Through the Darkest of Times

A superbly crafted game that serves as storyteller, teacher, and concerned friend.

77%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

replayability, grinding

79% User Score Based on 437 reviews

Critic Score 76%Based on 14 reviews

Platforms

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About

Through the Darkest of Times is a single player casual role playing game with drama and historical themes. It was developed by Paintbucket Games and was released on January 30, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Through the Darkest of Times" is a strategy game set in 1930s Berlin, where you lead a small resistance group against the Nazi regime. Your mission is to undermine the Nazis through small acts of resistance, while avoiding detection by patrolling soldiers. The game simulates the challenges and dangers faced by ordinary Germans who opposed the regime, and requires strategic decision making to survive.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+20

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79%

Audience ScoreBased on 437 reviews

story64 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

The game provides a deeply immersive and emotional experience, effectively portraying the struggles of resistance against the Nazi regime.
The hand-painted art style and atmospheric soundtrack enhance the somber tone of the narrative, making it a visually striking experience.
Through the Darkest of Times serves as a powerful educational tool, shedding light on the moral complexities faced by ordinary people during a dark chapter in history.

The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with many missions following similar patterns and limited strategic options.
The reset of progress between chapters can be frustrating, as players lose resources and character development, diminishing the sense of achievement.
Some players may find the choices presented in the narrative to have little impact on the overall outcome, leading to a feeling of futility in their actions.

