of the cast are all great as well. I surprisingly came to really appreciate Peters given his abrasive snobby attitude as we see he is a dedicated hardworking prosecutor who seeks justice all the same. It's a testament to the writers' incredible talents that they managed to make everyone feel so real to talk to. I was invested the entire time I was playing.

The investigation itself is highly involving. I played on the highest difficulty which offers no assistance to piece together events and form a testimony. I like this. It motivated me to pay very close attention to even the most minute details and you are rewarded significantly for this. Dates, handwriting, pictures all can play a major role in learning the truth. There are many sides to these cases, but the one you'll never hear is the truth. Everyone lies either consciously or subconsciously. Everyone is the hero of their own story and will mold their narrative if it means punishing someone else for some petty vendetta. There's a piece of truth in every story and it's up to you to put it all together. I bookmarked every piece of evidence deemed relevant and labeled every text passage that connected with another to form a thread for each suspect/witness/victim. It's tough, but rewarding when you learn the truth yourself.

Unfortunately, nothing is perfect. I do like the presentation. It's simple, but stylish film noir aesthetic with a graphic novel art direction and jazzy downbeat music. It may not blow you away, but it pulls you into the somber atmosphere. The issues are with a general sense of the game being a little rushed. The UI is extremely cumbersome to use. There's no deduction board like the Sherlock Holmes games or Shadows of Doubt. You have to sort through tabs that can have dozens of documents you sort through one at a time. Bookmarks and labels help. but a deduction boards with multi-colored threads connecting pieces of evidence would be infinitely better. When you interrupt an interviewee to counter or prove a claim, sometimes there will be a message at the top telling you to find evidence to prove/counter some claim and sometimes there will be nothing at all which can lead to confusion when I'm wondering why I interrupted to begin with. There was a subplot where you can help Peters with his investigation and you learn a shocking revelation, yet during the Epilogue, she learns it again and has the exact same surprised reaction like she didn't just learn it a couple weeks ago.

When it comes to selecting evidence to prove a claim, this game is overly picky about what exact pieces of evidence and exact passages of text will prove your argument. There are times where you'll have 5 or 6 pieces of relevant evidence, but only a specific 3 when combined will be correct. It's very frustrating since the more evidence you have, is always better so why limit yourself to just 3 and that's not even including the fact you must highlight the exact part of each piece of evidence to prove your claim. Then there's the biggest issue. There's only two cases. I mean they're both great, but right when the game hits its high, it's over. Far too short with a rushed conclusion that wasn't as satisfying as it should've been. I hate to pick on this likely small team for these issues, but they hurt the overall experience for me.

Nonetheless, this is the best narrative I've experienced so far this year out of all games played. It's heartfelt, enlightening, and compelling. When you learn who these victims truly were as opposed to the despicable portrayal they're given by the corrupt German police and hateful civilians, it's a reminder that every single one of these people chose to let innocents die. The reason why doesn't matter. The outcome alone was unjust and every action should have consequences. I loved this game in spite of its shortcomings and recommend it so long as you go in with the right expectations. (7/10)