Through the Darkest of Times
Through the Darkest of Times is a 2020 strategy and historical video game developed by Paintbucket Games and published by HandyGames. It was released on Microsoft Windows and MacOS through Steam on 30 January 2020, and was later released on other platforms. The game follows a resistance group in Nazi Germany from Adolf Hitler's rise in power in 1933 to the end of World War II.
Gameplay
Through the Darkest of Times is a single-player strategy and historical video game.The player begins as a resistance leader of a randomized background in 1933 Germany, when Hitler is initially appointed as Chancellor.[1] Members of the resistance group complete missions to disrupt the Nazi regime, with some involving sabotaging equipment, spreading leaftlets, and painting walls with messages.[1] Certain missions are made easier or harder based on attributes and backgrounds of each resistance member, or what items are required to complete said mission. Depending on the risk, suspicion, or traits of resistance members, missions may have higher risk of failure, or result in arrest by the Gestapo.[2][3]
The game takes place over four chapters, each in its own time period within the Nazi Regime.[1] Each turn lasts one week, with twenty weeks per chapter.[4] Historically accurate newspaper clippings are presented at the start of each turn, with made-up titles.[2] Between different turns and at the start of chapters, scenes and dialogue trees are given to the player, featuring major historical events or interactions with everyday citizens.[2][5]
The choices made do not change the actual outcome of any major events surrounding Nazi Germany, but may influence later events and choices in the game.[1] The initial objective is to survive until the end of World War II and resist against the Nazi regime as much as possible. Subsequent plays allow for alternative historical events to take place.[5]
Development and release
Through the Darkest of Times is the first game in Germany that is allowed to depict the swastika.[5]
The game was announced in April 2018.[6] Publishing agreements between Paintbucket Games and HandyGames were organized as early as June 2019.[5]
Adaptations for iOS, Android, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation were released over the course of 2020. The Android release was open for pre-registration as early as April 2020, and both it and the iOS version were released on 7 May 2020.[1][7] The adaptation for Nintendo Switch was released on 31 August 2020.[8]
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| PC Gamer | 87/100[2] |
| Screen Rant |   [3] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[4] |
Through the Darkest of Times received a wide range of critical reception from critics and has been compared to games like This War of Mine and Papers, Please.[5][7][9] Many critics felt that the historical , and multiple reviewers discussed the moral dilemmas that Through the Darkest of Times presents.[2] Luke Kemp from PC Gamer rated the game well, but criticized the decreased emotional impact on repeated playthroughs and the references to Donald Trump within the game's script.[2][5]
Peter Morics writing for Screen Rant enjoyed the randomized aspects of characters, but found the lack of choice in gender and occupation to be less than ideal. He complimented the art style, saying "the art style complements the anxious, strained world of your resistance leader marvelously."[3] When it was announced, Rick Lane, also from PC Gamer, found the art style to be distasteful, saying that it "looks like something from a Russian cartoonist’s nightmares."[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e Gregson-Wood, Stephen (21 April 2020). "Through the Darkest of Times is a bleak strategy game for iOS and Android about a resistance group's struggles in Nazi Germany". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Kemp, Luke (11 February 2020). "Through the Darkest of Times review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ a b c Morics, Peter (31 January 2020). "Through the Darkest of Times Review: A Harrowing History Lesson". Screen Rant. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ a b Wildgoose, David (16 February 2020). "Through The Darkest Of Times Review - Enemy Inside The Gates". GameSpot. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Campbell, Colin (12 June 2019). "Through the Darkest of Times is a game about Nazis, but you won't get to shoot them". Polygon. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ a b Lane, Rick (29 October 2018). "Lead the resistance against the Nazis in Through the Darkest of Times". PC Gamer. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ a b Bald, Cameron (7 May 2020). "Lead a resistance against the Nazis in Through the Darkest of Times, out now for iOS and Android". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ "Through the Darkest of Times for Nintendo Switch". Nintendo. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Through the Darkest of Times". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
External links
- ^ Fox, Tanner (2 February 2020). "Through The Darkest Of Times Review: Divided We Fall". PC Gamer. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ Parkin, Simon (4 July 2020). "Through the Darkest of Times review – join the anti-Nazi resistance". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2022.