No matter how intelligent or empathetic one is, it is incredibly difficult to truly understand the enormity of the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany. The game usually tries to loosen the concept further by simply telling you to go shoot every German face you can find. This pigeon-hole-breaking game, while not yet able to convey the scale of the game, is eye-opening in a very impressive way. This really is an emotional journey more than anything else.

You and a small band of resistance fighters are German citizens, with randomly generated names, attributes, and appearances. The story begins in 1933 when Hindenburg appoints Hitler as Chancellor and continues until the end of the war in 1946. The story is firmly rooted in reality, so there is absolutely no possibility of preventing World War II or influencing historical events. We try to do what little we can for the persecuted and spread the truth about what the Nazis are doing ...... And all this while watching helplessly as large numbers of the populace cheered Hitler on.

Each turn represents a week, and you must decide which tasks to assign to each member. The success of each is determined in part by the total value of the relevant attributes provided by the character you assign (e.g., secrecy, strength, propaganda). Things are not that simple, however, and bringing certain items to the table will not just make things a little easier or harder.

At the beginning of each week, three newspaper headlines are presented. The news is historically accurate and usually details some success of the Nazi regime. The morale of my group drops accordingly before I can do anything, and by the end of the turn it will almost certainly be a little more demoralized unless I score some sort of victory for the group.

And that's not all. Even if the action is successful, there is a good chance that at least one of the members will begin to attract the attention of the authorities. If this is left unchecked, the Gestapo will arrest him and put him out of action. If the heat gets to the member assigned to the task, the risk of failure begins to increase. To maintain my dwindling number of supporters, I need to be selective with my tasks. If I lose too many supporters or the morale of the group drops to zero, it is all over.

The mechanics are solid and ultimately stat-based, but blend into the background thanks to the storytelling. The text occasionally stumbles (likely a translation issue), and the stylized art and quick pacing prevent any emotional connection with any of the characters, but I feel a chill run through my chest at regular intervals. "Paintbucket Games" does not try to escape the reality of Nazi Germany. It does not try to escape the reality of Nazi Germany.

No friend, neighbor, or even child is guaranteed immunity around me to the toxic allure of the charismatic Hitler and his all-powerful party. Most of the supporters of fascism are otherwise unremarkable, rather than cartoonish villains... They are good people. They bake cakes. They host parties. They speak to you politely. Some are vocal, angry critics of the Nazi regime, but they risk not only arguments with their peers but also the deadly wrath of the authorities. I need to be careful what I say and do.

When I meet someone I don't know, I don't know if I can trust them. When I find someone who seems to offer a glimmer of hope, someone who seems to promise some form of help from the outside world, I get little or nothing. Yet I am still so emotionally invested that I try to do my best. Early on, I come across a scene where a Jewish man is being beaten by a member of the SA. I have the option of ignoring this situation, but even on my second playthrough, I am not quite ready to do so.

Everything is very powerful on the first playthrough. The Nazi horrors played out in the newspaper headlines repeatedly confront me with the cold reality of the situation. However, upon playing it a second time, I find that the story is rigid and the choices I make there often have little or no effect. I soon begin skimming through vast amounts of text, and the emotional impact is reduced to a mere fraction of what it could have been.

On the rare occasions when the scripted text makes a strong reference to President Trump, I really wish the developers had not done this. One reason for this is because it runs a crack through the atmosphere, but a large part of the reason is because it is not really necessary. Sometimes the similarities are so strong that one has to cover one's eyes to see them.

Each chapter provides several major blows against the Nazis. For example, sending a message to the world or carrying out massive sabotage. These require specific items, and in addition, a specific set of tasks to successfully complete them (and all of these must be completed within a strictly set number of turns). I am unable to complete these tasks, and I still don't know if this is due to the design or my own poor time management. In the end, it doesn't really matter, because the message is the same. Small acts of defiance under fascism are difficult and dangerous; grand acts of defiance are a hundred times more so.

"Through the Darkest of Times" is as dark as it is important. One side of the game clearly tells the final chapter of Hitler's rise and fall from the perspective of ordinary citizens trying to navigate the antagonistic opinions of their friends and the unimaginably horrific rumors about the regime. The other forces us to balance the urge to act with the need to care for one's fellow citizens, and there are no easy answers. It forms a coherent and uncomfortable whole.