Talewind
Talewind
Game
Game2020
Through the Darkest of Times
Developer Paintbucket Games
Through the Darkest of Times is a strategy video game developed by Paintbucket Games and published by HandyGames. It was released on Microsoft Windows and macOS on 30 January 2020 and later 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 and manages each member through weekly missions and acts of sabotage. Through the… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
210 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 28, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
76
LovedLoved
136 positive · 43 negative
95% range 69–82%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 136 | 43 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 7 | 1 | 22 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
363 of 459 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
76% recommend · 138 yes, 43 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 181 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (974 of 1,163 positive).
Players praise the game as a powerful and educational history lesson about the rise of fascism. [1][2][3] Many find the gameplay shallow, frustrating, or unbalanced, but still recommend it for the story. [4][5][6] Some reviewers say the game is more of an interactive story than a satisfying game. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [19]
Let me be frank: this is a very good educational experience. But as a game... well, I couldn't bring myself to play it for too long. That said, I invite you to buy this game and check it out purely based on the education factor. Don't expect a fun time though, hence a negative review. I happen to have a connection to Berlin. I know the city. Watching the very real and very historical events that happened there in a …
- [1]
Every American needs to play this game RIGHT NOW. It's a fantastic history lesson in the rise of fascism, and it's a history lesson that every single American needs to relearn. It's actually heartbreaking, even though it's only text. Seeing the historical "stories" play out is actually horrifying. Gameplay itself is a resource management game, and it works. Works pretty well, even if a bit simplistic. It's just a …
- [4]
The redommendation is not for the gameplay - it's quite shallow, boring and somewhat frustrating. The story, however, is more important than ever, seeing how history seems to repeat itself...
- [6]
This isn't the best game, it's an indie turn-based strategy game with some frustrating balance issues. BUT it is the best WW2 game that I can recall playing. Better than Hearts of Iron, better than Call of Duty, because better than anything I have played, it realistically and viscerally connects you to the atrocities and terror of the Nazi regime. It illuminates history and I found myself developing real sympathy …
- [2]
I didn't know what to expect. I believe that the only war-themed game I played before this was "This War Of Mine", and while both games are good, this one also serves as a grim history lesson. Educational, realistic, and as a non-native living in Europe who only learned the surface level of WW2, this broadened that knowledge to a horrifying extent. Thank you to the developpers. This subject is especially poignant in …
Summarised from 34 of the 212 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Through the Darkest of Times talk about educational and historically accurate; those who didn't talk about gameplay is shallow and repetitive. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Through the Darkest of Times received mixed reviews, and has been compared to games like This War of Mine and Papers, Please. On Metacritic it has a score of 71 out of 100 based on reviews from 24 critics. The storytelling was overall highly regarded, but critics felt that the story was too rigid, and that the strategy choices did not impact the story enough. Its low replay value was also heavily criticized, with gameplay being characterized by reviewers as repetitive. 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…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 210 · most liked firstI tried to evacuate Jews from Berlin in 1941. I failed. They were all murdered. I was executed in 1945 by the SS for un-German activities.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let me be frank: this is a very good educational experience. But as a game... well, I couldn't bring myself to play it for too long. That said, I invite you to buy this game and check it out purely based on the education factor. Don't expect a fun time though, hence a negative review. I happen to have a connection to Berlin. I know the city. Watching the very real and very historical events that happened there in a game, depicting places I was to 80 years later is chilling in a way that no…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Our first game Through the Darkest of Times, in which you play a civilian resistance group trying to persist during the Nazi time is currentloy 1€ on IOS and Android.
neutral · AI labelView post →Every American needs to play this game RIGHT NOW. It's a fantastic history lesson in the rise of fascism, and it's a history lesson that every single American needs to relearn. It's actually heartbreaking, even though it's only text. Seeing the historical "stories" play out is actually horrifying. Gameplay itself is a resource management game, and it works. Works pretty well, even if a bit simplistic. It's just a vehicle to the story, and the story is very well written. I know I haven't played…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Say no to fascist
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →5 years ago today, we released our historical game ‘Through the Darkest of Times’ about a civilian resistance group trying to stand up to the Nazis. Even though we wish the game's story wasn't still so damn relevant, we want to celebrate this day with you today. www.youtube.com/watch?v=PATk... 🧵
neutral · AI labelView post →German indie studio Paintbucket Games will release The Darkest Files at the end of March 2025. The historical investigation game, based on historical crimes, is the spiritual successor to Through the Darkest of Times. @paintbucket.de www.gamesmarket.global/publishing/r...
