Who doesn’t love to hate Nazis? From Medal of Honor to Wolfenstein, there’s endless joy in shaking – and throwing – fists at such a cartoonishly evil regime. Yet portrayals of Nazis in video games rarely move beyond the perspective of war.
Through the Darkest of Times wants to buck that trend.
Civil resistance in Third Reich Germany is such a fascinating and relevant topic, and it is source of so many interesting stories of true human heroism in a truly horrible time, that we think it’s a shame there is no game about this yet. We are also convinced, that most games still tackle this period of history poorly and leave out the important parts. Nazi Germany is too often just shown as another faction and its aesthetics are used without commentary or context.
Through the Darkest of Times is a strategy game, and the first title from Berlin studio Paintbucket Games. You play as the leader of a resistance group within Germany, between Nazi seizure of power in 1933 and German surrender in 1945. You must plan actions for the group, while also taking care of your fellow members and avoiding the gaze of the Nazi secret police – the Gestapo. The actual historical timeline is followed in-game, marking events that will enforce your group or be its doom.
Paintbucket Games was founded by two of the developers on surrealist classic Spec Ops: The Line, so Through the Darkest of Times is in good hands as far as story is concerned. Its new publisher, HandyGames, has allowed them to “increase the scope of Through the Darkest of Times”:
The cooperation with HandyGames allowed us to add more depth to the game: more resistance-stories, more content, more endings. And we have a partner who will make sure the game reaches many players all over the world.
Jörg Friedich, co-founder of Paintbucket Games
We think it’s crucial to have a game like Through the Darkest of Times made in Germany. It’s not about teaching a lesson about the Third Reich like a serious game – it puts the player in the dire situation of these dark days. We are proud to publish such an important game.
Markus Kassulke, CEO of HandyGames
Although resistance to the Nazi regime within Germany was never an organised movement like those in France or Norway, small groups bravely dissented throughout the 12 years of Nazi rule. These brave souls are almost never covered in media, which is a crying shame. To go against a brutal dictatorship that systematically disenfranchises (or murders) non-approved peoples takes more balls than we give it credit for. This is a history that Paintbucket Games is deeply passionate about, and is set to do these stories justice.
You can check out the trailer below, or find out more by visiting Paintbucket Games’ website. Through the Darkest of Times has no release date yet, but there’ll be “a version ready for Early Access end of this year/beginning of next year.”
Arana blames her stunted social skills and her general uselessness on a lifetime of video games. Between her ears is a comprehensive Team Fortress 2 encyclopedia. Her brain remains at large.
