Through the Darkest of Times

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

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"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 regime through sabotage, recruit followers, and spread awareness, while avoiding detection by Nazi forces. The game offers an immersive historical experience, showcasing the struggles and risks of those who opposed the Nazis.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 241 reviews

story37 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Engaging and immersive storytelling that effectively captures the emotional toll of living under a fascist regime.
Historically accurate portrayal of Nazi Germany, providing valuable insights into the resistance movement and the moral dilemmas faced by individuals.
Unique art style and atmospheric music enhance the overall experience, making it a compelling narrative-driven game.

Gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks depth, with many choices leading to similar outcomes and limited strategic impact.
Progress resets at the end of each chapter, which can be frustrating and diminish the sense of achievement.
Some mechanics are poorly explained, leading to confusion and a reliance on luck rather than skillful decision-making.

story
133 mentions
28 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game's story is highly praised for its immersive and emotionally charged narrative, effectively portraying the struggles of resistance fighters during Nazi Germany. Players appreciate the depth of character development and the impact of their choices, although some criticize the repetitive gameplay and lack of meaningful consequences for missions. Overall, the storytelling is considered the game's strongest aspect, providing a poignant exploration of historical events and personal sacrifices.
- “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.”
- “This is a story-rich historical strategic simulation of running a small resistance group in Nazi Germany.”
- “The requirements to make some essential missions appear are not explained.”
- “I spent the entire time getting ready for the big mission, kept my team all happy, gathered tons of support... then the chapter changed without warning, all my items are gone, the missions I was looking forward to are gone, all the support I gathered gone.”
- “The gameplay is not engaging, with mindless clicking in boring gameplay loops, and the story feels like an endless scolding for something no one alive today even did, accompanied by an undercurrent of shame for supposed parallels to modern politics.”
gameplay
76 mentions
26 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its simplicity and lack of polish, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the emotional depth and historical context, others criticize the mechanics for being repetitive, poorly explained, and lacking meaningful player choices. Overall, the game is seen more as a narrative experience than a strategic one, with gameplay that often feels secondary to the storytelling.
- “A combination of addictive and challenging mechanics combined with the tragedy of WWII in Berlin makes this a moving and highly recommended title.”
- “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.”
- “It does so by combining turn-based management sim gameplay with narrative events, and the two layers really work well together.”
- “Common complaints are the simplistic and at times confusing gameplay, or the fact that the player's actions ultimately 'don't matter'.”
- “The gameplay itself isn't a novel invention, to the point that if you've played similar games about talent management, a tutorial is not needed.”
- “The gameplay is not engaging, with mindless clicking in boring gameplay loops, and the story feels like an endless scolding for something no one alive today even did, accompanied by an undercurrent of shame for supposed parallels to modern politics.”
graphics
22 mentions
64 % positive mentions
23 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and haunting art style, which effectively enhances the dark atmosphere and emotional storytelling. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful artwork and immersive visuals that complement the gameplay, while some note that the abstracted design offers a refreshing departure from typical styles. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and narrative depth.
- “The graphics are great and blend perfectly for 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.”
- “I have played a small bit of this game and love it; the atmosphere and visuals of the game are truly great, and the story-based gameplay is refreshing in an industry overrun with fast-paced run-and-gun type games.”
- “I'm not a big fan of the art style, but your mileage may vary on that point; I'm sure it's appealing to someone.”
- “When I first heard about this game a couple of months back, I thought that the art style would demolish my immersion. I was wrong, gladly; I was fully immersed and thrilled to play as different characters with different ideologies and skills.”
- “The art style is striking in its simplicity, and the music provides an immersive ambiance.”
emotional
16 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game "Through the Darkest of Times" profoundly captures the emotional weight of resistance during Nazi Germany, evoking feelings of heartbreak and despair through its personal storytelling and realistic characters. Players report being deeply moved, often to tears, by the narrative and historical context, which challenge them to confront the harsh realities of the era. While the gameplay may be limited, the emotional impact and the game's sensitive handling of difficult themes make it a compelling experience that resonates long after completion.
- “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.”
- “Its sensitive handling of difficult subject matter makes it a great game for anyone interested in a serious, emotional treatment of Nazi Germany.”
atmosphere
11 mentions
55 % positive mentions
18 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its haunting and dark visual art style, effectively evoking a sense of hopelessness and the grim realities of pre- and mid-war Europe. Players appreciate the meticulous detail in the setting and narrative, which enhances emotional engagement with the characters and story choices. However, some reviewers note that the repetitive gameplay in later acts detracts from the overall experience, despite the strong atmospheric foundation.
- “Great atmosphere and setting/story, terrible gameplay.”
- “The art style is extremely unique and fits the dark atmosphere of the game and the heavy subject it is covering.”
- “The atmosphere is like twilight, enforced by the music.”
- “This game starts off strong, the premise and the atmosphere are all set, but in the 2nd act, you literally start doing the same missions that you did in the 1st sequence.”
- “Nails the grim atmosphere of the time.”
- “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.”
music
9 mentions
67 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its immersive quality, featuring a captivating soundtrack of 1930s jazz that enhances the overall atmosphere and complements the striking art style. Reviewers noted that the music effectively contributes to the game's dark, expressionistic tone, making it a standout element despite criticisms of other gameplay aspects.
- “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.”
- “Poorly explained mechanics, poor UI, terrible pacing, bland music... this is the police 1 is probably better than this game in every single regard.”
- “The atmosphere is like twilight, enforced by the music.”
- “+early 20th century music and art style”
replayability
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it has potential due to missed missions and a rich narrative, others feel it is limited and hampered by unclear objectives and gameplay mechanics. Despite these criticisms, a few users still recommend it for its historical storytelling, suggesting that replayability may not be essential for enjoyment.
- “The game even has some replayability, so all things considered, I can actually recommend this.”
- “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.”
- “Idk if the replay value is there, but I'm gonna find out!!”
- “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.”
- “I don't see this having much replay value, but I honestly don't see it as a game that particularly needs it.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a double-edged sword; while the game starts off engaging, it becomes increasingly difficult, confusing, and tedious as they progress through the chapters.
- “Interesting game, but it gets difficult, confusing, and tedious after a few chapters.”
- “The grinding feels endless and takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
- “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which made the experience feel monotonous.”