neutral · AI labelView post →It had an interesting premise, to relive the rise of Hitler and the second World War 2 from a resistance / civilian point of view. Unfortunately he does not really do anything with this premise. Each time you get ready to start doing real resistance work your chapter is over with and the story progresses (Spoiler alert, you can't really do anything). I literally spent all chapters doing the same things: Get Money, Get Support, Buy Hideout, Go on Morale Event. Never once did I actually do…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hate fascists. 10/10 Would stage a revolution again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfortunately the gameplay is shallow and boring. There are better ways to learn about history.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I didn't know what to expect. I believe that the only war-themed game I played before this was "This War Of Mine", and while both games are good, this one also serves as a grim history lesson. Educational, realistic, and as a non-native living in Europe who only learned the surface level of WW2, this broadened that knowledge to a horrifying extent. Thank you to the developpers. This subject is especially poignant in the current global political climate.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Through the Darkest of Times has an interesting art style, good writing and some history. The game play, on the other hand stinks! It's frustrating and repetitive with no real strategy. The resource management is terrible, to be honest the whole game is just boring and not fun. Not recommended
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hate the game that fails to entertain but tries to make it up by giving some sloppy messages. Yeah we know Nazis were bad and we need to remember the pain and the history. The game's initial purpose is probably to intensify the emotion& the feelings of those times. But i felt this is somewhat an insult. Games are one of most effective ways to wash the guilt of violence away. With just few clicks, i felt nothing so special about abandoning my crews to death and the game is designed to make…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When the world seems harsh because of dark times, this games proves that there will still be people who care despite the odds. The world can always be better but only if people care to have the courage.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Through the Darkest of Times is a harrowing and poignant strategy-adventure game developed by Paintbucket Games. Set in Nazi Germany, the game places you in the role of a resistance group leader trying to survive and fight back against Hitler’s regime between 1933 and 1945. Rather than relying on combat or action mechanics, the game uses turn-based strategy and narrative choices to reflect the moral weight and dangers of defiance in one of history’s darkest periods. You manage a small cell…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today we're celebrating Through the Darkest of Times by @paintbucket.de - a deep historical strategy game about the resistance movement in Nazi germany New to this series? Well, we're highlighting creative & wacky #games from the #gamedev #solodev & #indiegamedev community using our outlier lists
neutral · AI labelView post →I would recommend for the history, which is well-told, but I can't recommend it as a game. The game systems encourage you to act, but bad things happen when you do. This is presumably supposed to feel like a careful balancing act, but because the risk/reward payoffs aren't well explained it just feels like the game is punishing you. You are given lots of options, none of which appear to be worthwhile. Quite a lot of the time the best course of action seems to be doing nothing. You aren't given…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The chapter rests of all your items was a bad call. I spend 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. What is the point? Why do I want to do it all over again?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A good history lesson but a lousy game. Too many repetitive, boring tasks and shallow companions, and your choices don't really matter. Should have just been a visual novel.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It has the foundations of a good game. However, the balancing is a mess, especially when it comes to morale. No matter how many missions I was completing in Chapter 2, I kept losing morale, with no real opportunities to get higher amounts, making the game pretty much unplayable after a while. Which is a shame, since I really wanted to keep playing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The line between making a game and making a political statement or educational instrument is extremely thin. Through the Darkest of Times walks that line masterfully. It's one of those projects that puts you into the shoes of a historical place but never forgets that this is a game and ensures that you feel like your choices mattered. You take on the role of a resistance leader during the rise of Hitler. Each turn you will deploy your resistance members to raise funds, motivate new supporters,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're a gamer and feeling a certain kind of way about Nazis rn: Through The Darkest of Times is a more grounded historical resistance strategy game w strong narrative & educational elements. It gets dark but I found exploring the different resistance tactics interactively really fascinating.