story
302 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
76%
3%
The game's story is its standout feature, offering a compelling and immersive narrative centered on a resistance group fighting against the Nazi regime in 1930s Berlin. While the writing is praised for its depth and emotional impact, many players feel that the gameplay mechanics are repetitive and restrictive, often undermining the narrative experience. Despite its flaws, the game effectively conveys the harrowing realities of the time, making it a worthwhile experience for those interested in historical storytelling.
- “The storytelling of Through the Darkest of Times is its strongest asset.”
- “Through the Darkest of Times empathetically tells a fearsome but beautiful story of bravery in the face of war, hate, and inhumanity.”
- “The game’s focus on telling the story of the fight against the Nazis from the inside offers a compelling plot and plenty of character moments that draw you in.”
- “The game is strongest during its story events, but these sequences unfold along a relatively fixed historical track, meaning replays lose some emotional impact as the surprises fade.”
- “Story choices don't matter.”
- “Each of the four chapters house several text-driven cutscenes where you make dialogue choices, but about halfway through you'll end up figuring out that no matter what option you pick, nothing really happens.”
gameplay
179 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
71%
11%
The gameplay in "Through the Darkest of Times" primarily revolves around resource management and task assignment within a turn-based strategy framework, which many players find repetitive and lacking depth. While the mechanics serve to highlight the emotional and moral struggles of resistance during a dark historical period, they often feel simplistic and unpolished, leading to frustration and a sense of powerlessness. Despite these shortcomings, the game's narrative and historical context are compelling enough to engage players, making it more of a storytelling experience than a traditional strategy game.
- “Mechanically, the game blends resource management, planning, and occasional branching narrative choices.”
- “Even with these shortcomings, Through the Darkest of Times succeeds at something rare: it uses strategy gameplay to illuminate the psychological and moral struggle of everyday resistance.”
- “The gameplay is engaging and keeps the player attentive as the tragedy that was the rise to power of the national socialists is depicted in events that affect both the player's comrades and average Germans that one encounters on the street in historical events.”
- “While powerful narratively, it can make the game feel repetitive or mechanical once you understand how to assign tasks and manage risks.”
- “The gameplay loop gets repetitive and isn't very compelling.”
- “Unfortunately, the gameplay is shallow and boring.”
graphics
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
41%
6%
The game's graphics feature a striking, hand-painted art style that effectively conveys a bleak atmosphere, drawing inspiration from expressionist illustration. While many players admire the unique visuals and immersive ambiance, some report issues with loading times and occasional glitches. Overall, the art style is praised for its ability to enhance the storytelling, despite mixed feelings about the gameplay itself.
- “Its stark, hand-painted art style, reminiscent of expressionist illustration, captures the bleak mood of the setting without resorting to graphic depictions.”
- “The graphics are great and blend perfectly with the dark setting; the characters are realistic and likable, and the cutscenes are amazing and can emotionally tear your heart out at certain scenes.”
- “The art style is extremely unique and fits the dark atmosphere of the game and the heavy subject it is covering.”
- “Long loading times and laggy for my 2014 laptop (for a game with such simple graphics).”
- “The graphics are consistently well done, but this strikes me as something that should have stayed as a mobile game.”
- “Regardless of politics, I wasn't impressed by the personality-free art style, the dull music, and entirely RNG-based game loop.”
emotional
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game "Through the Darkest of Times" is praised for its profound emotional impact, effectively conveying the weight of resistance during Nazi Germany through personal, heartfelt storytelling rather than shock value. Players report feeling a range of emotions, from despair to hope, as they navigate the challenges faced by civilians in a grim historical context, although some note that replaying the game diminishes its emotional resonance. Overall, it is recognized as a deeply moving experience that encourages reflection on the human condition and the consequences of tyranny.
- “Ultimately, through the darkest of times stands as a thoughtful, emotionally resonant portrayal of resistance under tyranny.”
- “As the name suggests, through the darkest of times has an incredible ability to reflect the emotional toll of being part of the resistance in Nazi Germany: trying to progress through self-set challenges where there is no set goal, no reward, and no indication that what you are trying to do is the right thing or will even 'matter'.”
- “The story events in between tell very emotional stories and shed light on aspects of this time that are typically not the main focus in historical documentaries or education.”
atmosphere
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
26%
11%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, effectively conveying a sense of hopelessness and emotional depth through subtle writing and a fitting soundtrack. Players appreciate the unique art style that enhances the grim setting, although some find the repetitive gameplay detracts from fully enjoying the atmospheric experience. Overall, the game successfully captures the weight of its historical context, making it a compelling choice for those interested in a poignant narrative.
- “The soundtrack is subtle but haunting, reinforcing the game’s atmosphere without overwhelming the message.”
- “The art style is extremely unique and fits the dark atmosphere of the game and the heavy subject it is covering.”
- “I get the atmosphere of hopelessness they were going for here, but it would be nice to at least have some small victory after hours of playing.”
- “The atmosphere is appropriately dreary, but the game is repetitive to a fault.”
- “The writing avoids dramatizing events for shock value, instead relying on small, personal moments that communicate the heavy emotional atmosphere of the time.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
48%
11%
The music in the game is generally praised for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience without overshadowing the narrative. While some players appreciate the unique blend of styles, including toe-tapping swing and 1930s jazz, others feel that the soundtrack could have been more diverse or iconic. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's aesthetic, though opinions on its execution and variety vary among players.
- “The soundtrack is subtle but haunting, reinforcing the game’s atmosphere without overwhelming the message.”
- “The visual and sonic artwork is quite good, with a dark, expressionistic, graphic novel feel, along with a great soundtrack of Nazi-banned 1930s jazz music, to which your characters can occasionally spend a night dancing as an act of subversion to Nazi oppression.”
- “The art style is striking in its simplicity and the music provides an immersive ambiance.”
- “The soundtrack seemingly consists of two songs and three trumpet wails.”
- “Regardless of politics, I wasn't impressed by the personality-free art style, the dull music, and entirely RNG-based game loop.”
- “Poorly explained mechanics, poor UI, terrible pacing, bland music... this is the police 1 is probably better than this game in every single regard.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it enjoyable enough to revisit due to its story and potential for different outcomes, while others criticize it for being too scripted and repetitive. Many reviewers note that despite some replay value, the lack of diverse gameplay and clear objectives limits the overall experience, making subsequent playthroughs feel tedious. Ultimately, while there are elements that encourage replay, the consensus leans towards a limited replayability that may not be essential for enjoyment.
- “This game is definitely replayable.”
- “2nd time I finished it but still I didn't manage to do the special things the game offers, so it's definitely replayable and I am looking to play more as well.”
- “I can see by all the missions that I didn't do or that I failed at that the game does have more replay value than I had expected.”
- “That being said, the downside is that there isn't really replayability since all the events are the same and honestly a bit tedious the second time around.”
- “The gameplay is a little too light and lacks clear objectives; yet replayability is rather low and not really fun.”
- “However, the replayability is completely hampered by the gameplay: impossible to tell the result of actions.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a double-edged sword; while it can be enjoyable in short sessions, it often becomes tedious and repetitive over extended play. The reliance on RNG and lack of replayability contribute to a sense of frustration, making progress feel like a slog. Overall, while the game has strategic elements, the grinding can detract from the overall experience.
- “Unfortunately the premise is wasted as the RNG is so heavily balanced against you, even in story mode, that it becomes a tedious and repetitive slog to make any progress.”
- “Interesting game, but it gets difficult, confusing, and tedious after a few chapters.”
- “The game does feel a little grindy since you basically raise money, get supporters, or get items each turn.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game is praised for its excellent price-performance ratio, indicating that players feel they are getting good value for their investment in terms of performance.
- “The price-performance ratio is very good in this area.”
- “The optimization of the game allows for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the settings for better performance without sacrificing quality.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is perceived as ineffective, with users noting that the depiction of violence, while historically grounded, is presented through unappealing and comical visuals that fail to resonate. Overall, the humor seems to miss the mark, leaving players unimpressed.
- “I doubt they saw my coverage of the game; I just find that funny.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game generally provides a stable experience, but players have reported occasional glitches that detract from the overall visual quality. Despite these issues, the gameplay remains enjoyable.
- “The game offers some okay graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there; it is pleasant all the same.”

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76%Critics’ scoreBased on 14 critic reviews

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7h Median play time

6h Average play time

4-8h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Through the Darkest of Times is a casual role playing game with drama and historical themes.

Through the Darkest of Times is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, iPhone, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Through the Darkest of Times.

Through the Darkest of Times was released on January 30, 2020.

Through the Darkest of Times was developed by Paintbucket Games.

Through the Darkest of Times has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Through the Darkest of Times is a single player game.

Similar games include Suzerain, Beholder, The Pale Beyond, This Is the Police, We. The Revolution and others.

Through the Darkest of Times

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An immersive dive into the horrors of Nazi Germany - Through the Darkest of Times review

Review – Through the Darkest of Times