positive · AI labelView post →The redommendation is not for the gameplay - it's quite shallow, boring and somewhat frustrating. The story, however, is more important than ever, seeing how history seems to repeat itself...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →good story, decent funky art-style, but absolutely trash gameplay. you send guys on jobs, hope RNG helps you get all the materials you need, manage your suspicion/health levels, and repeat. but the worst part about it is that the build order and timeline isn't clear, so you may be one material short and have to redo a mission or you have your stockpile finally ready for the major missions and the game moves to the next chapter. it's overly repetitive and frustrating to progress. there is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its an interesting game. I would have recommended it but I appeared to get a bug twice where it blocked me from progressing a number of missions where it showed me that I was missing apparently nothing (The missions were available earlier and nothing seemed to have changed). Which completely derailed two of my chapters (out of the 3 I played) as I was unable to get some required items. This lead me to completely lose interest since I couldn't even play the game. I was enjoying it up to that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →what an amazing game I love WW2 games and especially non-combat ones. This is like perfect for me: * WW2 * Underground partisans * Heavy choices * Members can be permanently removed(death, arrest, other cases....) * Boardgame mechanics It feels increasingly like a boardgame. A complicated and a fun one that is. But with the story and amazing atmosphere The story sometimes can feel a bit too much cuz it happens between the turns, and when you think of your gameplay strategy and wanna execute…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing 6 hour or so game that really puts the rise of the Nazi party into perspective. Playing as a civilian resistance you try to build your network, fund yourself, and deal with deep emotional needs of your team. From 1931 to 1946 you deal with various historical events explaining what's happening in Berlin and try to make your way through the difficult process of your friends and neighbors joining the Nazis. Great reminder of history and how we can't forget what our ancestors fought against…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →@paintbucket.de announces the release of its historical investigation and court game The Darkest Files. The spiritual successor to their Nazi resistance game Through The Darkest of Times will be released on 25 March 2025, initially for PC and Mac. www.gamesmarket.global/publishing/n...
neutral · AI labelView post →Not much replayability. Can be completed in less than 5 hours, and anything new that can be achieved through a second playthrough is negligable. Please get your historical facts straight. I know it's not a big issue. But the Anschluss happened two years before the annexation of the Sudentenland. In the game it is incinuated that they happened almost at the same time and the Sudentenland was annexed before the Anschluss. When you dealing with such a large part, and recent, part of modern…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can't recommend this game for its gameplay as it appears unbalanced to me due to the fact that my agents get heat on them too often > requiring they go into hiding (costing me money) > requiring me to replenish more funds to prepare for going into hiding the future > detracting from accomplishing my goals because I have to divert attention to donations tasks (and hiding tasks) which takes it away from pursuing criteria to accomplish the unique objectives during each chapter. There's no method…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🎁 DOOR 19: "Through the Darkest of Times" was the first game that legally showed Swastikas in Germany. We talked to many politicians to convince them. Something we had to censor though, to get a lower age rating internationally was smoking. 1000nds of cigarettes had to be removed before release.
neutral · AI labelView post →2 out of 3 of the "Get Passport" missions (which are prerequisites for a "Cross Border" main quest) are broken. It's been 3 years since launch, cmon Edit: I've seen several threads reporting this bug and no dev response
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredible story, but as a game it is literally broken: - on Resistance the economy is just broken leaving you with low recources, which will prevent you form completing any big quests; - you do not have enough time in the first half of the game, which leads to the exactly same unability to complete any big quests. Some players state that you should try several times but even during the first hours I felt the whole repetitiveness of this game. But anyway, the whole story is great and I must…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's hard to explain how this game is actually comforting to me. Like This War of Mine, it asks you to make trade-offs constantly: what you need vs what you want vs risk. And just like that game, there never seem to be quite enough of anything to get things done. But while This War of Mine - which is great, truly - made me feel the despair of that situation, this game somehow makes me hopeful? Maybe it's just the thought that people can and have survived times like these, that people have…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not just a game, this is an art. Words can't describe how much I love this game. This is a simple game, yes. But what makes this game great is the narrative writing (some event will make you very emotional) and the historical fact that this game give. Also, I need to mention how amazing the art style is. You will spend a lot of time reading text in this game (quite similar to a visual novel). There's many dialogue options that you can choose when the narrative is playing or when some…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ultimately repetitive and boring
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This isn't the best game, it's an indie turn-based strategy game with some frustrating balance issues. BUT it is the best WW2 game that I can recall playing. Better than Hearts of Iron, better than Call of Duty, because better than anything I have played, it realistically and viscerally connects you to the atrocities and terror of the Nazi regime. It illuminates history and I found myself developing real sympathy for my characters, and ultimately trying to make moral decisions in a nearly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The storyline is a very well-researched history lesson in the rise of fascism (Nazism) in post WW1 Germany. The game itself is immersive and gripping but feels like it suffers from balance issues and possibly some bugs. It doesn't seem like any action you take in the game substantively changes the narrative (because it really is a history lesson)... any victory scored is ultimately a minor one. I would almost call it more of an interactive linear story. The game has good bones and I hope…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The gameplay is mostly about matching the right people to the right tasks and taking chances on whether they’ll succeed. It’s decent, but nothing special. What really stands out is how the game teaches you about the Nazis. It handles the topic in a powerful and thoughtful way, and that alone makes it worth trying. Just wait for a sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We support people peacefully advocating for democracy at #NoKingsDay Gaming is not as badass as exercising civic rights in public. But, as art, games can provide profound social commentary We recommend “Through the Darkest of Times" - a historical resistance game set in 1933 Berlin bit.ly/3ZrpJ9i
neutral · AI labelView post →A true work of art more relevant now than ever before
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The spiritual successor to the award-winning Nazi resistance game Through the Darkest of Times, from the award-winning German indie studio Paintbucket Games @paintbucket.de , is now available on Steam for PC and Mac! www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeWn...
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is not only a great resistance simulator but a lesson in history to boot. You live the Nazi era as it evolves, with real historical events. The game itself is immersive. You have to keep a balance between funds, members, moral and hazards. Choose your partners (5 at any time) and your actions. Some resistance acts need a series of actions beforehand, ie you need to blow up something but first need to acquire the explosive device, or need to distribute leaflets but first need to get…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A superbly crafted game that serves as storyteller, teacher, and concerned friend. The steady drip-drip-drip of Nazi horrors through newspaper headlines pierces me with cold reality again and again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Those were really dark times... this history should never repeat itself
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is a good game, with enough twists and plot turns to keep it interesting. It has also everything to do with making hard choices. And it confronts you with moral issues. It is easy to say thay you will stand up against injustice living in a free and save country, but what will you do when you're live will depend on it. That is what makes this game so interesting, it is not only fun to play, but the awareness that there where people 100 years ago who really did these things makes it very real.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they've already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game causing me to go side with the Nazi's and I do not like that. Yes you play as resistance but the way the events are framed I feel like the Nazi's are in the right and feel bad like i am doing acts of terror and such and I dont like that. It has good game mechanics like raps have good beats but the way its making me feel is ♥♥♥♥ the same the words of alot of rap is just depressing and junk. Playing this game and listening to the violence many women and drugs rap is low on my list of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting game, brings you into the perspectives of those resisting tyranny and despotism. Very engaging, it always has you second-guessing yourself as to what is right. Easy to learn how to play, but not an easy game, if that makes sense. Beautiful narrative.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting as a minigame concept. Garbage in terms of educational content or historic value.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not the most gripping or sound gameplay, but the story and retelling of the nazi regime's rise to power is enough on its own to experience. We need more like this
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The storytelling of Through The Darkest of Times is it's strongest asset. It makes the war feel fresh and real and dangerous in a way history books and TV shows never have for me, and it wraps this in an engaging resource management framework. Perhaps most importantly, in a game where we can't change the outcome of the story or the major events that unfold, it asks us "what is the reason for playing if we can't ever 'win'?"; and it gives us an answer in the stories of those who fought for what…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10 random games to get to know me: - Untitled Goose Game - Earthbound - Fallout New Vegas (any of them, really) - Katamari Forever (any of them, really) - Cook, Serve, Delicious 2 - Simpsons Hit and Run - GTA Vice City - Parasite Eve 2 - Duck Tales for GameBoy - Through the Darkest of Times
neutral · AI labelView post →yes im sophie scholl now
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wish it were less relevant and timely, but as it is, very educational.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yes the nazis were bad can I play my spy game now?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Achievement hunters beware, this game cannot be 100% completed due to broken achievements. It feels more like a story than a game, which delivers a powerful message of the horrors of World War 2. I would love to leave a positive review but due to the fact that it has several broken achievements that have not been fixed (and probably will never be) I cannot recommend this game. If you're an achievement hunter, feel free to check out my curator for more reviews!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game brings you a real sense of dread and captures the hopelessness of being a conscious person in a tyrannical country, wanting to do some good but mostly failing, and trying again. Working hard for an entire chapter just to save 6 Jewish children and transport them across the border makes you think whether all this effort really is worth something, and on the other hand knowing it made a world of difference to some people. In my opinion, the best Nazi Germany era game out there.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a very accurate simulation of small resistances to the NSDAP. The emotional weight is right, and it covers the major historical benchmarks admirably without allowing the player (a member of a small resistance group in Berlin) to alter history, do massive deeds, etc. As a historian, I think game could actually be a valuable teaching tool, causing youngsters to ask questions like "who did burn the Reichstag?" or "Who was Horst Wessel?" etc. This could even be a good teaching tool for a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really thoughtful an well implemented. Heavy but strategic game-y enough that it's not unfun. It's not difficult to survive but you do get a sense of how difficult it was to do anything BUT survive.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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